From vaping, the cost of school supplies to cellphone policies, the WTOP team is studying up on hot-button topics in education across the D.C. region. Follow on air and online in our series “WTOP Goes Back to School” this August and September.
Thousands of students across Maryland and D.C. began the 2024-2025 school year Monday morning.
In Maryland, public schools in Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County and Anne Arundel County welcomed students — some for the first time. Public schools in D.C. did the same, after making progress in last year’s standardized tests.
Here’s what you need to know.
DC
More than 51,000 students across all eight wards headed to classes on Monday morning. Pre-K students will start on Thursday.
WTOP’s Luke Lukert was at Jackson-Reed High School in Northwest D.C. as students were welcomed with performances from the school’s band and dancers.
Lukert reported that a lot of the students heading through the doors on Monday morning looked happy to return.
“A lot of hugs and a lot of high fives,” he said. “I’ve been talking to a lot of the students and staff here at Jackson-Reed and it kind of made me want to go back to high school. They said that they have so many different clubs and if you wanted to start a new club, you could.”
One of the clubs students said they were excited about on Monday was the World Dish Club, where students bring in food from different countries.
Jackson-Reed also offers 38 different team sports, including rugby, which some students said they were excited to try this school year after the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
The first day of school comes as data shows D.C. students are meeting or exceeding expectations in reading and math, according to the city’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
D.C. Public Schools is also entering the second year of the 6th grade academy initiative. The academies work to ensure a smooth transition to middle school. Last week, teachers were welcomed back with go-go music, snacks and pep talks from schools chancellor Lewis Ferebee.
Mayor Muriel Bowser was scheduled to celebrate the first day of school at Miner Elementary School in Northeast.
Montgomery County
Maryland’s largest school district welcomed more than 160,000 students back to school.
Monday marked the first year that new Superintendent Thomas Taylor will run Montgomery County Public Schools.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein interviewed Taylor on Monday outside of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, just before students started the new school year.
“I could not be more excited to welcome students,” Taylor said.
His tenure begins as Marcus Jones, the newly appointed chief of security and compliance for the school system, shared data that showed the number of “serious” safety incidents in its schools dropped overall last year.
Taylor said one of the biggest obstacles for the first couple of weeks of school is transportation.
“In the DMV we have a lot of construction around and a lot of traffic. We have that Purple Line construction that happening right now,” Taylor said. “So we know that there are going to be anticipated delays.”
Taylor encouraged parents to reach out to their transportation hotline for the school system regarding any issues so they can be resolved.
He said that Montgomery County schools is 100% staffed in transportation positions and 99% staffed in instructional positions.
To prepare its students for the first day of classes, the public school system held its 5th annual Back to School Fair at Westfield Wheaton Mall on Saturday.
Heading into the first day of the new school year, Taylor said it’s important to focus on the student as a whole.
“I’m hoping that we are offering a level of support and a level of planning at MCPS where our kids can thrive in an academic space, but also thrive in a social space,” he said.
Prince George’s County
Just over 130,000 students returned to classes in Prince George’s County, where multiple schools are adjusting to new start and dismissal times.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo was on the scene Monday morning, as student walked through the doors of Tulip Grove Elementary School in Bowie for the first day of the new school year.
“We had a great summer, we had a great time and now it’s time to get back to work,” said Kimberly, a mother who was dropping off her son Lance.
What subjects was Lance most excited to start?
“Recess, math and science,” he said.
Superintendent Millard House II was at Tulip Grove on Monday morning greeting students as they headed to their classrooms.
Last year there were some issues getting students to school due to a bus driver shortage. House told WTOP that a new transportation plan aims to tackle that.
“I think the masses will show that we’re having the kind of progress in transportation that we want to see,” he said.
Meanwhile, some parents are raising concerns that their children will not be allowed to attend class after Prince George’s County Public Schools switched to a new system for registering students, and some parents were not aware or have been experiencing issues to register before classes start.
One positive: its school bus drivers are ready for the new school year, as schedules have been streamlined, bus stop locations have been updated and families are being supplied with information on apps dedicated to helping them get ready to get to school.
Anne Arundel County
First graders through ninth graders returned to class in Anne Arundel County on Monday, while the remaining grade levels return on Tuesday.
Over 57,000 students are expected to attend their first day of classes this week.
Howard County
This fall, the school system is assessing students use of cellphones. Under current policy, personal devices are supposed to be off and put away during the school day.
WTOP’s José Umaña, Luke Lukert, Valerie Bonk, Neal Augenstein and Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
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