Montgomery County’s Board of Education is staring down a high-stakes decision on Thursday, March 26, when it is set to take a final vote on a sweeping boundary plan that would relocate Thomas S. Wootton High School from its long-time Rockville campus to the new Crown Farm building in Gaithersburg. The superintendent’s recommendation has already stirred intense opposition from parents, Rockville leaders and community groups, who argue the move would uproot a neighborhood fixture and complicate daily commutes and program access. The outcome could reshape feeder patterns across much of the county and speed up a years-long renovation schedule, according to WTOP.
Superintendent Thomas Taylor is backing a modified Option H that would shift Wootton to the Crown Farm site and convert the current Wootton campus into a holding school to accelerate renovations, according to the superintendent’s recommendation. That report lays out maps, demographic projections and a phased implementation plan for middle and high school grades that district staff say is designed to limit disruption for current students.
MCPS officials emphasize this is "not a closure" but a relocation intended to balance enrollment, reduce operating costs and move capital investments along more quickly, the district said. The Board is scheduled to take final action on March 26. If the plan gets a green light, implementation would begin in the 2027–2028 school year, with a multi-year phase-in for affected grades.
In the run-up to the vote, dozens of parents and alumni have already packed a Rockville board meeting to testify against the plan, as reported by WTOP. A petition opposing Option H has drawn more than 5,800 verified signatures, according to Change.org. Rockville’s mayor and city council have formally urged MCPS to keep Wootton at its current campus, and councilmember Andrew Friedson has publicly criticized the process for what he called a lack of transparency in separate public comments.
What the recommendation would change
The superintendent’s recommendation redraws attendance lines across multiple clusters, creates a Thomas S. Wootton High School @ Crown Farm cluster, shifts several elementary-to-middle school articulations and expands Damascus High School. It also lays out a two-stage phase-in so that upperclassmen can finish high school at their current campuses. The recommendation document details specific school reassignments along with the district’s stated rationale of balancing enrollment and improving how existing buildings are used across the county.
Community concerns and legal threats
Opponents argue that the process has lacked adequate language access and transparency and that the plan would disproportionately affect Wootton’s diverse student body. A local parents group has signaled that it is preparing a federal civil-rights complaint, Montgomery Perspective reported. Advocates have begun organizing fundraising and legal resources and are pressing the Board to look at alternatives that would keep both Crown and Wootton as permanent campuses.
What happens next
The Board’s March 26 meeting is slated to include public comment followed by the final vote. The district has posted the slide deck and video from recent work sessions on its boundary study page so families can review the details before the decision.
If the Board approves the recommendation, MCPS plans a phased rollout beginning in 2027–28 for certain grades and full implementation by 2029–30, with the stated goal of minimizing disruption for current juniors and seniors.
Whatever the vote, the decision will determine whether MCPS pursues a cost-savings renovation strategy that turns the Wootton building into a temporary holding site, or preserves Wootton at its long-time Rockville address. Either path is likely to keep neighborhood groups and county officials debating school boundaries and facilities for years to come.
