MCPS Magnet Programs

The Montgomery County Public School System maintains a portfolio of magnet programs available to high performing students in the county.  MCPS’s magnet programs stand apart from other school programs in two important ways:

  • Magnet programs are specialized, rigorous programs administered within existing schools that draw students throughout the county.  To participate, a student leaves their assigned home school to attend the magnet. Transportation is provided by MCPS from designated pickup and drop-off locations.
  • Students must apply and be accepted into a magnet program.  Placement can be very competitive since only the highest-performing students are accepted.

Programs are available in the elementary, middle and high schools.  A summary of all primary magnet programs with links back to MCPS follow.

Elementary School Magnets

The elementary magnet program includes fourth and fifth grades. Students apply for consideration during the fall of third grade.  All students in the elementary magnet take the same curriculum with no specialization that's available in later grades. Each cluster has a designated elementary magnet school.

Other special elementary school programs are offered by MCPS. Foreign Language Immersion Programs are very popular with admission determined by lottery. 

Middle School Magnets

Students specialize in the Humanities or Math & Science in the middle school magnet programs. Students in the upper part of the county attend programs at Roberto Clemente MS, and to Eastern MS or Takoma Park MS in the lower part of the county:

Other special middle school programs include consortia choice programs, middle years programme and foreign language immersion:

 

High School Magnets

MCPS offers a range specialized programs for high school students. Here's a summary of the most prominent programs. 

International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB). Several high schools offer IB programs, but there's only one, application-based program which is delivered at Richard Montgomery HS. Students in all clusters can apply making this one of the most competitive programs in MCPS.

Science, Mathematics and Computer Science Magnet provides an accelerated curriculum in math, science and computer science.  This application-based program is administered at Blair High School for students in lower clusters (BCC, Churchill, Richard Montgomery, Rockville, Sherwood, Walter Johnson, Whitman, Wootton, Northeast and Downcounty Consortiums) and Poolesville High School for the upper clusters (Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley and Watkins Mill).

Communications Arts Program (CAP) is an application-based program at Blair High School in the humanities, communications and media.  It is only available to students in the Downcounty Consortium.

Humanities House is an application-based program at Poolesville High School that provides specialized curriculum in the humanities available for students in the Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley and Watkins Mill clusters.

Global Ecology House is a county-wide, application-based program at Poolesville High School that provides specialized curriculum in environmental science.

Local School Signature Programs offer focused instruction in various disciplines in various schools throughout the County.  A few of these are application-based.

Schools

MCPS Cluster Boundary Map

MCPS Cluster Boundary Map