For students, homecoming is remembered as a defining high school experience.
While most days are spent in sweatpants and hoodies, homecoming offers a rare chance to trade leggings and Uggs for dresses and suits. It is an opportunity to participate in a tradition that has connected generations of high school students. From football games and pep rallies to themed hallways and the dance itself, homecoming has traditionally been a major part of the American high school experience. However, in recent years, homecoming ticket sales in Montgomery County have seen a major decline, leading to dance cancellations and risk of the long-standing tradition losing its place in high school culture.
A key contributor to the lack of participation is rooted in the differing expectations students have for school events. The reality of today’s youth party culture is quite different than that of 30 years ago and spending an evening in a school gym simply does not compete with these new standards.
“It sort of felt boring. Me and my friends decided to go to DC for pictures and then just get food [during freshman and sophomore year],” Walter Johnson High School senior Reut Cohen Zamir said.
Due to social media adding to the pressure of following the latest trends and sharing experiences online, a traditional dance may no longer hold the same appeal it once did.
“Social media is one big ‘happiness competition,’ and requires everyone to ‘put on a happy face’ even if they are miserable,” Peer magazine writes.
The result of low attendance can create a cycle that is difficult for schools to break. When students expect an event to be poorly attended, they may be less inclined to purchase tickets in the first place. Only 44% of students attended homecoming growing up according to a YouGov survey from 2023, leaving a remaining 54% of students who chose not to and 3% which reported they were not sure whether they went.
Quince Orchard High School sophomore Kiera Ackley is from one of the schools which has already announced the cancellation of its homecoming in addition to other schools, like Northwest High School.
“I’m not very surprised it got canceled. My first homecoming experience as a freshman had around 20 or less people. There wasn’t much to do there; most people just sat and talked,” Ackley said.
The social aspect of homecoming is an important and contributing factor to the low attendance. The limited interest in the school’s dance can make the event feel less exciting, potentially discouraging even more people from attending.
Quince Orchard’s Student Government Association (SGA) attempted to get Quince Orchard’s students excited about the event both on social media platforms and on school grounds with no major success.
Moreover, an email was sent out to all students regarding the cancellation of the dance with information about refunds for the few who did purchase the tickets. A message was also included in the email regarding the additional cancellation of other long running traditions such as “Hoco Hallways.”
The loss of these activities raises concern beyond the cancellation of a single dance, as they remain the largest opportunity for students who are not involved in sports or other extracurricular activities to feel connected to their school community. Without these shared experiences, schools risk a loss of the culture that helped create a sense of identity among students.
So is local high school student culture experiencing a permanent decline, or is it simply evolving? The answer depends on Montgomery County Public Schools’ direct response toward the matter.
One explanation for declining participation is that traditional school events no longer reflect what students want from their high school experience. As priorities and student interests change, schools are reconsidering how these events are organized and what might be more appealing for the student body.
Quince Orchard has recently announced sending out student feedback forms regarding events that will increase the participation for the next school year and improve students’ active role in shaping their school’s environment.
However, collecting feedback is only the first step. Whether the initiative creates a difference depends on the school’s acknowledgment and whether these suggestions lead to events students are willing to attend.
Whether homecoming returns to its former popularity or gives way to new traditions remains to be seen. For now, the challenge facing schools is not simply about saving an annual dance, but about creating a culture students want to belong to.
Written by Ofer Papier
Graphic by Oviyaa Ramesh