Poolesville High School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Poolesville High School |
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| Address | |
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17501 W Willard Rd
, 20837
United States
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| Coordinates | 39°8′36″N 77°25′6″W / 39.14333°N 77.41833°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public magnet high school |
| Established | 1911 |
| School district | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| CEEB code | 210825 |
| NCES School ID | 240048000897 |
| Principal | Mark Carothers |
| Faculty | 71.02 FTE (2022-23) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrollment | 1,309 (2022-23) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 18.43:1 |
| Campus type | Fringe town |
| Color(s) | Black Vegas gold |
| Athletics conference | AA |
| Mascot | Falcons |
| USNWR ranking | 172 |
| Newspaper | The Poolesville Pulse |
| Yearbook | The Echo |
Poolesville High School is a public high school in Poolesville, Maryland, United States. It is a special kind of school called a magnet school. This means it has special programs for students who want to focus on certain subjects.
Poolesville High is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system. It is the only high school in Montgomery County that is entirely a magnet school.
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How Poolesville High Ranks
In 2024, U.S. News & World Report said Poolesville was the #3 best high school in Maryland. It was also ranked #172 across the whole United States.
Students at Poolesville High usually score very well on the SAT test. Their average score is around 1328 points.
School History
The main part of the school building was first built in 1911. Back then, it was an elementary school. By 1912, it was the only school in Montgomery County that taught both middle and high school students. The first students graduated from Poolesville in 1920. There were seven of them!
The school building you see today was built in 1953. Since then, many parts have been added. The last big update happened in 1978. The building used to hold both the middle school and high school. But in 1997, a new middle school, John Poole Middle School, was built.
Around 2013, people in Poolesville wanted the school building to be rebuilt. This was because it was getting too crowded and the building was old. The school district planned to rebuild it. However, in 2017, the plan was put on hold because of money cuts. Parents and students were very upset.
People kept asking for the renovation. Finally, in 2021, the school board planned and funded the project again. Construction started in 2022. The new high school building was completed by the start of the 2024-25 school year. It is now much larger, about 234,000 square feet. It can now hold up to 1,508 students, which is more than the old capacity of 1,170.
School Mascot
For many years, until 2002, the school's mascot was an Indian. The logo showed an Indian warrior with a headdress. In 2001, there was a discussion about changing the mascot. Students and the community voted to keep the Indian mascot.
However, the Montgomery County Board of Education decided to change it. They were asked by the Maryland Bureau of Indian Affairs to make the change. The school received money to help with this. Starting in the 2002–2003 school year, students voted for a new mascot. They chose the Falcon!
Student Enrollment
Poolesville High School has students from many different backgrounds. Here's a look at the student numbers for the 2022–2023 school year:
| White | Asian | Hispanic | Black | Two or More Races | American Indian/Alaska Native |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 527 | 476 | 139 | 93 | 69 | 3 |
What Students Learn
Since the 2006–2007 school year, students in northern Montgomery County can join one of three special magnet programs. These programs are called "houses":
- Global Ecology (focuses on the environment)
- Humanities (focuses on subjects like history, literature, and languages)
- Science, Math, and Computer Science (focuses on STEM subjects)
Students take a test in middle school to get into these programs. If they are accepted, they must take specific classes for their chosen program.
Students who live in Poolesville and don't join one of these magnet programs are part of the Independent Studies Program (ISP). These students can choose from many different specialized classes. The ISP is only for students who live in the Poolesville area.
Poolesville High has received many awards for its challenging programs. In 2016, Washington Post called it the #1 Most Challenging High School in Maryland. U.S. News also named it the #1 Best High School in Maryland. In 2015, Newsweek said it was the #1 Top High School in Maryland. The school's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program was ranked #121 in the whole country in 2019.
Where Students Come From
Most students at Poolesville High School travel from outside the immediate Poolesville area. However, there are also local students. These local students usually come from John Poole Middle School. They also come from two elementary schools: Monocacy Elementary and Poolesville Elementary.
School Sports and Clubs
Poolesville High School has many different sports teams and clubs. Here are some of them:
- Baseball
- Basketball (for boys and girls)
- The girls' basketball team had an amazing season in 2017–2018. They won 27 games and lost none! They also won the 2A States championship.
- Bocce
- Beltway league
- Cross country (running for boys and girls)
- Cheerleading
- Field hockey
- FIRST Robotics (a club where students build robots)
- Football
- Golf (for boys and girls)
- History Bowl (a competition about history)
- Indoor track and field (for boys and girls)
- Lacrosse (for boys and girls)
- Poms (a dance and cheer team)
- Quizbowl (a competition where teams answer questions)
- Soccer (for boys and girls)
- Softball
- Swimming (for boys and girls)
- The Falcons swim team won six state titles between 2012 and 2015. The boys' team won four, and the girls' team won two.
- Tennis (for boys and girls)
- Track and field (for boys and girls)
- Volleyball (for boys, girls, and mixed teams)
- Wrestling
Famous Former Students
Some people who went to Poolesville High School have become well-known:
- Irvin Smith, a football player
- Filip Burnett, a professional soccer player
- Robert Huang, a professional video game player (known as C9 Blaber)
