Effective Jan. 2, 2025, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) will implement a moratorium for two specific address blocks in the Arthur Middleton Elementary School zone to help alleviate overcrowding. The moratorium, approved by Superintendent Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D., aims to manage the rapid growth in areas near White Plains, Maryland, and will last through the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year.
The designated address blocks include Block 2643 in the Gleneagles South and Stone Haven neighborhoods, and Block 2711, which encompasses the Highlands neighborhood and areas along Demarr Road. Families moving into these blocks after Jan. 2, 2025, will be required to send their children to Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School instead of Middleton. This decision comes in response to the continuing surge in population around St. Charles Parkway, leading to a significant strain on Middleton’s facilities.
“Middleton is currently operating at 771 students, which exceeds the state-rated capacity (SRC) of 507 by 264 students,” according to CCPS. In contrast, Dr. Brown Elementary, located about a mile from Middleton, has a current enrollment of 398 students with a state-rated capacity of 493, providing room for up to 95 additional students.
The moratorium is expected to help stabilize class sizes at Middleton, as the school has faced challenges in managing its rapidly increasing student population. To mitigate the overcrowding, six relocatable classrooms have already been installed on the Middleton campus, and additional space in the media center has been converted into a third-grade classroom. However, these temporary measures are not reflected in the school’s official SRC, according to CCPS.
Looking ahead, CCPS plans to further alleviate overcrowding by opening Margaret Jamieson Thornton Elementary School in August 2025. Once Thornton opens, students living in the designated moratorium blocks, including those currently attending Middleton, will be transferred to the new school.
“Any student who moves into Block 2643 or Block 2711 and registers after Jan. 2, 2025, will attend Dr. Brown Elementary for the remainder of the school year and then be transferred to Thornton in August 2025,” CCPS stated. This plan applies to all students who enroll during the moratorium period.
CCPS has communicated the details of the moratorium to the staffs at both Dr. Brown and Middleton Elementary Schools and is in the process of informing parents and the broader Charles County community. The district’s registration system, Synergy, will automatically assign new students from the affected areas to Dr. Brown Elementary beginning in January 2025.
Transportation will be provided for students affected by the moratorium, ensuring that families moving into the identified address blocks will not face additional burdens in transitioning their children to Dr. Brown. However, the moratorium only impacts families moving to these neighborhoods after the implementation date, as existing students will remain at their current schools until the 2025-2026 academic year.
The rapid growth in the areas around White Plains and the St. Charles community has prompted the school district to take steps to manage student populations more effectively. With the opening of Thornton Elementary on the horizon, CCPS aims to ensure that class sizes and school capacities are maintained at manageable levels across the district.
The moratorium is viewed as a temporary solution to prevent further overcrowding at Middleton and to manage growth until Thornton becomes operational. “This action will provide immediate relief while ensuring long-term planning for future growth in the area,” a CCPS spokesperson noted.
