Schedules lined with honors classes, AP exam prep books stacked on top of each other and frantic pre-test panic in the hallways: at this school, these are scenes that students know all too well. This school is famously, or perhaps infamously, known for its academic rigor and the student ambition that propels it.
When compared to the academic challenges of other schools in the county, could this school be considered “harder?” The short answer is that there is no objective way to tell, though data and student and teacher opinion can offer insight into what makes the courses students take difficult at times.
Washington Post journalist Jay Mathews established the Jay Mathews Challenge Index in 1998 to rank high schools across the nation; according to the Challenge Index’s website, it is “the oldest high school ranking system in the country.” An index ratio for a given year is calculated by dividing the number of AP, IB and/or Cambridge tests given at a high school by the number of graduating seniors that year (note that this ratio does not indicate the average number of AP, IB or Cambridge tests per student). Typically, a higher number of these examinations indicates that more academically advanced students are signing up to take them.
In 2023, this school received an index score of 5.737, putting it, in accordance with the Challenge Index, as the second highest-ranked MCPS school in the country. The highest-ranked MCPS school in the U.S. according to the Challenge Index is Poolesville, with an index score of 7.086. Nearby Walt Whitman received a 4.963; Richard Montgomery received a 4.862; Gaithersburg received a 3.294; and Watkins Mill received a 1.371.
Clearly, this school is ranked relatively high compared to other schools. While a harder course curriculum could be the reason, according to teachers, the school’s high rankings can be attributed to the students and the goals of teachers in the classroom.
Science Resource Teacher Michael Thompson said that teachers at this school strive for long-term success for all students. “In something like a county course or AP course, there is a curriculum that is written. The expectation is that teachers teach that curriculum, but then we always want to leave some power in the hands of teachers to enrich the experience for their students as they see fit. We’re not looking for short-term success, as in an A or even the AP exam score — we are working to ensure success in the next four years and in future career,” Thompson said.
This curriculum enrichment that Thompson mentioned often comes from student ambition and the willingness of students to learn more. “I think because a lot of the students here are very ambitious, I think a lot of times the teachers are reacting to student engagement because students are producing high-quality work and demanding in-depth feedback. Students are meeting their teachers halfway and so teachers are kind of stepping up to also meet the students halfway. I noticed that when I first came to Wootton that the level of student [engagement] is higher, which demanded me to also increase my rigor in order to continually challenge the students,” English teacher Danny Pecoraro said.
Pecoraro said that students at this school typically come in with more knowledge and skills than other students at other schools, which is another reason why teachers strive to consistently bring out the best in their students. “As long as the students are learning, they’re going to benefit from a more accelerated curriculum as long as it’s not too fast for them,” Pecoraro said.
Junior Annette Ryu participated in the IB Diploma Program at Richard Montgomery during her freshman year and part of her sophomore year, before attending this school. Ryu said that while the humanities classes at Richard Montgomery were more challenging, the difficulty of STEM classes were more or less on par with this school. “When I came to Wootton in 10th grade, the pre-calculus class was as hard for me at Wootton as at RM, and so was the chemistry class. I think the courses require a decent amount of effort to pass and teachers really want to push their students to their potential,” Ryu said.
Whatever the reason is for course difficulty, “Every school does try to do the best work that they can do for the students that are in that school,” according to Thompson. Because teachers know what is expected at the college level and beyond, student success is put at the forefront. So, while your honors or AP class may be difficult, teachers want you to keep in mind that the knowledge and skills you gain will help you in the long run.
