PGCPS released their updated Comprehensive School Boundary Initiative report recently. The report proposes scenarios for student transfers and school consolidations based on capacity, utilization, feeding patterns, community input from surveys and five virtual community conversations. This data was used to populate new and expanded school facilities and balance facility utilization across the county. Changes would take effect for the 2023-24 school year.
Six Bowie schools are impacted by the recommendations. According to the September 30, 2021 PGCPS Student Enrollment Report, Pointer Ridge was only at 48% capacity. If the proposed changes are approved, a small percentage of Pointer Ridge students will be reassigned to Northview and Woodmore; all others will be reassigned to Perrywood. Pointer Ridge would close at the end of this school year. In this plan, some of the Perrywood students will be reassigned to Kettering ES to make room for the Pointer Ridge students.
Boundary changes are recommended for Northview, Rockledge, Whitehall, Samuel Ogle and Benjamin Tasker. A limited number of students will be reassigned from Samuel Ogle to Benjamin Tasker and from Benjamin Tasker to Kettering MS. Tulip Grove and Rockledge will receive reassigned Whitehall students. Fewer than 100 students at each school will be impacted by these boundary changes.
Recommendations will be presented to the Board during their October 13, 2022 work session. The public has an opportunity to provide comments at both the October 20 and October 25 public hearings. Requests to speak must be made prior to the Hearing for October 20
The Board is expected to vote on the recommendations on November 10, 2022. Recommended high school boundary changes will be revisited in Phase II. More information is available at www.pgcps.org/boundary