The rule in one paragraph
BCPS students need 75 service-learning hours to graduate, as Maryland requires, and can start the summer before 6th grade. Most hours are infused: you earn them by completing the service-learning project in certain courses and passing the course, and your teacher records them in Focus. There is no partial credit. Following the usual courses and finishing every project, students can pass 75 hours by the end of 10th grade.
| Grade | Courses with a service-learning project | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | English Language Arts, Health, Technology Education, Business/Computer Science* | 10 each |
| 7 | Art, Technology Education, Business/Computer Science* | 10 each |
| 8 | Science, Social Studies, Health | 10 each |
| High school | Earth Systems, English 9, Technology Education | 10 each |
| High school | American Government | 15 |
*Business/Computer Science is not offered in every school, and courses can change.
What counts and what does not
- Counts: the project in each course above, when you complete it and pass the course.
- Counts: independent projects with an eligible nonprofit, faith-based or educational organization, approved by your service-learning coordinator before you start.
- Counts: hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and licensed day care centers, when you serve clients directly and the business gains nothing.
- Counts: service through a religious organization that is open to the whole community and not religious itself, such as meals for the homeless, drives or clean-ups.
- Counts: drop-in Be Involved projects at Baltimore County Public Library branches, which are pre-approved.
- Counts: library service that helps patrons directly, such as a children’s literacy program, as long as it does not replace a paid employee.
- Counts: managing a BCPS high school team: up to 30 hours a regular season, plus hour for hour in the post-season, awarded by the coach (since 2025-26).
- Counts: unpaid help coaching or supervising community teams, such as Baltimore County Recreation and Parks teams.
- Does not count: service supervised by a relative, or work that replaces a paid staff member.
- Does not count: service you are paid for in any way, including gifts and scholarships.
- Does not count: religious activities, such as prayer, choir, altar service, teaching Sunday school or childcare during services.
- Does not count: projects where clerical tasks take more than 25% of the time, or where the service itself is less than half of it.
- Does not count: independent service during school hours, or more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.
- Does not count: an infused project you do not finish, or a course you do not pass.
How to record your hours
Independent projects use the Independent Service-Learning Approval Form. Fill in the first sections, including your parent or guardian's approval, and get your service-learning coordinator's signature before you start. Afterwards, the site supervisor (not a relative) verifies your hours on the form, you write the reflection, and you return the whole form to your coordinator, who records the hours in Focus and gives the paperwork back to you.
Your report card shows “Met” once you reach 75; Focus shows the hours themselves. Approved organizations are listed as “Approved Student Service-Learning Agencies” on the Baltimore County Volunteer Center website.
A simple pace
If you take the usual courses and finish each project, the course hours alone can pass 75 by the end of 10th grade. One or two independent projects a year on top of that keep you safe if you miss a project, and count toward the awards below.
When to turn hours in
Turn hours in right after each project, and during the same school year you earn them; summer hours go in when school reopens. Later forms count only with special permission from the Office of Family and Community Engagement.
If you join BCPS later
Students new to BCPS from another state, a private school or home schooling need fewer hours, depending on when they arrive. Hours earned in another Maryland school system move with you.
| You arrive in | Hours you must earn |
|---|---|
| Grade 8 (second semester) | 50 |
| Grade 9 | 40 |
| Grade 10 | 30 |
| Grade 11, first semester | 20 |
| Grade 11, second semester | 15 |
| Grade 12, first semester | 10 |
| Grade 12, second semester | 5 |
Awards for independent hours
- Meritorious Service Award: the top ten graduating seniors in each high school with 150 or more independent hours receive a certificate and an honor cord.
- Commitment to Service Award: the top five 8th graders in each middle school with 75 or more independent hours receive a certificate.
For both, hours must be recorded by the end of the third marking period. Looking for projects? See 30 community service ideas, and check each one with your coordinator first.
Keep your own record, free
Your school's system is the official record; keep your own copy too, with the date, the hours and who supervised you. Print the free volunteer hours log, work out your weekly pace with the volunteer hours calculator, or track it in My Award Tracker: pick the Maryland student service learning goal and see the hours left and the pace you need as you log.
Other states and districts: see community service hours to graduate, every state.
Frequently asked questions
How many service-learning hours do BCPS students need?
75, starting the summer before 6th grade. Most come from projects in required middle and high school courses; students new to BCPS from another state, a private school or home schooling need fewer, from 50 down to 5 depending on when they arrive.
Which BCPS courses give service-learning hours?
Grade 6 English Language Arts, Health, Technology Education and Business/Computer Science; grade 7 Art, Technology Education and Business/Computer Science; grade 8 Science, Social Studies and Health (10 hours each); and in high school Earth Systems, English 9 and Technology Education (10 each) and American Government (15). You must finish the project and pass the course.
How do I get an independent project approved in BCPS?
Fill in the Independent Service-Learning Approval Form with your parent or guardian’s approval and give it to your service-learning coordinator before you start. After the service, the site supervisor verifies your hours and you add your reflection.
Does church service count for BCPS service learning?
Only service that is open to the community and not religious, such as meals for the homeless, drives or clean-ups. Prayer, choir, altar service, teaching Sunday school and childcare during services do not count.
Where can I see my BCPS service-learning hours?
In Focus. Report cards only show “Met” once you reach 75 hours.
What is the BCPS honor cord for service?
The Meritorious Service Award: the top ten graduating seniors in each high school with 150 or more independent hours receive a certificate and an honor cord.