MCPS Opened or Reopened 62 Schools Between 1985-2025

Montgomery County Public Schools has opened or reopened dozens of schools across the county over the last four decades as enrollment has grown and new communities have developed. According to the district’s latest Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and Master Plan, 62 schools were newly opened or reopened between 1985 and 2025, including 37 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, and 6 high schools.

The list, published in the CIP’s Appendix J, highlights how school construction has followed population growth across the county, particularly in areas like Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Clarksburg. 

From the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, MCPS opened a large wave of new elementary schools as suburban development accelerated. Schools such as Flower Hill and Lake Seneca opened in 1985, followed by Clopper Mill in 1986 and Jones Lane and S. Christa McAuliffe in 1987. By 1988 alone, six new elementary schools opened: Clearspring, Goshen, Greencastle, Stone Mill, Strawberry Knoll, and Waters Landing. That same year also saw the opening of Quince Orchard High School. 

Additional schools continued to come online through the late 1980s and early 1990s. Cloverly Elementary and Capt. James E. Daly Elementary opened in 1989 along with Cabin John Middle School and Watkins Mill High School. In 1990, five more elementary schools opened, including Brooke Grove, Burnt Mills, Rachel Carson, Dr. Ronald E. McNair, and Sequoyah, along with Francis Scott Key Middle School. 

The 1990s also brought the opening of schools such as Lois P. Rockwell Elementary (1992), Thurgood Marshall Elementary (1993), and Dr. Sally K. Ride Elementary (1994). Argyle Middle School opened in 1993, while Forest Oak and Rocky Hill middle schools opened in 1995. Two additional high schools opened in 1998: James Hubert Blake High School and Northwest High School. 

School construction slowed in the early 2000s, though a few notable projects occurred. Northwood High School reopened in 2004 after a major reconstruction project, and Clarksburg High School opened in 2006 as development surged in the county’s northern areas. That same year also saw four new elementary schools open: Great Seneca Creek, Little Bennett, Roscoe R. Nix, and Sargent Shriver. 

More recent openings reflect continued growth in areas such as Clarksburg, Damascus, and the I-270 corridor. William B. Gibbs Jr. Elementary opened in 2009, Flora M. Singer Elementary in 2012, Wilson Wims Elementary in 2014, Hallie Wells Middle School in 2016, and Silver Creek Middle School in 2017. Bayard Rustin Elementary opened in 2018, followed by Snowden Farm Elementary in 2019. 

The newest schools on the list include Harriet R. Tubman Elementary, which opened in 2022, and Cabin Branch Elementary in 2023. According to MCPS planning documents, no new schools were opened in 2024 or 2025. 

The data is part of MCPS’ long-range Capital Improvements Program, which guides school construction, modernization, and facility planning across the district. The school system, Maryland’s largest, operates more than 230 school buildings serving roughly 156,000 students.