In addition to our traditional language immersion programs, MCPS now has two-way local school immersion programs. These students receive 50 percent of their instruction in English and 50 percent in another target language. MCPS has also expanded access to elementary enrichment with additional seats and universal screenings, and more home school enrichment to ensure all students, regardless of ZIP code, are considered for the program.

school year 2018-2019
Annual Report to the Community
Dear Community:
On behalf of the Montgomery County Board of Education, I am pleased to present the 2019 Annual Report to the Community.
The mission of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is to provide every student with the academic, creative problem solving, and social emotional skills to be successful in college and career and thrive in their future. We work to educate our students so that academic success is not predictable by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, language proficiency or disability. We believe that All Means All when it comes to equity and excellence in learning, progress, achievement and opportunity.
To fulfill our mission, we provide our students with rigorous academic instruction; access and opportunity to diverse learning opportunities; powerful educational resources; safe learning environments; and much more. The 2019 Annual Report to the Community serves as a snapshot of this critical work during the 2018–2019 school year.
In order for students to reach high levels of academic performance and fulfill their potential, they must have the physical, social and psychological supports—delineated in the Be Well 365 program—that make them ready to learn. MCPS continues to make investments in this area, including the addition of full-time counselors in all elementary schools; improved allocation of psychological services to schools; and increased access to mental health programs across the county. Student learning is our purpose, and we know that students perform better academically when they are healthy in body, mind and spirit.
Included in this report to the community are:
- Highlights from the 2018-2019 school year
- An at-a-glance look of MCPS demographics
- Data on student performance, graduation, services and our workforce
- An All Means All approach to serving students and to close the opportunity gap
- Information on our operating and capital budgets
Thank you to the more than 24,000 educators, administrators and staff who helped turn our vision into reality with high quality instruction, and our mission action creating access and opportunity for our students every day. And thank you to our partners, parents and community for your support, input and engagement.
We look forward to building on the accomplishments outlined in this report and continuing our effort to ensure we are providing all students with the greatest public education possible.
Sincerely,
Shebra L. Evans,
President
Montgomery County Board of Education
Jack R. Smith, Ph.D.,
Superintendent of Schools
At a Glance 2018-19
Mission
Every student will have the academic, creative problem solving, and social emotional skills to be successful in college and career.
Vision
We inspire learning by providing the greatest public education to each and every student.
Core Purpose
Prepare all students to thrive in their future.
Core Values
Learning, Relationships, Respect, Excellence, Equity.
MCPS Strategic Plan
MCPS began implementing a new set of strategic priorities in 2017 under the leadership of new superintendent, Jack R. Smith. These priorities were built upon into Fiscal Year 2018 to become the MCPS Strategic Plan.
Learn MoreAll In: Equity and Achievement Framework
MCPS is committed to an All Means All approach for student success. While many of our students achieve at the highest levels, not all have had the access, opportunities and resources needed to meet their full potential. MCPS is committed to addressing disparities in student outcomes by closing gaps in opportunity and achievement for all students, in all classrooms, in all of our schools. The MCPS All In: Equity and Achievement Framework provides the purpose, path and plan to ensure success for all students.
Read the One Page Flyer about the Equity and Achievement Framework to learn more



All Means All
The mission of Montgomery County Public Schools is to ensure every student has the academic, creative problem solving and social emotional skills to be successful in college, career and community, regardless of his or her background. While many of our students achieve at the highest levels, not all have had the opportunities, support and resources needed to meet their full potential. MCPS is committed to addressing disparities in student outcomes by closing gaps in opportunity and achievement for all students, in all classrooms, in all of our schools.
Expanding Opportunity
Access precedes achievement. That is why MCPS is committed to providing and expanding access to and increasing instructional time in a variety of programs that are proven to enhance student learning for all students. MCPS has expanded opportunity in three key areas:
To combat summer learning loss over the summer, which mostly affects students in families impacted by poverty, MCPS expanded access and instruction time to existing summer programs (ELO SAIL, ELO STEP and the BELL program) and, in July 2019, MCPS will expand the school year by 30 days at two Title I elementary schools (Roscoe R. Nix and Arcola).
MCPS is increasing Pre-K seats and expanding to full-day learning experiences across the county; embedding Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM) opportunities in the elementary core curriculum; and expanding art initiatives in schools with a high number of students impacted by poverty.
Unleashing Potential
It is our responsibility to ensure students leave school with meaningful options for their futures. These options can be credit-bearing college courses, the skills and licenses needed to begin a meaningful career, or for many of our students, both.
Time after time, we see that when students are challenged and supported, they rise to the occasion. MCPS has expanded access to Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, with a focus on increasing participation by typically underrepresented student groups. In addition, all MCPS students have access to an assessment (SAT, ACT or Career Certificates) to support post-high school plans.
MCPS has enhanced and expanded its career-ready offerings. Programs range from information technology and engineering to aviation, finance and teaching. Some programs offer a two-year associate degree by the time students graduate from high school, at no cost or at a reduced cost. MCPS is also expanding the Career Readiness Education Academy to serve students who are unlikely to meet all graduation requirements prior to turning 21, and to students with limited or interrupted formal educations.
Our investment in programs like Minority Scholars and Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success help students who come from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds by providing mentors, coaching and a sense of belonging.
Intentional Teaching Strategies
Successful student learning requires intentional and informed teaching. This requires looking beyond aggregate data from standardized testing and asking these questions:
- Is each student learning?
- Are they learning enough?
- How do we know?
- If they are not learning, why not?
- What are we going to do about it?
Data can help educators better understand how the student is learning. This requires looking at multiple measures of a student’s learning to determine where they are making progress and where additional support may be needed. These measures include quizzes, exams and essays at the classroom level, as well as standardized state testing data. Using new, robust data tools, educators can better monitor student performance and implement supports or offer greater challenges to meet student needs.
To be as efficient as possible, the human brain takes shortcuts in processing information. Unfortunately, these shortcuts can sometimes unintentionally create bias and lead to stereotyping. For educators, this can lead to expectations for a student based on race, ethnicity or gender, instead of ability. To combat this implicit bias and to help teachers better connect with students of all backgrounds, MCPS has developed mandatory cultural competency training for all educators.
To ensure that our growing diverse student body has access to high-quality teachers from backgrounds as diverse as they are, MCPS has engaged in targeted recruitment to encourage diverse applicants to become educators in our system. We are also creating pathways to develop our diverse pool of support professionals into certified teachers.
MCPS is committed to providing supports and identifying resources for families through our multilingual parent community coordinators and pupil personnel workers. We are also continuing to invest in language services work to increase access to timely translations and interpretations for families where English is not the primary language.
Board of Education
Among its many responsibilities, the Montgomery County Board of Education has the critical task of developing and revising policies that allow MCPS to fulfill its mission and establishing a budget for the school system. To do this, the Board engages directly with tens of thousands of parents, students, staff and community members though cluster meetings, budget hearings, school visits and more. Learn More ⟶
During the 2018-2019 school year, a total of 25 Board of Education policies and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) regulations were either amended, revised or rescinded. Some of the amendments and revisions were technical or non-substantive.
The Board of Education implemented one new policy, amended seven policies, revised 14 regulations, rescinded two policies and rescinded one regulation.
Board Members
President Shebra L. Evans
District 4
View Bio ⟶
Vice President Brenda Wolff
District 5
View Bio ⟶
Jeanette E. Dixon
At-Large
View Bio ⟶
Judith Docca
District 1
View Bio ⟶
Patricia B. O'Neill
District 3
View Bio ⟶
Karla Silvestre
At-Large
View Bio ⟶
Rebecca Smondrowski
District 2
View Bio ⟶
Ananya Tadikonda
Student Member
MCPS Board of Education
- BBB, Ethics
- BFA, Policysetting
- BLB, Rules of Procedure in Appeals and Hearings
- FAA, Educational Facilities Planning
- IGK, Career Readiness
- JEA, Residency, Tuition, and Enrollment
- KBA, Policy on Public Information
- COB-RA, Incident Reporting
- EEB-RA, Operation and Care of MCPS Buses
- FAA-RA, Educational Facilities Planning
- IGP-RA, Comprehensive Health Education Instructional Program
- IOE-RA, Guidelines for the Continuing Education of Pregnant and Parenting Students
- IOI-RA, Placement Procedures for Alternative Programs
- JEA-RB, Enrollment of Students
- JEA-RE, Tuition-based Enrollment
- JEE-RA, Student Transfers and Administrative Placements
- JFA-RA, Student Rights and Responsibilities
- JGA-RB, Suspension and Expulsion
- JPA-RB, Safety and Screening Programs: Lead, Hearing, and Vision
- JPG-RA, Wellness: Physical and Nutritional Health
- KLA-RA, Responding to Inquiries and Complaints from the Public
- FKB, Sustaining and Modernizing Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Facilities
- KBB, Release of Data
- JED-RA, Residency and Tuition
Strategic Key Bodies of Work by Focus Area
Improve
Teaching and Learning
- Increase opportunities for students to participate in rigorous coursework, programs, and co-curricular activities including in the STEM areas
- Expand achievement-focused extracurricular programs to all middle schools to increase outcomes and opportunities for students
- Expand home-school model special education programs
- Ensure effective mathematics instruction through robust materials, focused support, and approaches to scheduling

Focus on
Learning, Accountability, and Results
- Increase the number of Equal Opportunity Schools
- Redesign alternative programs, online pathways to graduation and dropout recovery
- Expand access to enriched andaccelerated instruction
- Increase pathways for career opportunities in Cybersecurity, Public Safety/EMT/Firefighter Academy, Agricultural Science and Aviation
- Expand access to Maryland Seal of Biliteracy
- Implement extended-year program at two elementary schools beginning July 2019
- Launch recovery education program
- Expand restorative justice initiative
- Expand the arts initiative program to elementary schools in the Gaithersburg and Germantown areas
- Implement Finance Park program for all MCPS seventh graders through a partnership with Junior Achievement at Thomas Edison High School of Technology
- Expand the BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) summer program for elementary school students
- Expand the two-way language immersion program to two additional elementary schools
- Explore ways to provide language programs to all elementary school students
- Expand the Pre-K program
- Create and implement a plan to address academic issues for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in middle and high schools that will lead to graduation from high school
Focus on
Human Capital
- Continue and expand work at the district and school level in MCPS recruitment, hiring and retention efforts
- Increase and improve pathways for support professionals to become classroom teachers
- Provide advancement opportunities for other support professionals in other career fields within MCPS
Focus on Human Capital
MCPS Workforce: Demographic Profile
FY 2016 | FY 2017 | FY 2018 | FY 2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Percent | Percent | Percent | Percent | |
Female | 73.90% | 73.80% | 73.80% | 73.7% |
Male | 26.10% | 26.20% | 26.20% | 26.3% |
TOTAL | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Indian or Alaskan Native | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
Asian | 7.9% | 8.0% | 8.2% | 8.5% |
Black or African American | 17.7% | 18.0% | 18.0% | 18.3% |
Hispanic | 11.3% | 12.0% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Two or More | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
White | 61.5% | 60.5% | 59.6% | 58.2% |
TOTAL | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Under 20 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
20 - 29 years | 12.00% | 12.60% | 12.70% | 12.50% |
30 - 39 years | 21.40% | 21.90% | 22.10% | 22.10% |
40 - 49 years | 24.90% | 24.80% | 25.00% | 25.40% |
50 - 59 years | 26.70% | 26.40% | 26.00% | 25.60% |
60+ years | 14.90% | 14.40% | 14.20% | 14.40% |
TOTAL | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
1. Data reflects the number of permanent employees by head count. Temporary and substitute employees are not included.
2. Data was captured on October 15.
Focus on Human Capital
MCPS Workforce: Retention of Teachers
(new hire data based on fiscal year)
Fiscal Year | # of Teachers Hired | Total # of Terminations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FY2008 | FY2009 | FY2010 | FY2011 | FY2012 | FY2013 | FY2014 | FY2015 | FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | ||||||||||||||||
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
FY2008 | 1,236 | 102 | 8.30% | 63 | 5.10% | 43 | 3.50% | 47 | 3.80% | 38 | 3.10% | 20 | 1.60% | 20 | 1.60% | 43 | 3.50% | 19 | 1.50% | 22 | 1.80% | 16 | 1.30% | 9 | 0.7% | 442 | 35.8% |
FY2009 | 777 | 59 | 7.60% | 43 | 5.50% | 37 | 4.80% | 27 | 3.50% | 28 | 3.60% | 27 | 3.50% | 27 | 3.50% | 13 | 1.70% | 16 | 2.10% | 11 | 1.40% | 12 | 1.5% | 300 | 38.6% | ||
FY2010 | 639 | 31 | 4.90% | 42 | 6.60% | 35 | 5.50% | 24 | 3.80% | 22 | 3.40% | 19 | 3.00% | 16 | 2.50% | 15 | 2.30% | 15 | 2.30% | 18 | 2.8% | 237 | 37.1% | ||||
FY2011 | 492 | 30 | 6.10% | 23 | 4.70% | 23 | 4.70% | 11 | 2.20% | 39 | 7.90% | 22 | 4.50% | 20 | 4.10% | 14 | 2.80% | 9 | 1.8% | 191 | 38.8% | ||||||
FY2012 | 881 | 61 | 6.90% | 44 | 5.00% | 39 | 4.40% | 62 | 7.00% | 32 | 3.60% | 27 | 3.10% | 22 | 2.50% | 21 | 2.4% | 308 | 35.00% | ||||||||
FY2013 | 720 | 76 | 10.60% | 57 | 7.90% | 71 | 9.90% | 44 | 6.10% | 35 | 4.90% | 38 | 5.30% | 19 | 2.6% | 340 | 47.2% | ||||||||||
FY2014 | 978 | 79 | 8.10% | 79 | 8.10% | 48 | 4.90% | 45 | 4.60% | 35 | 3.60% | 33 | 3.4% | 319 | 32.6% | ||||||||||||
FY2015 | 972 | 32 | 3.30% | 62 | 6.40% | 59 | 6.10% | 40 | 4.10% | 53 | 5.5% | 246 | 25.3% | ||||||||||||||
FY2016 | 720 | 54 | 7.50% | 60 | 8.30% | 41 | 5.70% | 30 | 4.2% | 185 | 25.7% | ||||||||||||||||
FY2017 | 1,349 | 148 | 11.00% | 84 | 6.20% | 61 | 4.5% | 293 | 21.7% | ||||||||||||||||||
FY2018 | 1,074 | 112 | 10.40% | 85 | 7.9% | 197 | 18.3% | ||||||||||||||||||||
FY2019 | 1,009 | 112 | 11.1% | 112 | 11.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | 10,847 | 3,170 | 29.2% |
1. This chart shows the cohort of teachers hired in a fiscal year and (reading across the line) the number from that cohort that terminated employment in subsequent fiscal years.
2. This chart does not include retirements.
3. The count of teachers who were hired during the year, who may have been termed or or maybe on Leave
Focus on
Community Partnerships and Engagement
- Continue KID Museum partnership
- Establish partnerships in community career-focused areas
- Expand College Tracks program to additional high schools
- Expand Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program to an additional high school
- Expand middle and early college program partnership with Montgomery College beginning in 9th grade
Focus on Community Partnerships and Engagement
Central Office Partnerships
144 Partners / 116 Programs
Organization Type | Total | % |
---|---|---|
Association | 12 | 8.3 |
Business/Corporation | 28 | 19.4 |
Educational Institution | 16 | 11.1 |
Foundation | 5 | 3.5 |
Government | 36 | 25.0 |
Non-profit Organization | 46 | 31.9 |
Union | 1 | 0.7 |
Total | 144 | 99.998 |
Parent Academy data for 2018-2019 Annual Report
Total number of workshops: | 85 |
Total number of parents/guardians who attended: | 1,585 |
Total number of parents/guardians who registered: | 2,212 |
Percentage of registered parents who attended: | 71% |
Average attendance: | 18.6 |
Number of parents/guardians who used interpretation services: | 96 |
Number of workshops conducted in other languages: | 21 |
Number of children served in childcare: | 264 |
Number of parents/guardians who completed an evaluation: | 1,026 |
Parent Feedback
Participants were asked to complete an evaluation form at the end of each workshop. The feedback and suggestions are used to determine workshop topics and other program improvement.
The numbers below reflect the number of parents who said they strongly agree or agree.
Attending this workshop was valuable use of my time. | 99.6% |
I will take what I learned and use it at home with my child. | 99.2% |
The presenter was clear and the information was easy to understand. | 99.3% |
Parent/Guardian Feedback
for Optional Section by Demographic Breakdown
We are interested in knowing the diversity of the parents and guardians participating in parent workshops. The numbers below identify gender, race and ethnicity of the parents/guardians who completed the optional section on the workshop evaluation form.
Female: | 75% |
Male: | 25% |
Race/Ethnicity
American Indian: | <1% |
Asian: | 28.7% |
Black or African American: | 16.9% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 17.4% |
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: | <1% |
White: | 33.8% |
Two or More Races: | 4.2% |
Focus on
Operational Excellence
- Upgrade, streamline and improve systems for greater efficiency in budgeting, finance and human resources
- Implement improvement initiatives for business operations in schools
- Restructure central office support for schools
Focus on Operational Excellence
Percent of On-time Bus Arrival
FY16 | 94% |
FY17 | 94% |
FY18 | 96% |
FY19 | 97% |
Preventable Bus Accidents
All school bus accidents are determined preventable/non-preventable by the MCPS Accident Review Board and State of Maryland guidelines. The Department of Transportation set a target of not more than 45 preventable accidents per year to gauge efforts around safety training, review, and accident mitigation.
FY16 | 42 |
FY17 | 43 |
FY18 | 39 |
FY19 | 54 |
Students Transported by Bus
FY16 | 99,096 |
FY17 | 101,225 |
FY18 | 102,067 |
FY19 | 104,555 |
Ongoing Success
Operating Budget
On June 12, 2018, the Montgomery County Board of Education adopted a $2.60 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The budget represented a $77.2 million increase over FY 2018. This will allow the district to manage growth and make investments in critical areas to ensure all MCPS students are achieving at high levels.
Read the June 12 memo from Superintendent Jack R. Smith on the FY 2019 Operating Budget
The majority of the $77.2 million increase was used to maintain services for a growing number of students; to ensure operational excellence and to invest in strategic priorities. The budget included $17.1 million and nearly 202 additional teacher and staff positions to support an enrollment increase of more than 1,800 students. MCPS also added more space, including the opening of Bayard Rustin Elementary School in September 2018, as part of the budget increase.
Learn More About the Budget Process and Timeline
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Resources: Montgomery County Operating Budget
Funding Sources

Expenditures

Capital Improvements
Budget and Highlights
Montgomery County Public Schools is not only the largest school district in Maryland, it is also one of the fastest growing school districts in the state and across the nation. Since the 2008–2009 school year, MCPS has grown by more than 26,143 students. As the student enrollment continues to increase across the system, the focus of the growth is shifting from the elementary school level to the secondary school level, particularly at the high schools. This significant growth in enrollment is creating tremendous demand for additional classroom space. MCPS has added more than 15,000 seats in the last decade to accommodate enrollment increases, but it has not been enough to keep pace with this growth.
The FY 2019 Capital Budget and the FY 2019–2024 Capital Improvements Program totaled $1.83 billion for the six-year period, with an FY 2019 expenditure of $365.5 million. The information below represents projects completed, in process or in planning during FY 2019.

Ashburton Elementary School addition of 9,740 square feet.

S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School addition of 24,871 square feet.

Luxmanor Elementary School revitalization/expansion project.

Seneca Valley High School revitalization/expansion project.
New Schools, additions, revitalizations (sq. ft.)
School | Type | Sq. Ft. |
---|---|---|
Ashburton ES | Addition | 9,740 |
S. Christa McAuliffe ES | Addition | 24,871 |
Snowden Farm ES | New | 92,366 |
Total | 126,977 |
Systemic
Capital Improvements Plan Page
Board of Education Approves $1.83 Billion Capital Improvements Program
New Construction & Major Capital Projects
Projects during the 2018-2019 school year and completed for the beginning of school in September 2019.
- Completed 126,977 square feet of new school construction
- Completed three capital projects for school opening in September 2019
- One new school – Snowden Farm Elementary School
- Two addition projects
- Ashburton Elementary School
- S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School
- Construction is ongoing for seven capital projects
- Two addition projects
- Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
- Takoma Park Middle School
- Five revitalization/expansion projects
- Luxmanor Elementary School
- Maryvale Elementary School/Carl Sandburg Center
- Potomac Elementary School
- Seneca Valley High School
- Tilden Middle School/Rock Terrace School
- Planning/design is underway for 12 capital projects
- Six addition projects
- John F. Kennedy High School
- A. Mario Loiederman Middle School
- Montgomery Knolls Elementary School
- Pine Crest Elementary School
- Silver Spring International Middle School
- Walt Whitman High School
- Three new schools/reopening projects
- Clarksburg Cluster Elementary School #9
- Gaithersburg Cluster Elementary School #8
- Charles W. Woodward High School (reopening)
- Three replacement/expansion projects
- DuFief Elementary School
- Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School
- Northwood High School
- Planning/design underway for six Major Capital Projects
- Burnt Mills Elementary School
- Neelsville Middle School
- Poolesville High School
- South Lake Elementary School
- Stonegate Elementary School
- Woodlin Elementary School