Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education voted 7–1 on March 26, 2026 to approve the Superintendent’s countywide plan, combining boundary changes and academic program updates into one unified package to include:
1. Reopening & Expansion Plan
2. Boundary Study Outcome (Crown / Damascus)
What was approved:
Relocation of Wootton High School to the new Crown Farm site
Expansion of Damascus High School
Boundary changes affecting multiple clusters, including Darnestown ES
Impact for Darnestown ES:
Students will articulate to Kingsview Middle School and Poolesville High School
Changes will begin with the 2027–2028 school year as follows:
3. Secondary Regional Programs
What this means:
- MCPS will be organized into 6 regions, each offering similar academic programs
Watch Full Meeting Here - Board of Education - Board Business Meeting - 3/26/26 - YouTube
NOTE TO OUR DARNESTOWN ES COMMUNITY
Our PTA recognizes that these decisions bring significant change, along with a range of emotions across Darnestown and throughout Montgomery County Public Schools.
As always, the DES PTA remains committed to:
- Keeping our community informed and connected
- Supporting our students, staff, and families
- Building new relationships with our future feeder schools
Every Child. One Voice.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will launch a NEW Elementary School and Middle School Boundary Study. The study's process is projected to begin this fall (2026).
View slides 54 to 64 on the March 12, 2026 BoE Meeting presentation about the proposed MCPS elementary school boundary study by CLICKING HERE
The possible impact on DES is not currently known and updates will be shared once the study moves forward in the next school year.
The DES PTA will organize a NEW Boundary Study Task Force. Interested in serving on the Task Force? Contact: DarnestownPTA@gmail.com
**See the proposed timeline for NEW study below.
PAST 2025 -2026 UPDATES
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECOMMENDATION
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PRESENTATION
*Results most relevant to DES Boundary Study start on slide 28
CLICK HERE FOR FULL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY + PUBLIC COMMENTS
Watch MCPS Board of Education Meetings: Live and Previously Recorded - Click Here
Contact MCPS Board of Education Members:
District 2 Representative – Natalie Zimmerman
Natalie_Zimmerman@mcpsmd.org
Board Member At-Large – Karla Silvestre
Karla_Silvestre@mcpsmd.org
Board Member At-Large – Rita Montoya
Rita_M_Montoya@mcpsmd.org
Click Here to View All MCPS Board of Education Members
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PRIOR BOUNDARY STUDY OPTIONS
REVIEW OF 2025
MINUTES FROM DES PTA BOUNDARY STUDY MEETING: DEC 18
DES PTA DEC SURVEY RESULTS SLIDES: DEC 18 - CLICK HERE
PTA APPROVED EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF SURVEY SUBMITTED TO MCPS BOARD OF EDUCATION: DEC 18
MCPS BOUNDARY OPTIONS 1-4 & A-H FOR DES
Revised update (as of Dec 3, 2025) for all 12 boundary study options for Darnestown Elementary School snapshot summary below.
MCPS BOUNDARY OPTIONS FOR DES JUNE 2025
Maps for options 1-4 are not currently live on the MCPS Boundary Study website;
however, options 1-4 are open for feedback on the MCPS survey.
MCPS BOUNDARY OPTIONS PRESENTED
IN OCTOBER 2025
MCPS BOUNDARY OPTIONS
IN DECEMBER 2025
Options if Crown High School serves as a holding school
*A holding school functions as a temporary, fully operational school site that supports continuity of learning during major capital projects at another school.
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Options E & F: Crown would operate as a temporary holding school, not a comprehensive high school. Students living in the Crown attendance area would instead attend Gaithersburg High School.
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Option G: A hybrid option in which Crown would serve as both a holding school and a neighborhood school, offering about 500 seats to students living nearby.
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Option H: Crown would be used as a new site for Wootton High School. Details on how this would work have not yet been fully defined, and Wootton is not currently included in MCPS’s planned construction timeline.
CLICK HERE FOR TASK FORCE Q&A WITH
KEY MCPS LEADERSHIP - NOV 2025
BOUNDARY STUDY UPDATES & RESOURCES
MCPS Crown High School Boundary Study Webpage
ACADEMIC PROGRAM ANALYSIS UPDATES & RESOURCES
MCPS Academic Program Analysis Webpage
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCHOOLS IN PROPOSED OPTIONS
Maryland Report Card: Enter in a school name you would like to see the school’s current report card - HERE
MCPS School Profiles: One-stop shop for MCPS school data. They include Schools-at-a-Glance data and the new Academic Pathway measures - HERE
ACCESS SLIDES FROM DES PTA DEC 9 MEETING HERE
MINUTES FROM DES PTA BOUNDARY STUDY MEETING: DEC 9
DES PTA DEC 9 BOUNDARY STUDY ZOOM MEETING VIDEO
*begins 6 minutes 22 seconds into video
Meeting Slides from October 24, 2025 with Updates on Current MCPS Boundary Study & Results from Initial Darnestown Community Survey:
Q&A from Oct 24, 2025 Darnestown PTA and DCA Meeting:
Thank you for your patience and understanding as the DES PTA Task Force continues to work to navigate the many moving parts of this study and developments within MCPS. Our shared goal is to keep our community informed, engaged in meaningful dialogue, and empowered to have our voices heard throughout this important process.
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If you would like to reach the DES PTA Boundary Study Task Force, email DarnestownPTA@gmail.com. Guidelines for the DES PTA Task Force can be found: HERE
