In preparation for the opening of Crown High School, projected for August 2027, the Board of Education (BOE) held multiple boundary study sessions where they proposed eight redistricting options for the 2027-2028 school year.
On Dec. 1, the BOE. announced their four additional redistricting options: Options E, F, G and H. Options E, F and G all propose keeping Crown as a holding school until other school renovations are completed. Option H proposes moving this school to the new Crown building and renaming it Wootton High School. This redistricting option keeps all feeder elementary and middle schools in the cluster together, while adding the Crown development students. “It’s nice to know that if I were redistricted in my junior year I would still be attending the same school as my peers and friends,” freshman Karlie Cook said.
The BOE held two informational meetings about the redistricting; both meetings were open to anyone interested in learning about the four new options. On Dec. 2, there was an in-person informational meeting at Gaithersburg High School and on Dec. 4, a virtual informational session. During the virtual session, MCPS Executive Director Cat Malchodi and Flo Analytics Kate Doiron discussed the statistical data for option H regarding facility utilization, the Free and Reduced Price Meal Program (FARMS) and the Emergent Multilingual Learners (EML). All feeder middle schools and Crown/Wootton fall within an 80-100% efficient facility utilization range in option H, implying the building will be used for maximum value of the physical space. The FARMS percent of resident students will increase for Crown (Wootton) HS and Frost MS. FARMS remains the same for Cabin John MS. The Emergent Multilingual Learners (EML) percent of resident students will increase for Crown (Wootton) HS and the EML will remain the same for Frost and Cabin John MS.
In the fall of the 2023-2024 school year, the school was bumped down to the 3A division due to decreasing student numbers. However, with the addition of the Crown development students in option H, there is a possibility the school moves back to the 4A division. “I believe the size of the school would push Wootton back to 4A but not sure,” school PTSA president Brian Rabin said.
It’s impossible to say exactly why option H was proposed without speaking directly to the Board of Ed.; it is assumed the proposal has to do with the school’s exclusion from the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for 2027. This exclusion pushes the school’s modernization beyond this decade. “I can’t speak for the Board, but I believe they added option H because Wootton is in poor condition and is not in the CIP. Therefore, it is many years for the possibility of Wootton getting rebuilt. Major systems at Wootton are in poor shape and need to be replaced soon. MCPS does not have the funding to replace the systems,” Rabin said.
While option H offers students a brand new building with new infrastructure, there are no promises the decision will lean toward option H as Crown was initially intended for Gaithersburg and Crown communities, “I want Wootton to be rebuilt and have been advocating for this to happen for more than one decade. The conditions in the building have deteriorated considerably during that time. I am glad that the BOE and superintendent came up with a proposal that gets Wootton into a new school faster. However, I want to make sure that this does not take away from the Gaithersburg and Crown communities who were expecting to go to Crown,” Rabin said.
It is also important to note that the Board of Ed. has been pushing the school’s renovations back beginning almost two decades ago in 2006. “We have been needing a new school building for a while, so it’s interesting to know we might have an opportunity to get one for my senior year,” sophomore Vicky Lin said.
The superintendent is to announce the final decision for redistricting in February 2026.
