BCPS Announces Four Middle School Redistricting Maps

Baltimore County Public Schools has narrowed its Central and Northeast Area Middle School Boundary Study down from seven to four options.

Most of the options are similar to the current map that has the elementary schools in Perry Hall going to Perry Hall Middle; the Chase and Middle River elementary schools staying at Middle River Middle; the Parkville and Fullerton area schools going to Parkville Middle, the Canrey and Cub Hill schools staying at Pine Grove Middle.

Golden Ring Middle School is closing but the students that make up that school community (Overlea and Rosedale) will go to the new school that is being bult on King Avenue. There are some differences between the Options.

Option A
This plan has most of the new Rossville Elementary community going to Parkville Middle. The other three options have the Rossville Elementary area going to the new middle school.

Students around Elwood Elementary are currently going to Parkville Middle, but this option sends the Elmwood community in Overlea to the new school. The other three options keep that community at Parkville Middle.

Option B
This option is probably the closest to the current map. Harford Hill Elementary school is slated for Pine Grove Middle in Option A & B, but the community would go to Parkville Middle under Options C & D.

Students living south of Philadelphia Road in Rosedale currently are assigned to Golden Ring Middle but only Option A would send those students to the new replacement school on King Avenue. Options B ,C & D have southern Rosedale going to Stemmers Run Middle School in Essex.

Option C
This might be the most controversial plan as it calls for western Kingsville and the Gunpowder Elementary School to go to Pine Grove Middle School. These communities currently go to Perry Hall Middle. The other three options have all of Kingsville remaining at Perry Hall Middle.

Option D
The Gunpowder area is also being sent to Pine Grove Middle in this map. Gunpowder stays in the Perry Hall Middle district in Option A and B, but goes to Pine Grove in Option C and D.

There are also smaller sub communities affected by this change. For example, students living around Dunfield Road off Belair Road have been divided to attend either Parkville, Perry Hall or Pine Grove middle between the four maps.

Which one is the best option? That is for the community to decide by visiting an online survey.

Councilman David Marks is concerned about the options that split the Perry Hall community.

“There are four options. Options C and D are the most disruptive, splitting Perry Hall in half at Belair Road (C also divides Kingsville). Many neighborhoods, however, are affected in all options, especially Rossville. Participate and make your voice known,” Marks said.

Perry Hall Middle is the most overcrowded middle school in the county at 1643 students.

Option A would reduce that school population by 184 students and the popular Option B would cut the school down by 125 students.

The controversial options would reduce Perry Hall Middle by 209 (Option C) and 203 (Option D) students.

There has also been concern in the central portion of the county because those middle schools are also going through the same redistricting process.

The Dundalk, Edgemere and Essex communities are not affected by this redistricting.