FAQs
There are typically 20-25 students in the Middle School, grades 6-8, and 45-50 students in the Upper School, grades 9-12
Lunch is not provided, but we sell pizza twice a week (Mon. and Wed.). Students bring their own lunches other days. We also sell frozen meals that students may microwave and snacks for a nominal fee.
School hours are 8:30-3:30. Students may arrive as early as 8 a.m. and stay until 4:30 p.m on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday when there is Supervised Study Hall. On Wednesdays, Upper School students who do not go to internship are dismissed at 3:00 p.m. and MS students are dismissed at 3:30 p.m. On Fridays, MS students and US students who do not go to an internship site that day are all dismissed at 2:00 p.m.
Yes, Parkmont’s Upper School is a college preparatory high school, and the courses are college preparatory. To graduate from Parkmont, students accrue credits equivalent to those they would earn in a DCPS high school program. The majority of our students attend college after graduation. Since 2024 students have matriculated at George Mason University, Goucher College, Howard University, Landmark College, McDaniel College, Princeton University, Rutgers University, and Virginia Tech, among others. For some students, college is not the right next step. We help them discern what they want to pursue and how to get started, whether it’s vocational training, military service, or entering the workforce directly. Our internship program aids these students tremendously because they graduate with a resume, job experience, and, often, recommendations from their supervisors.
Students have math and English daily. The third academic class is the Main Lesson, which meets for two hours each day and runs for seven weeks. We have five seven-week sessions a year. In each seven-week session, students accomplish a semester’s worth of work in their Main Lesson class. Main Lessons subjects include science, social studies, psychology, writing, and foreign languages. Three days a week, students also take an Afternoon Class, which is typically creativity or movement-based. Recent Afternoon Classes include Painting 101, Hiking, Yoga & Meditation, and Puzzles & Mysteries. Main Lesson and Afternoon Class options change every session.
Upper School students work at their internship sites every Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 1-4 p.m., accruing 180 hours by the end of the year. Along with their parents, students engage in selecting internship sites that they are excited about and that align with their abilities and needs. Most students select a new internship site each year. If a student isn’t ready for a traditional, solo internship, they participate in teacher-chaperoned group service projects at local organizations and/or studyhall.
At the start of the year, each student joins either a Middle School or Upper School Advisory, a mixed-grade group of 9-11 students led by a faculty or staff Advisor. Advisories meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons for 30 minutes, providing time for group discussions and projects, one-on-one meetings with the Advisor, homework help, and other activities.
While we don’t have afterschool sports or clubs, our Afternoon Classes provide the programming typically reserved for extracurriculars. Three days a week, students take a 75-minute Afternoon Class, which is often arts or movement-based. Students may pick from 6-8 options each session, and the offerings are different each session. Each season, we also have a very informal sports team (co-ed, and all grades) which will play several games against other small schools. In the fall, we have soccer, in the winter, basketball, and in the spring we have ultimate frisbee.
Several academic supports are built into our regular program. At the beginning of the year, a learning specialist conducts reading screenings with each student and helps create a learning plan for them. All of our teachers meet students where they are and individualize lessons as needed. Our daily schedule and five-session school year themselves create a supportive structure that reduces stress while providing opportunities for meaningful projects, experiential learning, and individual attention. Study Skills is always offered as an Afternoon Class. In Study Skills, students can get extra help on assignments from other classes, learn and practice executive-function skills, practice academic skills that need more development, or use the class time to work independently. For an additional fee, students who have comprehension challenges can be part of the Parkmont Student Support Program, which offers in-class support as needed, additional assistance outside of class, sessions with the Learning Specialist as needed, and more individually-tailored learning plans for the participating students.
Yes, Parkmont uses traditional A-F letter grades. Interim grade reports are sent out mid-session and “Evaluations” are sent out after each session. Both also include narrative assessments of students’ progress and performance in each class. Every Thursday, families receive an Academic Alert (AA) Form. AA Forms note current and missing assignments and scores for performance and class participation, as well as contextual information as needed.
Yes, Parkmont does have rolling admissions. For next-year enrollment, we strongly encourage you to submit your application before the end of January. Most decisions for next-year enrollment go out by the end of March, and we often fill all classes by mid-spring. We accept current-year applications when spaces are available. Even when classes are full, we are happy to talk with you about admissions and our program at any time during the year.
Tuition for 2026-27 is $47,000. We strive to make our program accessible for all families. About 45% of our students receive some amount of financial aid. For students participating in D.C.’s Serving our Children Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), our financial aid program covers the tuition costs not paid by OSP.
The first step in our admissions process is a video conference call for a student’s parents with our Head of School, Ron McClain. During that call, you can share details about your child and their school experiences, and Ron will provide more information about our program and answer your questions. The goal is to discern whether Parkmont is a good fit. If appropriate, we will encourage you to submit an application and schedule your child for a half-day school visit when they will sit in on classes and get a sense of our program and community. Our admissions are rolling, but most spots for the next school year are filled by mid-spring.