Richard Montgomery IB Admissions Overview

Richard Montgomery IB admissions, step by step.

Eligibility and region decide where a student can apply, so start there. Then check what the application asks for.

Checked against Richard Montgomery IB's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.

Who can apply

Who can apply.

Confirm every rule before planning anything else.

Who can apply: To apply, a student must be a Montgomery County resident and be in Grade 8.
World language: MCPS's IB page says students must complete one year of world language study in middle school, or demonstrate equivalent proficiency, in a language offered through IB programs, and that home language use can show equivalent proficiency. MCPS's sample sequence says students should have taken a World Language level 1 course by the end of Grade 8. Other MCPS pages describe the language rule differently, so check your student's High School Possibility report.
Your region: Grade 8 students may only apply to Center programs in their region. Your region comes from your home address, and the High School Possibility report in ParentVUE lists the options. If the report is not what you expected, MCPS asks families to contact its Department of Consortia and Application Program Services.
Private and homeschooled: A Montgomery County resident who attends private school or is homeschooled contacts the assigned MCPS middle school registrar to establish residency and get an MCPS student ID and a ParentVUE access code. The application has places to upload transcripts and 7th or 8th grade assessment results, all due by November 6, 2026.

01
Open your student's High School Possibility report in ParentVUE before reading any older guide.
02
If the report and the website disagree, including on the world language rule, ask MCPS in writing and keep the reply.

The application

Where to apply: The High School Possibility form and the Center application can only be reached through ParentVUE, not StudentVUE. MCPS sends a confirmation email titled "Submission Confirmation of HS CENTER Application"; families must opt in to MCPS messages to receive it.
Rankings: Students can apply to up to eight Center programs and rank them in order of interest. Applying is optional; families who plan to attend the home high school say so on the High School Possibility form.
Essays: Applicants to criteria-based programs, which includes IB, complete two brief response essays of up to 300 words each. MCPS says the responses must be the work of the student alone, with no artificial intelligence use. Students who apply only to interest-based programs skip the essays.
How selection works: Qualified applicants enter a ranked-choice lottery that uses eligible choices, student rankings, region and open seats. Not every student is guaranteed a seat. Students identified through central review are invited outside the lottery.
Rounds: There are two rounds. Round 1 is in the fall and Round 2 is in the winter. A student without a Round 1 placement can resubmit the same request in Round 2, and a student with a placement can ask for a higher-ranked program, with no changes to Round 1 rankings. After Round 2, students without a placement go on a numbered waitlist.
Siblings: Sibling link is not a factor in the admission process.

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