Seniors in almost all Montgomery County public schools will graduate in 2026 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, ending a decades-old practice of the schools picking their own graduation venues.
Previously, the high schools in the Maryland suburb used a variety of sites, including DAR Constitution Hall in the District, the Xfinity Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, their own schools and Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, as well as UMBC.
County officials said cost and easy access drove the choice of UMBC.
“This change ensures a comfortable indoor setting, easy access for families and lower costs, thanks to districtwide negotiations. Further details, including transportation options, will be shared with families in the months ahead,” Montgomery County Public Schools spokeswoman Liliana Lopez told Bethesda Today.
The graduating classes will walk across the UMBC stage between May 28 and June 11, according to the school system.
Exceptions include the Blair G. Ewing Center’s graduation, to be held at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring on May 28, with several schools holding graduations there.
The school system’s Model Learning Center at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds, Maryland, will have a ceremony on site on June 5.
The Longview School in Germantown, Maryland, and the Rock Terrace School and the John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents in Rockville will hold graduations at their schools on June 12.
Many parents are unhappy with their children graduating at UMBC. Students at Damascus High School, including the parents or grandparents of some students, graduated on campus at the school for years, and some detractors wish the tradition would continue.
“It’s a small town, close-knit community. It’s a tradition, it’s an honor. Damascus is one of the last communities in Montgomery County who [are] really just tight-knit like that. A lot of these areas are transient; it’s sad that we had no input,” parent Shaun Gallagher told Washington’s WTTG.
