For the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme at Richard Montgomery, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) publishes two numbers a student has to reach and two essay questions a student has to answer. This guide puts them side by side so you can see what each one is and is not.
The two benchmarks
MCPS publishes separate benchmarks for the ranked-choice lottery pool and for a central review. Percentiles are regional or local middle school comparisons, not national ones, and are calculated in December 2026.
| Step | Percentile (Reading or Math) | Grade 7 and 8 GPA | | --- | --- | --- | | Lottery pool | 80th or higher | 3.25 or higher | | Central review | 95th or higher | 3.75 or higher |
The GPA uses Grade 7 and Grade 8 English, Social Studies, Math and Science grades. A student needs the percentile on Reading or Math, not both.
What the lottery pool means
Students who meet the 80th percentile and 3.25 GPA benchmark enter the pool for a ranked-choice lottery. Meeting the benchmark gets a student into the pool. It does not place them in the program.
What central review means
MCPS says every Grade 8 student in the region is reviewed automatically for IB, with no application needed. This review is separate from admission. MCPS still tells families that if a student has high interest, they should rank the program and apply.
Which test score counts
MCPS says the PSAT is given to Grade 8 students on October 14, 2026. For each student, MCPS uses the higher of the MAP or PSAT percentile. Because percentiles come from local comparisons, a score that looks modest nationally can still sit higher locally, and the reverse can happen too. MCPS also says private testing is not used for this process, so check before paying for extra tests.
The two essays
MCPS asks students applying to criteria-based programs to complete two essays. Each has a 300 word limit and has to be the student's own work, with no AI.
- Question 1. How do you see a specialized Center program helping you reach your future goals?
- Question 2. Think about a personal or academic challenge you have faced recently.
MCPS says the essay is not given a score, but the selection committee will have access to it. In practice, that means a clear and honest essay cannot hurt a student and may help a reader who is weighing a near miss.
How to approach them
- Question 1. Pick one concrete thing about IB, such as the research essay, the language requirement or the interdisciplinary projects, and connect it to something your student already does.
- Question 2. Choose one real challenge, say what your student did and what changed.
- Both. Let your student write alone, read the draft aloud, and check the word count.
What happens to students who just miss
MCPS says a review committee can look at more than the two benchmark numbers for students who are close. The factors it lists are MAP growth, WIDA growth, MCAP, special services, FARMS status and essays. MCPS does not publish how these are weighed.
What MCPS has not published
- How the essay is read. It says the committee has access, not how it is used.
- The weight of each factor in a near-miss review. Only the list of factors is published.
- A seat count for Richard Montgomery. Only a preliminary group projection of out-of-area seats appears.
- An admit rate. None is published for the new process.
What the program itself asks
The benchmarks decide who is in the pool, but it helps to know what the student is entering. MCPS lists the IB Diploma Programme as a four-year sequence. In Grades 11 and 12 students take Theory of Knowledge, write the Extended Essay, and choose a mix of higher-level and standard-level courses, with at least one course from each of Groups 1 to 5. MCPS says its sample sequence is subject to change as the programs are developed. A student who likes reading, writing and long projects will find that load easier to picture than one who prefers short tasks, so talk it through before ranking.
What to do this week
Write down your student's Reading and Math percentiles if you have them, and the Grade 7 and Grade 8 grades in the four core subjects. Compare them to the table above. Then spend the time on the essays, since the numbers are largely set already.
Families who want a plain overview of how high school admissions work can start at EduAvenues high school admissions.
Sources
- MCPS Criteria-Based Academic Benchmarks
- MCPS Essay Questions, school year 2026-2027
- MCPS Center programs frequently asked questions
- MCPS High School Possibility process timeline
- MCPS International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
RMIBPrep by EduAvenues is an independent service, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Richard Montgomery High School.