| Charles W. Woodward High School | |
| Streetaddress: | 11211 Old Georgetown Road |
| City: | Rockville |
| State: | Maryland |
| Zipcode: | 20852 |
| Country: | United States |
| Location: | 39.0383°N -77.1219°W |
| Type: | Public |
| Status: | Closed |
| District: | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Grades: | 9–12 |
| Campus Type: | Suburban |
Charles W. Woodward High School is a former high school in North Bethesda, Maryland, near Rockville.[1]
Charles W. Woodward High School opened in 1966. The school was named by the Montgomery County Board of Education for Judge Charles W. Woodward, Sr. (1895–1969), who served as Associate Judge and later as Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Maryland from 1932 to 1955.[2]
In 1987, Woodward and Walter Johnson High School were seeing reduced enrollment, so the county merged them into Walter Johnson, a larger building. Woodward's PTA supported closing the school.
The Woodward building was briefly used as swing space while Springbrook High School was being renovated.
The building was used to house Tilden Middle School during its renovation, starting in summer 2020.[3]
MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith's 2020 Capital Budget includes money to reopen Woodward High School in 2022. The budget has options for Woodward to function for two school years, starting in September 2023, as a holding school while Northwood High School is expanded, or instead implement a phased construction for Northwood, allowing Woodward to reopen as its own school.[4] [5] Demolition of the old building began in February 2021. Northwood students are expected to remain at Woodward until August 2027, which is the new recommended completion date for the construction at Northwood.[6]
In 2018, then-County Council President Hans Riemer and then-Montgomery County first lady Catherine Leggett led an effort to rename Charles W. Woodward High School after Rev. Josiah Henson, who inspired the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, when the school reopens in 2025 [11]. About 0.33miles north from the Woodward site is a county park and museum named for Henson.
With overcrowding at many schools in the downcounty area, especially Walter Johnson, Woodward will be fully reopening with the goal of alleviating overcrowding at nearby schools. To address these concerns, MCPS has begun a boundary study that will affect up to eight high school service areas: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, Walt Whitman, and the five high schools within the Downcounty Consortium.[7] The boundary changes are expected to take place at the start of the 2027-28 school year, when Northwood high school students will return to their expanded facility.
11. https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/woodwardhs/