High School Graduations
Congratulations Class of 2026!
Jump to: Graduation Schedule | Tickets and Programs | At the Ceremony | Parking | Photography | Watch Ceremonies
Graduation Schedule
Find Your Graduation and More!
Commencement times for each school are listed below. View commencement schedule by day →
Live stream links are forthcoming.
Atholton High School
June 1, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.
Cedar Lane School
May 26, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.
Centennial High School
June 1, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
Glenelg High School
June 2, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
Guilford Park High School
June 1, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.
Hammond High School
June 2, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.
Howard High School
June 3, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.
Long Reach High School
June 3, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.
Marriotts Ridge High School
June 2, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.
Mt. Hebron High School
May 28, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.
Oakland Mills High School
May 28, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.
Reservoir High School
May 29, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.
River Hill High School
May 28, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
Wilde Lake High School
May 29, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.
Summer
Date and Time TBD
Tickets and Programs
Tickets and programs are distributed to seniors prior to graduation ceremonies. Information is forthcoming and will be shared with seniors and their families by the student’s school.
At the Ceremony
All ceremonies are held at Merriweather Post Pavilion, with the exception of Cedar Lane that is held at that school.
Accessibility
ASL interpreters will be on stage at each ceremony and visible on the large screens in the pavilion, and on the live feed and rebroadcasts.
Prohibited Items
Balloons and posters/signs are prohibited from all graduation ceremonies to ensure audience members are not blocked from viewing the ceremony. Additional items prohibited by Merriweather can be found on the Merriweather website.
Seating
Guests may sit in any available pavilion seat not marked as reserved for graduates or other attendees. Please note that the entire Section 203 and several front rows of Section 204 may be in the full afternoon sun. Students and guests will not be allowed in the upper level seating area. A Merriweather seating map may be found online.
After the Ceremony
Students and guests must exit Merriweather grounds within 30 minutes of each ceremony’s end to allow staff to set up for the next school’s ceremony and for those students/families to safely enter the pavilion, or for the facility to close for the day.
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, is forthcoming.
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 is forthcoming.