Northwest High School (Maryland)

Northwest High School (NWHS) is a public high school in Germantown, Maryland. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools public school system. As of 2022, it enrolled 2,484 students. It is one of two high schools in Germantown, the other being Seneca Valley High School, with which Northwest shares an athletic rivalry. The school also serves small sections of the cities of Gaithersburg and Darnestown.

Northwest High School
Address
13501 Richter Farm Road Germantown , Maryland 20874 United States
Coordinates	39°09′06″N 77°16′48″W
Information
Type	Public secondary
Established	1998; 27 years ago (1998)
School district	Montgomery County Public Schools
Principal	Scott Smith
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,484 (2022-23)
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Black, silver, and white
Nickname	Jaguars
Rivals	Seneca Valley, Quince Orchard
Newspaper	The Jagwire
Website	www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northwesths/

The school was established in 1998, and completed an expansion project during the summer of 2006.

Northwest's school mascot is the jaguar and its colors are black, silver and white.

Academics

Northwest High School offers a number of honors and Advanced Placement courses, along with courses in American Sign Language (ASL), French and Spanish. The school has an average SAT score of 1129, above the national mean of 1050 yet below the county's average score of 1227.^[1][2]

Northwest hosts the Ulysses Signature Program, a four-year research-based program in which students develop projects focused on one of four themes: arts and humanities; public policy and public service; and/or math, science and technology.^[3] Students are recommended for the rigorous research program as freshmen and remain in the program throughout their senior year.^[4]

As of 2024, Northwest is the 20th-ranked highschool in Maryland and the 1059th-ranked school nationwide according to U.S News and World Report.^[5]

Principals

• Edward Shirley (1998–2002)
• Sylvia Morrison (2002–2009)
• Eileen "E. Lance" Lancellotti Dempsey (2009–2016)^[6][7]
• James "Jimmy" D'Andrea (2016–2021)^[8]
• Scott "Scottie" Smith (2021–Present)

Areas served

Students attending Northwest come from parts of Germantown, Boyds, Gaithersburg, and Darnestown, as well as very small portions of Poolesville and Potomac.^[9]

Northwest is fed by three area middle schools and eight area elementary schools in the following feeder patterns:

• Kingsview MS (grades 6–8): Great Seneca Creek (K-5), Ronald McNair ES (pre-K-5), Spark M. Matsunaga ES (K-5)
• Lakelands Park MS (grades 6–8) (split articulation with Quince Orchard Cluster): Darnestown ES (K-5), Diamond ES (K-5)
• Roberto Clemente MS (grades 6–8) (split articulation with Seneca Valley Cluster): Clopper Mill ES (pre-K-5), Germantown ES (K-5)

Elementary School Split Articulations:^[10]

• Spark M. Matsunaga ES: island articulates to King MS and Seneca Valley HS
• Diamond ES: a small portion articulates to Ridgeview MS and Quince Orchard HS
• Clopper Mill ES: island articulates to Seneca Valley HS
• Germantown ES: northern portion articulates to Seneca Valley HS

Recent Changes to Areas Served

In November of 2019, the board of education approved boundaries that affected the following schools within the Northwest cluster:^[11]

• Spark M. Matsunaga ES island reassigned from Kingsview MS and Northwest HS to King MS and Seneca Valley HS
• Clopper Mill ES island reassigned from Northwest HS to Seneca Valley HS
• Northern portion of Germantown ES service area reassigned from Northwest HS to Seneca Valley HS
• Portion of Greek Seneca Creek ES reassigned from Clemente MS to Kingsview MS

Expected Future Changes

As of the 2023-24 school year, Northwest projects to be over-enrolled for the next 15 years with its current attendance zones.^[10] To address these concerns, along with overutilization among other nearby schools, the county is conducting a boundary study for the new Crown HS,^[12] which has an expected completion date of August 2027.^[10]

Athletics

All teams have varsity and junior varsity teams with the exception of tennis, golf, swim and dive, indoor track and field, poms, and boys'/coed volleyball. JV lacrosse teams were added to Montgomery County athletics in 2008.

Fall sports Football Soccer Cross country Girls' tennis Golf Field hockey Girls' volleyball Cheerleading Winter sports Basketball Wrestling Indoor Track and Field Hockey Swim and dive Cheerleading

Spring sports Baseball Softball Outdoor Track and field Lacrosse Boys' tennis Coed volleyball Boys' volleyball

Multi-season

• Poms
• Cheerleading

Rivalries

Northwest High School has sports rivalries, particularly in football, with neighboring Seneca Valley High School, and Quince Orchard High School. The annual football game between Northwest and Seneca Valley is known as "The Battle for the King's Trophy" or the "Battle for Germantown". The football rivalry with Quince Orchard is widely considered one of the best in the state, with each school winning three state titles.

State championships

Northwest High School has won a total of 31 state championships in team events, as well 67 individual state championships.^[13]

State championships
Season	Sport	Number of championships	Year
Fall	Cross country, boys'	2	2001, 2002
	Cross country, girls'	2	2002, 2003
	Football	3	2004, 2013, 2014
	Volleyball, girls'	4	2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Winter	Cheerleading	2	2007, 2008
	Indoor track, boys'	5	2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
	Indoor track, girls'	1	2011
	Poms	2	2002, 2005
Spring	Baseball	2	2012, 2017
	Outdoor track, boys'	5	2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
	Outdoor track, girls'	2	2011, 2018
	Softball	1	2017
Total		31

Notable alumni

• Gottlieb Ayedze (Class of 2019), NFL offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles^[14]
• Kayla DiCello (Class of 2022), gymnast^[15]
• Britt Eckerstrom (Class of 2011), Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper^[16]
• Mia Khalifa (Class of 2011), adult entertainment actress, sports analyst^[17][18]
• Ashley Nee, Olympic slalom canoeist^[19]
• Anwar Phillips (Class of 2001), NFL player^[20]
• Kaden Prather (Class of 2021), American college football wide receiver for the Maryland Terrapins^[21]
• Joe Young (Class of 2007), formerly Joe Lefeged, NFL player^[22]
• Teresa Woorman (Class of 2009), current member of the Maryland House of Delegates^[23]

References

1. Montgomery County Public Schools. Schools at a Glance - Northwest High School. Accessed 6 June 2024
2. "Total Group Profile Report" (PDF). CollegeBoard. p. 1. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
3. "Local School Signature Programs". Montgomery County Public Schools. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
4. "Northwest Seniors Unveil Research Projects". Gazette. January 20, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
5. "Northwest High School". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
6. Taylor, Andre L. (July 22, 2009). "NW principal sets high expectations: Former Shady Grove Middle School principal meets parents and students". The Gazette. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Post-Newsweek Media, Inc. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
7. Montgomery County Public Schools (June 25, 2002). "Highlights of the June 24 Meeting of the Board of Education". Montgomery County Public Schools. 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland. Archived from the original on August 9, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
8. "Northwest High School". www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
9. "Northwest High School 2010-2011 Service Area" (PDF). Montgomery County Public Schools. September 20, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
10. Division of Capital Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools. Superintendent's Recommended FY 2025 Capital Budget and the FY 2025–2030 Capital Improvements Program - Chapter 4: Northwest Cluster. Accessed 31 May 2024
11. Division of Capital Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools. Board of Education Resolution - November 26, 2019. Accessed 31 May 2024
12. Division of Capital Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools. Board of Education Adopted Boundary Study Scope - to Determine the Service Area for the new Crown and Expansion of Damascus HS - March 19, 2024. Accessed 31 May 2024
13. on, Jody Tyler (July 27, 2016). "NW Championships". Northwest High School. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
14. "Gottlieb Ayedze, Northwest, Offensive Tackle". 247Sports.com. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
15. Herron, Patrick (October 24, 2023). "Kayla DiCello, Northwest HS Alumna, Wins Gold at Pan American Games". MoCo Show. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
16. "2015 Women's Soccer Roster". gopsusports.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
17. Timothy Bella (April 9, 2018). "You Don't Know Mia Khalifa". Playboy. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
18. "Ex-Adult Star Mia Kalifa's Wild Educational Qualifications". MensXP. slide 6. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
19. Shih, Karin (August 2, 2016). "Paddle to the Medal". Terp Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
20. Freeman, Rick (November 2, 2000). "Versatile Phillips Drives Northwest". The Washington Post. p. M20.
21. Errigo, Michael (June 10, 2020). "Northwest wide receiver Kaden Prather commits to West Virginia and other recruiting news". Washington Post. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
22. Goldenbach, Alan (October 22, 2006). "Lefeged Is All Over the Place; Northwest Senior Proves Hard to Stop". The Washington Post. p. E5.
23. "Teresa S. Woorman, Maryland State Delegate". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2025.

External links

• Official website
• Northwest statistics from MCPS
• Northwest High School at the Wayback Machine (archived October 6, 1999)
• Northwest High School at the Wayback Machine (archived June 19, 2004)