Education

No matter where you live while stationed at Pax River, you will find excellent schools and specialty programs to serve you. Whether you are looking for elementary, middle, or high schools, gifted/talented, or special education programs, you're sure to find what's right for your family.

All public schools run a 180 day calendar year, with at least 2 major breaks (Winter & Spring) during the year.

Please be advised that Maryland is not a "choice" state and requires its residents to attend the public school whose boundaries they live within. Personal contact with an individual school district is the best way to learn about school calendars, facilities, curriculum, graduation requirements, and extracurricular activities.

"Before and After" school programs are offered at some of the elementary schools in St. Mary's and Calvert counties. There are additional "Before and After" school care programs offered by other community entities and the NAS Patuxent River Child and Youth Programs.

• St. Mary's County Public Schools
• Calvert County Public Schools

There are no DoD Schools at Pax River.

There are two public school districts that serve the Pax River region:  St. Mary's County Public Schools and Calvert County Public Schools. A complete listing of the requirements needed for student registration and acceptable documentation is available at each school district website. Valuable and up to date information about all schools and programs can be found on the home page of the school system or individual school websites.

• St. Mary's County Public Schools
• 23160 Moakley St. Leonardtown, MD 20650
• 301-475-5511

St. Mary's County Public Schools consists of 18 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools, 1 charter school and a career and technology center. St. Mary's County Public Schools offer: full day Pre-K and Kindergarten Programs, Advance Placement Program, Gifted/Talented Programs, Special Education, signature high school programs such as Science Technology, Engineering and Math Academy, Global International Studies Academy, The Academy of Finance, and a Career and Technology Center. Each school offers a variety of clubs; the high schools also offer extensive sports programs.

• Calvert County Public Schools
• 1305 Dares Beach Rd., Prince Frederick MD 20678
• 443-550-8000

Calvert County Public Schools consist of 13 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 4 high schools and a career and technology academy. 

Calvert County Public Schools offer: full day Pre-K and Kindergarten Programs, Advance Placement Program, Gifted/Talented Programs, Special Education, and a Career and Technology Academy. Each school offers a variety of clubs; the high schools also offer extensive sports programs.

Military Housing

Enrollment in public schools is based on residency. Families living in military housing are zoned for the following schools: Residents of Carpenter Park and the Gold Coast attend Lexington Park Elementary; Glenn Forest residents attend Park Hall Elementary; Lovell Cove residents attend Green Holly Elementary; Challenger Estates residents attend Evergreen Elementary; and Columbia Colony residents attend Hollywood Elementary.

Middle School students in military housing attend Spring Ridge Middle School, except for students in Challenger Estates and Columbia Colony, which are zoned for Esperanza Middle School.

All high school students in military housing attend Great Mills High School with the exception of students in Challenger Estates; they attend Leonardtown High School.

Busing is provided by the St. Mary's County Public Schools and St. Mary's County non-public transportation departments for all St. Mary's County public and private school students, including those that reside on the installation.

There are a number of private schools in the area, which vary widely, from highly structured to self-directed learning environments. Most private schools in the area are church-affiliated; however, they often accept students of any religious background. For information about tuition assistance, scholarships, entrance requirements, and waiting lists, parents should contact the individual schools.

For more information regarding private school options in the Pax River area visit NAS Patuxent River's School Liaison or email naspax_SL@us.navy.mil.

School Liaison is located at the Fleet and Family Support Center:

• 21993 Bundy Road. Bldg.2090
• Patuxent River, MD 20670
• 301-995-4004

Parents have the option to provide home instruction to their children.  The Maryland State Board of Education governs home instruction regulations. The purpose of these regulations is to determine if a child participating in a home instruction program is receiving regular, thorough instruction during the school year in the studies taught in the public schools to children of the same age. A parent or guardian who chooses to teach a child at home must complete and submit a Home Schooling Notification Form to their local public school district.

For more information on Home Schooling in St. Mary's County visit the Home Instruction - St. Mary's County Public Schools (smcps.org) website.  In Calvert County visit the Parental Instruction - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us) website.

 The College of Southern Maryland now provides low/no cost Adult Basic Education (ABE), GED Preparation, and English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction in Charles, St. Mary's, and Calvert counties. These classes are small and learning is individualized to meet the needs of each student.  For more information visit The College of Southern Maryland Adult Education Department.

For Active Duty Service Members,  the Navy College Office on NAS Patuxent River closed as of 01 Oct 2016. You will need to access the Navy College Virtual Education Center (NCVEC) on line as your prime educational resource, which offers basic skills education, GED requirements, testing, college information, and many more educational programs.

The School Liaison Officer (SLO) is the primary point of contact between the military installation, the local school administration, parents, and the community at large.

The Navy SLO provides seven core services to assist families: School Transitions, Deployment Support, Home School Support, Special Education Navigation, Partnerships in Education, Post-Secondary Preparations and, Command, School, Community Communications.

Parents are encouraged to contact the installation School Liaison Officer at 301-995-4004 or via email at navySLO.NASPAXR.fct@navy.mil for information, resources, and assistance.