Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will hold 20 community forums starting Oct. 19 on which elementary and middle schools to close or consolidate.

Enrollment is declining for the first time in more than 40 years, and the district is asking families to help shape the decision. For Potomac, the closest in-person session is at Herbert Hoover Middle School on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Herbert Hoover sits in the Churchill cluster, which also includes Beverly Farms, Cold Spring and Wayside elementary schools.

The district has not identified any schools for closure. MCPS said in a Sept. 24 statement that no decisions have been made and no list of schools has been determined.

Enrollment peaked at about 165,000 students in 2019. Acting Chief Operating Officer Andrea Swiatocha told WJLA on Sept. 24 that the district now has roughly 13,000 fewer students and does not expect those numbers to rebound.

The projected 2026-27 enrollment is 150,746 students, according to a July 16 Board of Education presentation reported by WTOP. By 2035-36, MCPS estimates enrollment will fall to 139,402.

Elementary schools are hit hardest. The Montgomery County Planning Board projects more than 13,300 surplus elementary seats and 7,100 surplus middle school seats countywide by the 2031-32 school year.

Elementary schools accounted for a disproportionate share of the decline. Between 2019 and 2025, overall enrollment fell 5.6% across all grade levels, but elementary losses were steeper, according to district records first reported by Patch.

MCPS hired FLO Analytics, the same firm that conducted the recent high school boundary study. The board approved a nearly $2 million contract for the work.

The process has two phases. Phase 1, during the 2026-27 school year, focuses on identifying schools for closure or consolidation. Phase 2, during 2027-28, is a countywide elementary boundary study with middle school adjustments. No boundary changes happen during Phase 1.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor told the Board of Education on July 17 that the district is in "an interesting place in MCPS history and in Montgomery County history," as reported by Bethesda Magazine. "We've experienced this before, but it's been an awful long time," he said.

After the forums wrap up in December, Taylor plans to present closure recommendations to the board in February and March 2027. The board would hold public hearings in March and April before a final vote in spring 2027. Any changes would take effect in the 2029-30 school year.

Factors under review include enrollment numbers, building utilization, capacity, transportation and program models.

Potomac-area elementary schools in the Churchill and Wootton clusters fall within the scope of the countywide review. Those include Beverly Farms, Cold Spring, Wayside, Travilah and Potomac Elementary. No school-level enrollment or utilization data has been released for those campuses.

Round 1 forums run Oct. 19 through Nov. 2 at locations across the county, with virtual options at noon on Oct. 19, Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, and a virtual evening session on Nov. 2. Round 2 runs Nov. 30 through Dec. 10, including the Herbert Hoover session. MCPS has not posted registration details. Families can contact [email protected] or call 240-740-3000 for access information.