WASHINGTON — Montgomery County Public Schools are are recognized as some of the best in the country, but a new report highlights a stark divide among high schools that affects student performance.
The school system has lost ground in efforts to close racial and economic gaps, according to the report. It finds that those disparities are getting worse, and it corresponds with differences in test scores, suspensions and graduation rates.
“A majority of the school system’s low-income, black and Latino students attend high-poverty high schools while a majority of MCPS’ non-poor, white and Asian students attend low-poverty high schools,” a release about the report states.
Since 2010, the stratification of MCPS high schools has been more evident. The share of black and Latino students attending high-poverty high schools has increased while the share of white, Asian, and non-poor students attending low- poverty high schools has increased, the report says.
Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice says labeling the problem is a priority.
“What we’ve got to do is say that this is a problem that we need to address as our number-one issue within our school system,” Rice says.
WTOP’s Andrew Mollenbeck contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
