Prince William County Public Schools

Yes, the parent/guardian of the student will need to login to ParentVUE to apply to the specialty program. The application can be found on the “Online Records” page towards the bottom.

Your child will receive the same level of services at their transfer school.

You can apply for up to three programs in your zoned school locations. You will need to rank your choices: first choice, second choice, and third choice.

Yes, a student will be considered for their second and third choice if they are not selected for their first choice.

Yes, a student needs to re-apply to attend a new specialty program in high school.

The individual school information sessions have been scheduled. You can find the dates and times for each information session through our website: www.pwcs.edu/specialtyprograms

Yes, you will be considered a transfer student if offered a seat in the program. As a transfer student, you will complete all courses at the specialty program school.

Once offered a seat in the specialty program, you do not need to reapply to the same program each year. You will remain in the program for your duration as a student at that school.

Specialty Program express bus stops have already been proposed for next school year. The bus times are set by transportation as the new school year approaches. You will need to identify your Express Bus stop location as part of the application process. Middle school dismissal can vary by school from 2:50 - 3 p.m. Middle school start times vary from 8:10 - 8:20 a.m. Please contact the school if you have a specific question about schedule times.

You only need to complete an application for your student that is applying to a specialty program. You will need to submit a separate application for each child that is applying to a specialty program.

Yes, you will need to apply to the IB MYP specialty program and be offered a seat to participate in the program in middle school if it is outside your zoned area of attendance. In middle school, all students zoned for an IB middle school participate in the program and do not need to apply.

Students can study a language in the IB MYP program.

All students who are zoned for an IB MYP school participate in the program. Therefore, if it is your base school, you do not need to apply to the program.

Yes, due to the limited seats in each specialty program, you must apply even if the specialty program is located at a school you are zoned for unless it is an IB MYP program.

The number of seats available for transfer students in each program is determined by individual schools and is based on many factors. These factors include availability of space, number of teachers, student base school enrollment, number of students who have applied to the program, etc.

Please reach out the specialty program coordinator at your zoned math and science school to find out more information about the program. All schools follow the PWCS curriculum, but it is how the student may learn the material that looks different. Math and Science programs offer enrichment activities to students.

In the Same Gender Program, students will be enrolled in same gender teams and have gender specific classes for their core academics. Core academic classes include English, math, science, and social studies.

If you are interested in your student participating in the Same Gender Program, even though you are zoned for the school, your student will still need to apply to the program due to limited seats.

The younger sibling would need to apply to the program and be offered a seat in it too.

Traditional schools stress rigorous academic instruction, strong performance expectations, and high behavioral standards. They utilize research-based innovative instructional strategies within a framework of traditional education. Families and students are involved in facets of school life and must contribute a specified number of hours of service to the school. Students are required to wear uniforms.

The number of seats that will be available in the remaining grade levels from year to year is dependent on availability since most students begin at the school during first grade.

Students spend one block each year in their language program. The program allows students to receive one high school foreign language credit for work done in sixth and seventh grade and one high school credit for work done in eighth grade.

Due to limited seats in each program, students need to apply as rising sixth graders and be offered a seat in the program.

No, all schools are zoned for specialty programs based on areas of attendance. You cannot apply to a specialty program outside of your assigned area.

Yes, you can choose a different language as program choice #1 and #2 when applying to a World Language specialty program.