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Program Availability
If a program receives applications for more students than the program can accept or the school can house, a lottery is held to select program participants. Under conditions of extreme overcrowding of a given school, a program may be open only to students within the school’s boundary and may be closed to all transfer students.
Application Guidelines
In order to apply for a specialty program, all students must complete an application. Applications are required for students residing within a school boundary as well as for students who transfer for a program.
Applications for students applying for the Center for Fine and Performing Arts are due December 10, 2018. Auditions for all areas of concentration will be held in January 2019. Dates will be posted as soon as they are available.
For all students residing in Prince William County before January 1, final applications are due by February 1. Students moving into the county after January 1 should call the coordinator of the program.
Governor's Schools
In addition to specialty programs, students may apply to
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology located in Fairfax, or to the The Governor’s School @ Innovation Park, a two-year program for selected high school juniors developed by PWCS, Manassas City, and Manassas Park Public School Divisions in cooperation with George Mason University. The program is located on George Mason University’s Science and Technology Campus.
Students may also apply to participate in the Summer Residential Governor's School programs.
Transportation Services
Students living within the boundaries of the specialty program school may ride their regular bus to school. Transportation services for students who reside outside the boundaries of the specialty program school will be provided via a network of proposed express bus stops. Transportation requests, including the selection of a specific express stop, must be returned to the school with the specialty program application. The transportation request process must be repeated for every year the student is enrolled in the specialty program. Parents have the responsibility to provide transportation to and from express bus stops.
Virginia High School League Eligibility
Rising ninth grade students who transfer to a school to participate in a specialty program will be eligible to participate in VHSL sponsored activities. Rising tenth and eleventh grade students who transfer to any specialty program shall be ineligible to participate in VHSL sponsored activities for 365 days unless there is a corresponding change of address in accordance with VHSL Regulation 28a-7-1. For additional information, please refer to PWCS Regulation 721.2.