Summer School Programs

Jump to: Programs | Enrollment | Payment | Withdrawal | Transportation

Updated program course lists can be viewed under each Program Description below.

The April enrollment request window is now closed. Requests are now being reviewed and students will be placed in the program/course of their selection or placed on a waitlist and notified by email by April 30. The next enrollment window will open Thursday, May 1 at 12 p.m.

As course placement is completed, you may check the status of the enrollment request in Synergy. Check with program staff if you have additional questions.

Information about Academic Intervention (Grades K-8) and Extended School Year Special Education (Ages 3-5, PreK-12) programs will be shared directly with parents/guardians of HCPSS eligible students later this spring.

Summer Programs Summary Information

Meals Sites offer either a snack or breakfast/lunch at no cost.
	BSAP Summer Institute (Entering Grades K-9)	Gifted and Talented (G/T) Summer Institute (Entering Grades 1-8)	Innovative Pathways High School (Entering Grade 9, Current Grades 9-12)
Dates/Times Dates are subject to change. No programs meet on Friday, July 4.	June 30–July 25 (4 weeks) 9:00 a.m.–2:45 p.m.	Session 1: June 30–July 11 (2 weeks) Session 2: July 14–July 25 (2 weeks) 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.	6 Week Classes (1.0 credit) June 24–August 1 8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. 3 Week Classes (0.5 credit Health 1, Health 2, or Lifetime Fitness only) Session 1: June 24–July 11 Session 2: July 14–August 1 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Mandatory orientation for all courses on the first class date: June 23 or July 14
Locations Locations are subject to change.	Hanover Hills ES (Grades K-4) Thomas Viaduct MS (Grades 5-9)	Burleigh Manor MS	Hammond HS (Art, CRD 1, CRD2/SBWE, English, GearUp for 9th Grade, Health, Lifetime Fitness, and Social Studies courses) Long Reach HS (Exploring Comp Sci, Foundations of Tech, Math, Science, and Spanish courses)
Cost Financial Assistance is available for current HCPSS students. Visit www.hcpss.org/farms to submit a FARMs application.	$700	$330	$325 (0.5 credit course) $650 (1.0 credit course) $800 (CRD2 / SBWE course)
Transportation	Yes, community stops	Yes, community stops	Yes, limited to specific courses
Contact	SummerInstitute@hcpss.org 410-313-1598	GTSummer@hcpss.org 410-313-6671	IPSummer@hcpss.org 410-313-6627

Email messages will receive a faster response than calling the program phone numbers. Phone messages will be returned after reviewing voicemail messages within 24 hours during the school week.

Program Descriptions

BSAP Summer Institute (Entering Grades K-9)

This program offers acceleration and enrichment opportunities for HCPSS students entering grades K-9. On- and above-grade level instruction to prepare students for Kindergarten or their upcoming grade. Students participate in instructional-level academic courses (English/language arts, math, science, social studies) each morning, and a wide range of enrichment opportunities in the afternoon.

Students who currently have an Individualized Education Program Plan (IEP) and receive Special Education services are welcome to attend; however, this summer program does not work on IEP goals. Families who have students with an IEP should consult their child’s Special Education Teacher if they have questions regarding their child’s eligibility for special education Extended School Year (ESY) services.

BSAP Summer Institute Course List

BSAP Before & After Care – Hanover Hills ES

BSAP Before & After Care – Thomas Viaduct MS

Contact: SummerInstitute@hcpss.org or 410-313-1598

Gifted and Talented (G/T) Summer Institutes for Talent Development (Entering Grades 1-8)

This program offers additional advanced-level instruction and enrichment experiences not regularly available during the academic school year. Rigorous instruction focusing on talent development is offered in mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, technology and fine arts. Prior participation in the school-year G/T program is not required for enrollment.

G/T Summer Institutes for Talent Development Course List

G/T Summer Institutes Aftercare Program – Burleigh Manor MS

Contact: GTSummer@hcpss.org or 410-313-6671

Innovative Pathways High School
(Entering Grade 9, Current Grades 9-12)

This program offers high school credit-bearing courses in a variety of content areas and levels to support academic achievement and acceleration for diploma-bound students. All courses meet in-person at a HCPSS school building; there are NO virtual courses for Summer 2024.

Innovative Pathways HS Summer Course List

Contact: IPSummer@hcpss.org or 410-313-6627

Enrollment Requests

Enrollment requests for registration-based programs can be made by a parent, guardian, school counselor or achievement liaison.

Directions: Register for Summer Programs

Enrollment requests for registration-based programs can be made by a parent, guardian, school counselor or achievement liaison. Registration in February and March is highly recommended, as program availability may be limited during the later registration dates.

Enrollment lottery process

Enrollment requests do not guarantee placement in summer programs.
Enrollment requests are NOT first-come, first-served.
Families will receive an email when a student is enrolled in a course or added to the applicable course waitlist.
For Innovative Pathways High School, enrollment priority will be given to students by their current grade level. Remaining students will be randomly selected and enrolled in their selected course (or alternate course) until that course has been filled.

Non-HCPSS students

Parents/guardians of current non-HCPSS students who wish to submit an enrollment request for the Innovative Pathways High School summer program should email IPSummer@hcpss.org to receive an alternate online enrollment link (please include Non-HCPSS enrollment in the subject line). Non-HCPSS students will be placed in courses after HCPSS students have been enrolled.

All enrollment requests are PENDING until HCPSS has completed program placement and full tuition is paid. Enrollment requests DO NOT guarantee placement in a program.

Payments and Financial Assistance

Payments

Payments for summer programs can ONLY BE MADE ONCE ENROLLMENT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY EMAIL. Parents/guardians will be emailed an invoice and payment instructions once the student has been enrolled in a program. Payments may be made by check, money order or credit card. After 10 days past due, the enrollment may be removed. Full payment is due prior to the program start date. Payments will be accepted in the following manner:

Online: Payments will be available to be made through MySchoolBucks (there is a 4% service fee for online payments)
Mail: Download the Registration Payment Form and return the completed form with a check or money order payable to Howard County Public School System to: HCPSS
Attn: Summer Programs
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042

Download PDF: Summer Programs Payment Instructions NOTE: If an alternate form of payment is needed, please contact the program directly to review payment options. HCPSS cannot take in-person payment without an appointment.

Returned Checks

Checks returned by the bank due to insufficient funds will be assessed a charge. If payment is not received in full, the unpaid amount will become a debt and will be entered as an outstanding obligation at your child’s school. All obligations must be satisfied prior to graduation. The HCPSS Finance Office has contracted with Envision Payment Solutions, Inc. for the electronic collection of check payments. If the check is returned unpaid, Envision Payment Solutions, Inc. will assess a $35 fee allowed by Maryland state law and charged as an electronic fund transfer.

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance is available for current HCPSS students. Please visit www.hcpss.org/farms to submit a Free and Reduced Price Meal services (FARMs) application.

Students receiving FARMs automatically receive a 50% tuition reduction upon verification.

Parents/guardians who do not qualify for FARMs but are experiencing a documented financial hardship, or who are unable to afford tuition after the automatic FARMs status-based discounts, may complete a Financial Assistance Application. Financial hardships include unemployment of a parent or guardian, pending foreclosure or eviction and medical hardship. The Financial Assistance Committee will review the completed applications and notify parents/guardians if additional tuition reduction will be applied.

Financial Assistance Applications will be accepted in the following manner (please only submit ONE version):

Online: Complete the online form and email the required documentation to the student’s summer program
Mail: Download the application form and return the completed form and required documentation to: HCPSS
Attn: Innovative Pathways
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042

Withdrawal and Refund Requests

Withdrawal

Prior to enrollment, a parent/guardian or school counselor may submit a registration withdrawal request online through the Synergy Parent Portal on the HCPSS Connect web page. Instructions for requesting withdrawal are included in the Register for Summer Programs document.

Refund Requests

Tuition paid by cash, check, or money order will be refunded in the form of a check mailed to the issuer once the Refund Form is processed. Refunds by check may take 4–6 weeks to process. Tuition paid by credit card will be refunded to the credit card in accordance with the credit card company’s refund procedure less the service charge.

BSAP Summer Institute and G/T Summer Institutes for Talent Development – Refund requests received after Tuesday, April 1, 2025, will be assessed a 25% administrative fee and those received after Tuesday, April 15, 2025, will be assessed a 50% administrative fee. Refunds will not be issued after Thursday, May 1, 2025.
Innovative Pathways High School – Refund requests received after Wednesday, June 11, 2025, will be assessed a 25% administrative fee and those received after Wednesday, June 18, 2025, will be assessed a 50% administrative fee. Refunds will not be issued after Friday, June 27, 2025.

Transportation

Transportation for Summer Programs is limited and varies by program. Transportation is provided via community bus stops; door-to-door service is not provided. A community bus stop is a location where students in a geographic location will meet and a school bus will pick up and transport them to their summer program. Community bus stop locations are based on student enrollments. Parents/guardians will receive community bus stop information during the program orientation.

BSAP Summer Institute and G/T Summer Institutes for Talent Development – Transportation is provided by HCPSS via a community bus stop.
Innovative Pathways High School programs – Transportation is provided by HCPSS via a community bus stop and is limited to students:

Enrolled in the Gear Up for 9th Grade program
Enrolled in a credit recovery course
Graduating during the High School summer program in July 2025

For all other students, transportation is NOT provided and will be the responsibility of the student and their parent(s)/guardian(s). Students must be dropped off and picked up on time. Alternate transportation may be found through Howard County Transit at transitrta.com.