Excerpts from the December 9, 2019 Bethesda Magazine article, ‘MCPS Segregation Exacerbates Student Achievement Disparities, Report Says‘.

The Montgomery County school system exacerbates student achievement disparities by concentrating its low-income students in a handful of schools, according to a county report.

The report, produced by the county’s Office of Legislative Oversight, says 75% of all black, Latino and English language learners in elementary school, and more than 80% of elementary school students in poverty, are enrolled in the district’s “focus,” or high poverty schools. Meanwhile, more than 66% of all white and Asian elementary students are enrolled in low-poverty schools.

Focus schools have high concentrations of students in poverty, but are not eligible for Title 1 funding, according to an MCPS spokesman.

“If MCPS’ campuses were not segregated by race, ethnicity, English proficiency, or income, half of each student subgroup would enroll in focus [and] non-focus schools,” the report says.