Consultant for School Consolidation and Closures Study for Elementary and Middle Schools and Countywide Elementary and Middle School Boundary Study

Division of Financial Management
Montgomery County Public Schools
Division of Procurement
45 West Gude Drive, Suite 3100
Rockville, MD 20850
Request for Proposals
Proposal No. 4604.1
Consultant for School Consolidation and Closures Study for Elementary and Middle Schools and
Countywide Elementary and Middle School Boundary Study
1.0 INTENT
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit
submittals from qualified, professional independent consultants to facilitate a data analysis to assist
in the identification of schools for potential consolidations and closures review that will inform a
countywide boundary study process at the elementary and middle school level.
During the past several years, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has experienced
sustained countywide shifts in enrollment patterns, leading to an overall decline. Official Pre-K-
12 enrollment has declined from 165,267 in 2019 to 156,050 in 2025; a decrease of 9,217 students,
or 5.6%. Official Kindergarten-Grade 5 enrollment has declined from 72,085 students in 2019, to
65,627 students in 2025; a decline of 6,458 students, or 8.9%. These trends reflect broader
demographic changes, including reduced birth rates, economic factors, and changes in housing
turnover patterns.
As enrollment has declined, utilization across elementary schools increasingly has become
imbalanced. While certain areas of Montgomery County are experiencing localized growth, nearby
schools often have significant available capacity. In addition, several elementary schools have
"island assignments," or noncontiguous attendance boundaries, which contribute to longer student
transportation, more frequent split articulations, and operational inefficiencies. Collectively,
declining enrollment, island assignments, and uneven utilization create challenges in staffing
allocations, resource allocation, student transportation services, and effective and efficient facility
utilization.
Consistent with the Board's strategic goals and Board of Education Policy FAA, Educational
Facilities Planning, these conditions necessitate a comprehensive review of all currently operating

elementary and middle schools, former school facilities, and future school sites to determine the
appropriate long-term facility footprint. Because facility decisions and boundary decisions
intrinsically are linked, any future adjustments must be grounded in a thorough understanding of
building conditions, capacity, and the geographic needs of our student population, alongside
potential alternative uses for underutilized sites to maximize the value of the district's physical
assets.
In response, on March 26, 2026, the Board of Education approved a two-phase process: (Phase 1)
a study to evaluate potential school consolidations and closures, followed by (Phase 2) a
countywide boundary study to review and adjust elementary school attendance areas and middle
school boundaries that are affected by consolidations and closures. This adopted resolution can be
found here: Board Docs
This work will include a comprehensive assessment of the MCPS facility portfolio to ensure that
school capacity, utilization, and long-term facility use are aligned with current and projected
enrollment trends. Recommendations will consider multiple factors, including facility condition,
capacity and site constraints, potential for expansion, student proximity and walkability,
community input from a wide range of stakeholders, and alignment with Board of Education policy
and applicable regulations.
Phase 1 of this effort consists of developing data-driven analysis and recommendations regarding
potential school consolidations and closures. MCPS will conduct a portfolio review and
recommendations regarding potential school consolidations, closures, or changes to existing
program delivery models, such as paired schools. These recommendations will be brought to the
Board of Education for appropriate review and decision processes.
Phase 2 consists of conducting a countywide elementary school boundary study, inclusive of any
impacted middle schools, informed by the outcomes of Phase 1 and in accordance with the
requirements outlined in this RFP. Any elementary school approved by the Board of Education for
consolidation and closure will not be included in the subsequent boundary study process. If the
Board of Education approves the consolidation and closure of a middle school, new boundaries
will need to be drawn for the surrounding schools to account for the consolidation(s) and
closure(s).
2.0 INTRODUCTION
This process is guided by Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), MCPS Policy FAA,
Educational Facilities Planning and MCPS Policy ABA, Community Engagement. COMAR
13A.02.09 governs procedures for public school closings in Maryland, requiring local boards to
consider student enrollment trends, building conditions, transportation, racial composition, and

community impact. It mandates public hearings and proper notice to parents/guardians before a
school closure. Policy ABA affirms the Board's commitment to the development and promotion
of inclusive, culturally responsive, and antiracist engagement guidelines, structures, and practices
to be implemented to engage the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) community in
Montgomery County Board of Education (Board) decisions that impact children.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the 14th largest school system in the United States,
and the largest in the state of Maryland. During the 2025-2026 school year, MCPS serves more
than 156,541 students from 157 countries speaking 162 languages. With a Fiscal Year (FY) 2026
Operating Budget of approximately $3.16 billion, MCPS employs more than 24,900 employees.
Among the 211 schools that MCPS operates, 42 are National Blue-Ribbon schools.
The student demographics of MCPS in 2025-2026 school year are as follows:
Hispanic/Latino: 35.2%
White: 23.3%
Black or African American: 21.9%
Asian: 13.8%
Two or more races: 5.5%
American Indian or Alaskan Native: 0.2%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
In alignment with the mission of our district's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, all students will receive
a solid academic foundation, grounded in strong critical thinking skills, with opportunities to
enhance and enrich their learning. All students will develop resilience, be adaptable, and have a
lifelong passion for learning. All students will become effective communicators and collaborators
predicated on meaningful relationships. All students will make a positive impact in their
community and be ready for success in their personal and professional life.
MCPS also believes that we must engage every student, every day; learning is achieved by
cultivating curiosity and encouraging determination, focus, and hard work; and adult learning and
engagement are key to student learning. Therefore, MCPS encourages and supports critical
thinking, problem solving, active questioning, and risk taking to continuously improve; stimulate
discovery by engaging students in relevant and rigorous academic, social, and emotional learning
experiences; and challenge ourselves to analyze and reflect upon evidence to improve our
practices.
Prior to initiating a systemwide elementary school boundary study, it is essential to conduct a
comprehensive review of all currently operated elementary and middle schools, as well as former
school facilities, to determine the appropriate long-term facility footprint. MCPS has numerous
closed schools and future school sites in its portfolio and there may be sites that MCPS has no long
term use for that should be recommended for surplus to help "right size" the portfolio to the school

system needs. There shall be a review of these properties within the regional model context and
recommendations made about future use that align with the soon-to-be approved FY 2027 Capital
Budget and FY 2027-2032 Capital Improvement Program.
Facility decisions and boundary decisions are interdependent; a clear understanding of building
condition, capacity, geographic distribution, and potential alternative uses must inform any future
boundary adjustments.
This review process will provide the opportunity to:
Align school capacity with current and projected enrollment trends
Promote fiscal responsibility by minimizing operational inefficiencies
Balance enrollment across elementary schools to optimize the use of existing facilities
Serve students, especially those receiving special education services, as close to home as
possible
Address non-contiguous boundaries and island assignments
Align feeder patterns to support continuity and stability for students and families
Evaluate existing program delivery models, including paired schools
Inform future capital improvement planning and long-term investment priorities
The Board of Education recently adopted boundary resolutions associated with the reopening of
Charles W. Woodward High School and the expansion of Northwood High School, as well as the
relocation of Thomas S. Wootton High School to the Crown Farm site and the expansion of
Damascus High School.
The selected consultant shall account for students affected by these prior decisions, including
changes to school assignments and feeder patterns, and consider these impacts when developing
recommendations.
MCPS currently has feeder patterns called clusters and has two special areas that are called
consortia. Beginning in August 2027 for the school year 2027-2028, the school system is
implementing a Regional Program Model with six program regions. The boundaries determined
in this study should align with the Regional Program Model so that students articulate within the
same region and schools are not split across regions.
Valid enrollment projections exist for current elementary, middle, and high school attendance
zones for each corresponding grade levels, i.e. elementary schools are projected for grades pk-5,
middle schools for grades 6-8, and high schools for grades 9-12. Review is for understanding the
magnitude of potential changes that need to occur so that schools that are crowded have relief by
the new attendance zones, and schools with space are utilized more fully.

Projections will need to be developed for geography being reassigned in options at the grade levels
potentially being affected. For example, if the geography of an elementary school attendance area
is being reassigned in an option at the middle school level then grade 6-8 projections will need to
be developed for that geography. The same is true for any geography smaller than an existing
attendance zone at any level. There is no need to redo grade level projections that already exist.
3.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES
The selected consultant shall provide comprehensive professional services to support MCPS in
conducting:
A School Consolidation and Closure Analysis within the context of a comprehensive portfolio
analysis (Phase 1); and a Countywide Elementary School Boundary Study, including impacted
middle schools (Phase 2).
The consultant shall be responsible for delivering data-driven analysis, actionable
recommendations, structured community engagement, and implementation-ready outputs in
coordination with MCPS staff.
All work shall align with Board of Education Policy FAA, applicable regulations, and MCPS
strategic priorities.
Task 1.0 Project Orientation and Data Collection
Review and understand criteria used as planning factors for student reassignments per
Board of Education (Board) Policy FAA-Educational Facilities Planning (e.g.,
utilization, geography, stability of school assignment, demographics);
Review and understand Board of Education (Board) Policy ABA, Community
Engagement;
Review and understand the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 13A.02.09.01,
Adoption of Procedures to Govern School Closings;
Discuss details of project tasks and scope of Phase 1 and 2;
Communicate with MCPS leadership regarding goals and priorities for the process
Discuss roles, functions, and responsibilities for MCPS and consultant staff
Prepare for compliance with MCPS Data Privacy and data suppression requirements.
Identify needed data from MCPS including but not limited to polygon boundaries (planning
zones), school service areas, school locations, feeder patterns, capacities, enrollment
projections and demographic data;
Obtain required data from MCPS;
Establish secure data transfer and ongoing data security protocols;
Identify roles of consultant and MCPS staff related to data collection, maintenance, and
management;

Must have ability to use MCPS planning zones;
Must maintain compatibility with Environmental Systems Research ESRI platform; and
Final data deliverables should be clean, in prescribed file formats, and accompanied by
documentation
Task 2.0: Actively participate in robust community engagement process for both phases of
the study
Coordinate and collaborate with relevant offices including Division of Facilities
Management (DFM), Department of Communications (DOC) and Department of Facility
Engagement (DFE) to develop a comprehensive communication plan to inform
stakeholders on how to become and remain involved throughout the multi-year process;
Develop an overall community engagement plan following Board of Education (Board)
Policy ABA, Community Engagement and in collaboration with MCPS leadership;
Foster engagement opportunities that maximize participation and engage diverse
audiences;
Develop and implement strategies to solicit input from underrepresented communities;
Determine adequate community information meetings, in-person/virtual, with
stakeholders, including staff, students, families and community members to gain
community input and feedback;
Facilitate meetings in partnership with the MCPS Division of Facilities Management staff
to communicate to stakeholders the multi-phase process and options per Board Policy FAA
and Board Policy ABA;
Conduct a combination of in-person and virtual meetings to provide a comprehensive
review of:
Consolidation and closure criteria and metrics
Two rounds of consolidation and closure options
Boundary study factors
Two rounds of boundary study options
Create consolidation and closure maps and corresponding data tables for community
engagement process;
Create boundary study options maps and corresponding data tables for community
engagement process;
Develop dynamic data dashboards, including online interactive maps and surveys in
multiple languages, to disseminate information to all stakeholders and to enhance the static
data maps and tables for ease of comparison of options and scenario planning
Provide MCPS leadership staff with data and summaries from all community engagements
and findings

Develop consolidation and closure report to summarize the community engagement
process and option development including all feedback and survey information on options;
and
Develop boundary study report to summarize the community engagement process and
option development including all feedback and survey information on options.
Task 3.0: Phase 1 - Develop criteria and metrics that will be used to determine
recommendations for consolidation and closure and develop the recommendations for
consolidations and closures
Provide a holistic portfolio review and assessment of all MCPS facilities to develop a
comprehensive utilization plan for future needs as well as possible consolidations and
closures of elementary, middle, and nonschool sites.
Develop overarching criteria and metrics that will be used to determine the recommended
consolidations and closures based on the following:
Use available data on facility conditions, utilization, seat availability, capacity
calculations, ability to expand onsite, site and program delivery limitations,
geography and ease of access;
Incorporate enrollment projections developed by MCPS staff as part of most recent
CIP publication;
Evaluate whether there is enough capacity available in adjacent and nearby schools
to accommodate students from schools proposed for consolidation and closure;
Coordinate and consult with appropriate MCPS staff regarding various program
offerings at schools to determine impact on available capacity; and
Examine the Paired Schools model at the elementary level to see if any unpairing
studies should be undertaken;
Provide school consolidation and closure option recommendations to MCPS leadership to
be solicited for community feedback, with supporting data to justify recommendations
based on the overarching criteria and metrics developed and in alignment with Board
Policy FAA, Board Policy ABA and (COMAR) 13A.02.09.01 Adoption of Procedures to
Govern School Closings
Task 4.0: Phase 2 - Provide Impartial Analysis of Boundary Study Options and Facilitate
Boundary Study in conjunction with MCPS leadership and staff
Develop a thorough compilation of boundary reassignment options for review with relevant
MCPS staff based on the following:
Board Policy FAA-Educational Facilities Planning (Stability of school
assignment over time, Demographics, Geography, and Facility Utilization);
Any consolidations or closures approved by the Board of Education;

Provide data, including enrollment projections for each developed option, that illustrates
an evaluation of developed options against the policy factors;
Provide boundary study option recommendations to MCPS leadership to be solicited for
community feedback, with supporting data to justify recommendations in alignment with
Board Policy FAA, Board Policy ABA and (COMAR) 13A.02.09.01 Adoption of
Procedures to Govern School Closings.
Task 5.0: Coordinate Superintendent Recommendations for Phase 1 and Phase 2
Present developed options, accompanying data, stakeholder feedback information/survey,
and other feedback from boundary study meetings to the superintendent and MCPS staff
Receive feedback from superintendent and MCPS staff
Provide implementation plan based on the superintendent's recommendation
Provide alternative options for superintendent's review if requested
Advise superintendent in preparation of recommendation to the Board of Education,
prepare accompanying data and reports
Develop superintendent's boundary study recommendation
Support Board of Education meeting(s) to present the superintendent recommendation as
requested
Task 6.0: Board of Education Study Process for Phase 1 and Phase 2
Support Board of Education work sessions and Board business meetings
Facilitate discussions including, but not limited to, overview of consolidations and closures
and boundary study process, stakeholder engagement information, survey information,
summary of developed options, superintendent's recommendation
Respond to requests to develop any requested boundary reassignment alternatives from the
Board of Education
Provide all data related to any Board of Education alternatives including, but not limited
to, enrollment projections, maps, demographics, and utilization
Attend public hearings as needed
Receive and analyze community feedback during Board of Education meetings and public
hearings
Support MCPS and the Board of Education with information during its deliberation
4.0 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The consultant should prepare their response to the Request for Proposal as described below. For
rating purposes, the submittal will be evaluated for the following distinct parts.

A. Qualifications of the Firm and Individuals
1. Established school planning firm with experience in leading school boundary study
projects particularly in large school districts. Expertise in community engagement
strategies, impartial analysis and reporting, committee facilitation, and support of the
Board of Education review and approval process is required. Expertise in school closure
processes and student enrollment projections is desired.
2. Ability to attend meetings in Montgomery County, Maryland and otherwise coordinate
online using online meeting software, FTP, email, phone. The offeror should determine
and include in their submission the proposed number of required meetings, as well as
specify whether they plan to attend these meetings virtually or in person.
3. Familiar, by past experience, with state and local government practices, procedures, laws,
and regulations.
4. Methodologies in accordance with state-of-the-art practices; and accredited, certified,
and/or are in accordance with industry standards.
5. Licensed to do business in the state of Maryland.
B. Additional Qualifications
1. How long in business under the current name.
2. Resume of business principals, including certifications and related experience.
3. Resume of lead person(s) for this project, to include related experience.
4. Project team breakdown - number of personnel by specialty, number of office workers,
number of field supervisors, number of field workers.
5. References for similar projects of similar size completed, to include contact person's name
and telephone number.
6. Sample of plans (1), reports (1) or other related documents.
7. Statement of principals' ownership or investment in other corporations, partnership, or
businesses of any nature - state name of business, nature of business, principals involved,
and nature of involvement.
C. Document qualifications and experience related to the following topics as they apply to
completion of tasks outlined in section 3.0
1. Typical school planning processes related to operations and facility planning
2. Portfolio review and analysis of all MCPS facilities
3. Consolidation and Closure review and scenario testing
4. School Boundary Review and Scenario testing
5. Community Engagement focusing on strategies to provide equitable opportunities for
access and input in school planning projects

6. Facilitation of advisory committees and elected body deliberations
7. Data management, analysis, and reporting in school boundary review processes
8. Utilization of spatial data and techniques for analysis and communication of plans
9. Performance of duties in high-profile, contentious situations particularly school
consolidations and closures and large-scale boundary studies
10. Expertise with enrollment projections and student demographics
D. Management Team and Approach
1. Identify key personnel with applicable responsibilities and project team compositions and
their place in the firm's organizational structure.
2. Identify the systems and approaches utilized by the firm.
3. The length of time the team has worked together.
E. Cost/Fee Structure
1. Outline methods or philosophy that will be utilized to control project costs. This should
include specific cost control methods, automation techniques, and the expected use of
professional vs. nonprofessional personnel.
2. Consultants shall submit a fee structure utilizing Form for Cost Proposal - Appendix B.
This form must be completed in its entirety and submitted separately
Anticipated Timeline for Deliverables and Implementation and Key Staff
Project Orientation & Projection Consultation: August-September 2026
Data gathering, community engagement regarding possible consolidations and closures:
October 2026-March 2027
Consolidations and Closures Report released: April 2027
Superintendent Recommendation for Consolidations and Closures released: April 2027
Board of Education Hearings and Work Sessions: April-May 2027
Board of Education Action regarding any possible closures or consolidations: May 2027
Data collection, validation and boundary option development: June-August 2027
Community Engagement-process and developed options: September 2027-March 2028
Boundary Study Report released: April 2028
Superintendent Recommendation for Boundary Study released: April 2028
Board of Education Hearings and Work Sessions: April-May 2028
Board of Education Action regarding Boundary Study: May 2028
School Consolidations and Closures and Boundaries implemented: beginning in the 2029-
2030 school year