<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3fA55x_1GrCwTsA00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3fA55x_1GrCwTsA00" width="1280" height="720" ><figcaption>Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, which the Montgomery County Board of Education voted to permanently close and relocate students to other schools, citing concerns about the building's aging facilities. Photo by G. Edward Johnson, licensed under CC BY 4.0 .</figcaption></figure>The Montgomery County Board of Education voted 7-1 on March 26, 2026, to permanently close Thomas S. Wootton High School and relocate students to other schools, according to a timeline by Save Wootton, a community coalition dedicated to keeping the school open. While the decision aims to address infrastructure issues, it also raises equity and building capacity concerns.Thomas S. Wootton High School, also known as Wootton High School, is the only Asian-plurality high school across Montgomery County Public Schools, according to Save Wootton’s list of disagreements against the vote.Asian students make up 38.6% of Wootton High School, according to a 2025 student race and ethnic membership report by the MCPS Department of Shared Accountability.Elisa Sukhobok, vice president of the Community and Education Policy Alliance, moved back to the Wootton area with her family, in part because Wootton High School fostered a welcoming community for immigrants and students of color.“It does help when there is a culture of understanding and acceptance,” said Sukhobok, who grew up attending MCPS schools. Board Member Rita Montoya did not respond to a request for comment.“Following the Board’s final vote approving the Wootton-Crown relocation plan, Board members do not conduct individual media interviews regarding past Board actions,” Edith Lozada, communications coordinator for the Board of Education, told the Montgomery Sentinel.Closing Wootton High School would address infrastructure issues that have aged the building, but parents and community members have rallied to keep the school open.Many parents bought houses in the neighborhood so their children could attend the school, a faculty member at Wootton High School told the Sentinel.“I do understand where they’re coming from, but as it stands right now, the school is not really a good place to teach because of the facilities,” said the faculty member.From water leaks in the ceiling, inconsistent air conditioning and a student’s story of a rat falling out of the ceiling, the building’s condition had been a longstanding concern, according to Adam Van Grack, a Rockville city councilmember.“We’ve been advocating for Wootton to be rebuilt for years, and now we have a situation where, in my view, Rockville and Gaithersburg are being harmed by the closure of capacity and the closure of Wootton High School,” said Van Grack. “The inequity that I see is geographic.”The Board of Education’s vote gave way for Wootton High School to relocate to the Crown High School, a new facility under construction at the Crown Farm site in Gaithersburg, according to a document published by the MCPS Department of Materials Management.Crown High School is expected to be open and completed by August 2027, according to the document.Students at Wootton High School could also be relocated to Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, said Van Grack.These relocations, however, could push those buildings past their capacity limits.Winston Churchill High School is currently above 100% in capacity, said Van Grack. Wootton High School students relocating to Crown High School could make the latter reach the mid-90s% in capacity, he added.The Community and Education Policy Alliance, a social welfare organization, challenged the Board of Education’s decision through an administrative appeal filed to the Maryland State Board of Education on April 27.The challenge moved forward, with evidentiary hearings set for Dec. 8, 9 and 10, Save Wootton said.“It’s not a school,” said Sukhobok. “It’s a whole community.”</div></body>

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The Montgomery County Board of Education voted 7-1 on March 26, 2026, to permanently close Thomas S. Wootton High School and relocate students to other schools, according to a timeline by Save Wootton, a community coalition dedicated to keeping the school open. While the decision aims to address infrastructure issues, it also raises equity and building capacity concerns.

Thomas S. Wootton High School closure, equity, infrastructure concerns

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The Montgomery County Board of Education voted 7-1 on March 26, 2026, to permanently close Thomas S. Wootton High School and relocate students to other sch

Thomas S. Wootton High School closure, equity, infrastructure concerns

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