Who We Are – B-CC High School Educational Foundation

The Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School Educational Foundation began in the mid-1990s when Montgomery County budget cuts impacted B-CC’s ability to maintain a high-quality public education - long a proud hallmark of the community.

In response to the effect of these cuts, a group of staff, parents, alumni, students, business leaders, and concerned citizens representing all sectors of the community, formed the Community Coalition for B-CC High School (CC-B-CC) which issued “A Call to Action” for Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. After a year of intensive research, surveying, and educational forums, the group presented an initiative for re-engineering B-CC. This consensus initiative, “Stand Up For B-CC 2000,” established Three Pillars of Reform — Academic Excellence, Small School Experience, and Connecting with Community — that launched a renaissance at B-CC High School.

For the school to maintain and enhance its rich academic tradition, the initiative found additional resources, both financial and material, in B-CC’s surrounding businesses, parents, and alumni. And with that effort, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Educational Foundation was incorporated in August 1995.

The Foundation is instrumental in bringing several “firsts” to B-CC:

B-CC’s IB Diploma Program is the first open-access IB program in Montgomery County Public Schools.
B-CC is the first Montgomery County public school to have a technology-based Language Lab for teaching foreign languages and for teaching English to students in the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program.
B-CC offered the first Cyber Cafe in Montgomery County public schools – designed to offer students access to computers and necessary software before and after school and during lunch hours.
B-CC launched CollegeTracks, a program now at five Montgomery County high schools, which helps improve college access and success for students most at risk of not going to college — low income, first-generation-to-college, immigrant, and minority youth.

B-CC’s enrollment more than doubled since the Foundation began, and the school’s rapid population projections tell us the need in our school community is on the rise

For the most recent school year, enrollment was 58 percent white, 17 percent Hispanic/Latino, 14 percent Black, 5 percent Asian, 5 percent reporting two or more races, and less than 5 percent American Indian.

Twenty-two percent of B-CC students last year or in the past have qualified for the Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) program. B-CC students come from 66 countries and its English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program has 86 students representing 24 countries and 18 languages.

B-CC’s Enrollment More than Doubled Since the Inception of the Foundation

Since 1995, B-CC’s enrollment has increased dramatically. In September 2020, enrollment hit 2,300 students – a 113% increase in 25 years and an indication of the community’s confidence in the school.

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