Comparative Analysis of Woodward High School Boundary Study Options

June 17, 2025 – Analysis Report conducted by The MoCo AI Company

Overview

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is reviewing four proposed boundary configurations for the new Crown High School. This report provides a comparative summary of each scenario across three core evaluation areas:

• Travel distance and efficiency
• Articulation between middle and high school
• Articulation between elementary and middle school

The dataset includes 303 school assignments and reflects road distance modeling via Google Maps API, articulation complexity scores based on feeder pattern splits, and weighted scoring to reflect planning priorities based on impact to kids.

The full MCPS maps are here: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/boundarystudyoptions?usp=sharing/

The official MCPS feedback form is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczWBlhaaM8vIgqrbFtRHn0LO3PlTKeqeynyEjUjHN-OyarWw/viewform

The full data report by The MoCo AI Company is here: https://moderatelymoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/woodward_analysis_comprehensive_report_20250616_075355.txt

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Evaluation Framework

Note: this is an early age model and only looking at transportation and articulation. Other factors will be evaluated in future evolutions of this model and the weighted framework will be tweaked accordingly.

The analysis uses a weighted framework to assess each option:

• Distance / Travel Time – 60%
• Middle to High School Articulation – 30%
• Elementary to Middle School Articulation – 10%

Scores are assigned to each option in each category and then aggregated using the weighted structure to generate an overall ranking. Articulation complexity is calculated based on the number of schools with split assignments and the severity of those splits (e.g., two-way, three-way, or four-way splits).

Methodology Note: Travel distances were calculated from each elementary school to its assigned high school in each boundary option using estimated road travel distances. This analysis uses school locations, not individual home addresses, so the numbers reflect general patterns rather than individual student experiences. A uniform travel speed of 25 mph is assumed for this model. Full methodology is at the end of the article.

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Summary of Overall Rankings

Option	Weighted Score	Avg Road Distance	MS→HS Complexity	ES→MS Split Count
1	1.00	3.01 miles	26	2 schools
2	2.00	3.34 miles	50	13 schools
3	3.00	3.12 miles	40	3 schools
4	4.00	3.16 miles	28	22 schools

Weighted scores reflect each option’s relative standing across the three evaluated categories.

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Travel Distance and Commute Efficiency

Importance: Shorter commutes improve student well-being, reduce transportation costs, and increase operational efficiency. Road distances were calculated using the Google Maps API with full coverage across all assignments.

Option	Avg Road Distance	Avg Travel Time	Short Trips (≤2.0 mi)
1	3.01 miles	7.2 minutes	54 of 75
3	3.12 miles	7.5 minutes	46 of 75
4	3.16 miles	7.6 minutes	51 of 77
2	3.34 miles	8.0 minutes	50 of 76

Rankings (Distance/Travel):

1. Option 1
2. Option 3
3. Option 4
4. Option 2

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Middle to High School Articulation

Importance: Cohesion between middle and high school assignments supports continuity in peer groups and simplifies school transitions. This category accounts for both the number of split middle schools and the complexity of each split.

Option	Split MS Schools	Split Rate	Complexity Score
1	11 of 17	64.7%	26
4	10 of 17	58.8%	28
3	11 of 17	64.7%	40
2	12 of 17	70.6%	50

Rankings (Middle → High School Articulation):

1. Option 1
2. Option 4
3. Option 3
4. Option 2

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Elementary to Middle School Articulation

Importance: While elementary to middle school transitions typically involve fewer complications, higher split rates can reduce consistency within school communities.

Option	Split ES Schools	Split Rate
1	2 of 59	3.4%
3	3 of 59	5.1%
2	13 of 59	22.0%
4	22 of 59	37.3%

Rankings (Elementary → Middle School Articulation):

1. Option 1
2. Option 3
3. Option 2
4. Option 4

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Comparative Table of Rankings by Category

Option	Distance Rank	MS→HS Rank	ES→MS Rank	Weighted Score
1	1	1	1	1.00
2	4	4	3	2.00
3	2	3	2	3.00
4	3	2	4	4.00

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Technical Notes

• Distance Source: Google Maps API (100% coverage)
• Driving Speed Assumption: 25 mph
• Articulation Complexity:
  • 2-way split = 2 points
  • 3-way split = 6 points
  • 4-way split = 12 points
• Analysis Date: June 16, 2025
• Analysis Team: The MoCo AI Company
• Study Name: crown_redistricting
• Full documentation and raw input data are archived and reproducible.

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Additional Context for Review

As MCPS continues evaluating these scenarios, stakeholders may also consider:

• Building utilization and future enrollment forecasts
• Impacts on school transportation routing
• Equity across geographic zones
• Community cohesion and potential disruption

This report is provided as an informational comparison to support transparent decision-making around boundary planning.

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Full Methodology and Sources

Distance Calculations:

• Distances were calculated using road-based routing between each elementary and high school.
• Times for walking or bus travel were not factored into the final distance tables, but may be included in future iteration of our tool.
• Locations were extracted from MCPS public ArcGIS data and verified via internal mapping tools.

Split Articulation Analysis:

• A split was recorded when a middle school’s graduates were assigned to more than one high school in a given plan.
• These were counted based on school assignment mappings from the boundary proposal data files.

Utilization Rates:

• Projected student enrollment was matched against school capacity data, using information from MCPS reports and the boundary study GIS attributes.

Sources:

• MCPS ArcGIS data portal
• Analysis performed using custom-built Python scripts developed by The MoCo AI Company

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