The Montgomery County Board of Education voted on March 26 to relocate Wootton High School students to the recently constructed Crown Farm site in Gaithersburg for the 2027-2028 school year. The move is part of Option H, a school redistricting plan that will also enact a regional program model to improve educational equity. 

MCPS began a boundary study in March 2025, with a major focus on opening the new Crown High School. On Feb. 5, 2026, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor presented his recommendation to the Board, suggesting the transfer from Wootton to Crown. Additionally, Seven Locks, Bells Mill, Travilah and Potomac Elementary Schools would feed into Cabin John Middle School instead of Herbert Hoover or Robert Frost Middle School. Only former Travilah students will attend Wootton at the Crown building, while all other Cabin John students will go to Churchill.

Due to Wootton’s aging infrastructure, rebuilding the school premises to meet Montgomery County standards would cost an estimated $300 million, a price the county could not afford. The Option H proposal aims to provide Wootton students with an adequately functioning building, while the county will utilize the current Wootton property as a potential holding school for other schools undergoing renovations. Some community members questioned the decision’s effectiveness, saying it didn’t make sense to fund Wootton as a temporary facility instead of permanently renovating it.

Wootton High School opened in 1970 with additional renovations over time. A 2025 facility condition assessment identified out-of-date plumbing, signs of cracks and corrosion and areas of moisture on ceiling tiles. Additionally, oxidization and leaks in the central cooling tower sparked health concerns from Wootton parents about their kids’ health. Wootton sophomore Sabreen Kunthral said she looks forward to better campus conditions.

“Half of the lockers don’t work, the cafeteria and lunch lines are not big enough for everyone and there is mold on the ceiling tiles,” Kunthral said. “Honestly, it feels like moving us to Crown is a response to neglecting Wootton.”

Following the decision, the Community and Education Policy Alliance, with the support of a coalition of more than 300 families, filed for appeal on April 27. The group claimed that the Board presented flawed data and used an improper voting process by combining multiple ongoing issues into one vote, and portraying the decision as a relocation rather than a closure. They argued that Option H would disrupt the community, and renovating the school is a stronger alternative. 

Wootton High School is about three miles away from Crown High School in Gaithersburg. Freshman Leila Krauthamer said she was disappointed about the decision because the commute to Crown will be difficult for her.

“I was frustrated that we would have to drive far to school every day,” she said. “I think people aren’t talking about how much closer Wootton is.”  

For students who walk to school, county planners said there will be improved and widened sidewalks around the campus site. The surrounding roads have low speed limits, making it a relatively safe walking area.

Starting in the 2027-2028 school year, MCPS will switch to a regional model, dividing the county into six geographic regions to expand equitable access to academic programs for students. Instead of only a few magnet schools across the county offering specialized pathways such as IB and LASJ, students can attend these programs in their own region, decreasing transportation time. 

Whitman belongs to Region 1 alongside Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein and Northwood, and its attendance zone will remain unaffected by the adoption of Option H. Whitman sophomore Phoebe Rouse said she thinks the regional model and Wootton move are beneficial.

“I think that if it helps people get access to equitable education, it’s good,” Rouse said. “Wootton students deserve to have a building that works properly.”