19th century Only private schools existed in
Montgomery County, Maryland, until 1860, when the public school district was established for white children. The outbreak of the
Civil War the following year brought raids by both
Union and
Confederate forces on local schools, which ultimately closed from 1862 until 1864. In 1872, the
Maryland General Assembly appropriated state money to open schools for children of color. The county established a
segregated school system. In 1892, the county opened its first high school, Rockville High School, which graduated its first class of 12 seniors in 1897. (In 1927, Rockville Colored High School would open, after which the older whites-only school changed its name to
Richard Montgomery High School.) A second high school,
Gaithersburg High School, was established in 1904.
20th century In the early 20th century, the school budget started to see the effects of
suburbanization. In 1908, there were 6,483 students and a budget of $76,000. The school system saw more growth in 1912 after the
United States Congress passed a "non-resident" law that excluded Montgomery County school children from enrolling in
Washington, D.C. schools, which were known for their higher quality. By 1921, the school budget had grown to more than $316,000. A woman was appointed to the board in 1920: Mrs. A. Dawson Trumble, who served a five-year term that led to a steady succession of female members. In the early 1950s, elementary students of color attended one of four elementary schoolsLinden, Ken-Gar,
Takoma Park, and
River Roadall of which were considered substandard. Older students of color attended Lincoln Junior High School and
George Washington Carver High School in
Rockville. Montgomery County completed the
integration of its schools in 1960–1961. in
Bethesda, Maryland, in May 1973, seen from the
U.S. National Archives MCPS saw enrollment numbers peak in 1972 when they reached 127,912. However, enrollment decreased over the next ten years, hitting a low of 91,030 in 1983. This prompted the closure of 60 schools. However, with more than 96,000 students and 13,000 staff members in 155 schools in 1986, the school system was still one of the 20 largest in the nation. 1991, Paul L. Vance became the county's first black superintendent when there were 107,000 students and 174 schools. When he left in 1999, MCPS had 129,000 students in 185 schools. Over the next ten years, enrollment grew to more than 150,000. The amendment received some media attention. Criticism of the amendment came from a variety of sources, including Montgomery County Executive
Isiah Leggett and
Congressman John Delaney. For the 2022–2023 school year, the district has 210 schools and an enrollment of 160,554 students. On February 2, 2024, Monifa McKnight, the first black woman to serve as superintendent of Montgomery County schools, resigned under pressure from the school board "amid questions about how the district handled sexual harassment, bullying and other allegations involving a former principal," according to the
Washington Post. == Governance and budget ==