High School Graduations

Graduation Schedule

School-specific dates and times are forthcoming.

Atholton High School

Cedar Lane School

Centennial High School

Glenelg High School

Guilford Park High School

Hammond High School

Howard High School

Long Reach High School

Marriotts Ridge High School

Mt. Hebron High School

Oakland Mills High School

Reservoir High School

River Hill High School

Wilde Lake High School

Tickets and Programs

Tickets and programs are distributed to seniors prior to graduation ceremonies. More information on 2026 graduations will be shared in the spring.

At the Ceremony

All ceremonies are held at Merriweather Post Pavilion, with the exception of Cedar Lane that is held at that school. Details on accessibility, seating, Merriweather specifics, and more will be shared in the spring prior to graduations.

Parking

Merriweather Post Pavilion is located at 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, Md. From the south, take Route 29 North to Broken Land Parkway (exit 18) West toward Columbia Town Center. Follow signs, and park as directed. From the south, take Route 29 South 175/ Little Patuxent Parkway (exit 20B) West toward Columbia Town Center. Follow signs, and park as directed.

Specifics on parking, including maps and additional information, will be shared in the spring.

Photography

Commencement ceremonies are public events and, as such, may be photographed or videotaped. HCPSS provides candid photos of the stage and audience, which are made available for viewing and download on the HCPSS Flickr site. Individual photos of graduates receiving their diplomas are provided by Lifetouch. Schools will communicate specifics on those photos prior to graduation.

It is imperative that media and other photographers/videographers do not interfere with the official documenting of commencement events and observe the following guidelines:

• Representatives of news outlets should wear their media ID badges in a plain sight. Upon arrival at Merriweather Post Pavilion on the day of the event, check in backstage with the HCPSS graduation coordinator(s).
• Follow directions regarding where you will be permitted to stand in order to avoid interfering with the commencement activities.
• Only members of the media and County agencies may be allowed to photograph from the stage. Special permission must be requested in advance through HCPSS Public Information by calling 410-313-6682 or emailing publicinfo@hcpss.org. Permission will not be granted on the day of the commencement.
• Failure to follow these guidelines may result in removal from the premises.

How to Watch Graduations

HCPSS will stream each graduation online. Viewers will access the online graduations at the school's scheduled date/time by going to www.hcpss.org up to 10 minutes prior to each event. Archived videos will be available soon after each graduation's end by selecting the applicable school from the boxes above on this page. Videos can be accessed permanently on the HCPSS YouTube channel.

HCPSS also rebroadcasts the graduations on Howard County cable channels 42 (Verizon) and 95 (Comcast). A rebroadcast schedule for the 2026 graduations will be shared in the spring.