Reclaiming the Potential for Equity and Diversity in Montgomery County’s Schools of Choice

Oct 15, 2026

Reclaiming the Potential for Equity and Diversity in Montgomery County’s Schools of Choice examines how district magnets and special academic programs have excluded many Latino, Black, and low-income students despite strong overall demand and the district’s rapid demographic and economic diversification. It outlines the share gaps by race and income across elementary and high-school offerings, describes how magnet programs were originally designed to support desegregation, and summarizes MCPS’s efforts to restore that purpose through program reviews, community engagement, and policy changes such as lottery preferences and revised access approaches.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Equity and Access Challenge

District Demographic Context

District Efforts to Increase Equity, Access, and Diversity

Magnet Programs and Their Original Purpose

Metis Associates Review and Recommendations

Community Input and OCR Complaint

Planned Policy Changes for Greater Accessibility

Reclaiming the Potential for Equity and Diversity in Montgomery County’s Schools of Choice With Latino, black, and low-income students having been largely excluded from the district’s magnet and special academic programs, district leaders work to increase equity and access. Jennifer B. Ayscue “We have wonderful programs in the county but not all students have been able to access them,” states Patricia O’Neill, 17-year member of Montgomery County Public Schools’ ( MCPS) Board of Education. O’Neill is referring to the 43 magnet and special academic programs, such as language immersion and gifted and talented programs, that are part of the nationally recognized school district located in the southern part of Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.1 Compared to the district’s current population, the shares of Latino and black students enrolled in MCPS’s magnet and special academic programs are disproportionately small, while the shares of white and Asian students are disproportionately large. ________________________________________________________ 1 In 2013-14, choice programs in MCPS included language immersion programs in seven elementary and four middle schools, seven elementary centers for highly gifted in eight schools, 14 magnet and application programs at three middle schools and six high schools, two high school consortia, and one middle school magnet consortium. MCPS has experienced substantial demographic change since magnet and special academic programs began in the 1970s. MCPS is experiencing tremendous growth of approximately 2,500 students per year, with the fastest growing segment of students being Latino. Students of color now outnumber white students in the district. In 2013-2014, MCPS enrollment was 32% white, 27% Latino, 21% black, 14% Asian, and 5% two or more races. Although Montgomery County is still a comparatively wealthy district, it has also become increasingly diverse economically; in 2013-14, 34% of MCPS students qualified for free and reduced price meals. Even though Latino, black, and low-income students account for substantial shares of the district’s enrollment, few of them have been admitted to MCPS’s magnet and special academic programs. In 2013-2014, in elementary centers for highly gifted students, only 4% of students were Latino and 8% were black while nearly half (47%) were white and over one-third (34%) were Asian. Only 8% of students in these centers were low income. Similar disparities exist at the high school level. MCPS Enrollment by Race 2013-2014 Two or More Races Recognizing the substantial underrepresentation of students of color and low-income students in the district’s magnet and special academic programs, O’Neill asserts,“We have a moral obligation to meet the needs of all students and to make changes. Our school system has changed over the many years that these programs have been in existence and they should be reflective of our community, our diverse community.” District Efforts to Increase Equity, Access, and Diversity Similar to many other districts that created magnet programs in the 1970s and 1980s, MCPS designed many of its magnets and special academic programs as a voluntary approach to achieve desegregation. Magnet schools are public “schools of choice”—schools that offer alternatives to students other than their neighborhood public schools. Magnets often have a unique theme accompanied by an innovative curriculum and instructional approach that can attract students from different geographic areas and diverse backgrounds. In most cases, magnet programs are not bound by geographic attendance zones. As such, magnet schools are often effective tools for creating racially and socioeconomically diverse schools that also achieve high levels of academic success. As time has passed, newly-created choice programs in the district have not always adhered to the original purpose of facilitating desegregation and diversity. MCPS leaders are now working to r

FAQs

What equity issue does the report focus on?

The report focuses on the underrepresentation of Latino, Black, and low-income students in Montgomery County Public Schools’ magnet and special academic programs compared with the district’s overall enrollment.

How did MCPS initially design magnet programs?

MCPS designed many magnet and special academic programs as voluntary tools to achieve desegregation, offering themed curricula and approaches meant to attract students from different areas and backgrounds.

What actions has MCPS taken to improve access and equity?

MCPS contracted with Metis Associates to analyze disparities, gathered community input through public meetings and online comments, and proposed changes such as adjusting the sibling link and adding preferences for low-income students in immersion-program lotteries.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair