The rule in one paragraph
MCPS students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate, as Maryland requires, and can start earning them the summer after grade 5. Students who first enroll in MCPS after 6th grade need fewer: MCPS adds an enrollment waiver for the difference, or counts the hours their previous school documented, whichever is greater.
| First enrolled in MCPS in grade | SSL hours to graduate |
|---|---|
| 6 | 75 |
| 7 | 65 |
| 8 | 55 |
| 9 | 45 |
| 10 | 35 |
| 11 | 20 |
| 12 | 10 |
What counts and what does not
- Counts: service with an MCPS SSL organization: look for the blue MCPS SSL banner and graduation cap on the Montgomery County Volunteer Center website.
- Counts: service with any other organization, even outside Montgomery County, once your SSL coordinator approves Form 560-50 before you start.
- Counts: school club service outside the school day, verified by the club adviser, and the SSL built into some middle and high school courses.
- Counts: helping teachers outside your own class time, such as setting up labs, reading to students or tutoring, but not grading or anything that shows another student’s work.
- Counts: political campaigns, with an approved Form 560-50 first, in public places and with no door-to-door canvassing or asking for donations.
- Counts: managing an MCPS team: up to 30 hours a regular season in high school and 15 in middle school, awarded by the coach.
- Counts: bag lunches for a Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless shelter, arranged in advance: 20 lunches earn 3 hours, up to 10 hours for 180.
- Counts: for-profit nursing homes and assisted living facilities (direct service to residents) and community projects run by businesses, such as coat drives or park cleanups, with an approved Form 560-50 first.
- Does not count: door-to-door distribution or canvassing of any kind.
- Does not count: service supervised by a parent, guardian or relative, or by anyone under 18.
- Does not count: service with no approved organization behind it, and service on private property or in a private home.
- Does not count: service you are paid or otherwise rewarded for.
- Does not count: for remote service: fostering an animal, delivering items by car, or only donating money or items with nothing handmade.
How to record your hours
Every activity needs MCPS Form 560-51 (Student Service Learning Activity Verification), signed by the adult who supervised you at the organization. Before you serve with an organization or opportunity that does not carry the MCPS SSL graduation cap, your SSL coordinator must approve Form 560-50 (Individual Student Service Learning Request). MCPS updated both forms in August 2026: the organization now describes the academic preparation and the service, and there is more room for your reflection. Use the new versions for service after September 25, 2026.
You earn one SSL hour for each hour of service outside the school day, and at most 8 in 24 hours. Turn your forms in to your school's SSL coordinator. Your hours required, earned and remaining appear on your report card every nine weeks from grade 6 to 12. Keep copies of every form, and if a coordinator turns hours down, you can appeal in writing to your principal.
When forms are due in 2026-27
| Service done in | Turn the form in by |
|---|---|
| Summer 2026 | September 25, 2026 |
| Summer and first semester | January 8, 2027 |
| Summer, first and second semester | May 28, 2027 (the required deadline) |
Every year the dates are the last Friday in September, the first Friday in January and the last Friday in May.
A simple pace
From the summer after 5th grade to the end of 12th grade is seven years, so about 11 hours a year gets you to 75. Students who document all 75 by the end of March in a middle school year earn the Superintendent's SSL Award.
Where to find SSL opportunities
The Montgomery County Volunteer Center lists MCPS SSL opportunities and organizations, marked with the blue MCPS SSL banner and graduation cap, including virtual ones. Register with a personal email address, not your MCPS student account. Remote service counts only when an approved organization or MCPS staff member hosts and supervises it, with your parent's written approval. For more ideas, see 30 community service ideas.
The purple tassel: 240 hours
Seniors with 240 or more documented SSL hours by the end of March of senior year receive the Certificate of Meritorious Service and a purple tassel to wear at graduation. For 2026-27, the forms that qualify you are due by March 25, 2027.
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 SSL hours do MCPS students need to graduate?
75, or fewer if you first enrolled in MCPS after 6th grade: 65 from 7th grade, 55 from 8th, 45 from 9th, 35 from 10th, 20 from 11th and 10 from 12th.
When can MCPS students start earning SSL hours?
The summer after 5th grade. Hours keep counting through middle and high school.
What is the difference between MCPS Form 560-50 and 560-51?
Form 560-51 records every activity and adds the hours to your record. Form 560-50 asks your SSL coordinator, before you start, to approve an organization or opportunity that does not carry the MCPS SSL graduation cap on the Montgomery County Volunteer Center website.
When are MCPS SSL forms due?
For 2026-27: September 25, 2026 for summer service, January 8, 2027 for service through the first semester, and May 28, 2027 at the latest for all service from June 1, 2026 to the end of the school year.
How many SSL hours can I earn in one day?
At most 8 in 24 hours. You earn one SSL hour for each hour of service outside the school day.
Can a parent sign an MCPS SSL form?
No. A parent, guardian or relative cannot award SSL hours. The adult who supervised you at the organization signs Form 560-51.
Does virtual SSL count in MCPS?
Yes, when an approved organization or MCPS staff member hosts and supervises it under the MCPS guidelines for virtual SSL, with your parent’s written approval. Fostering an animal, delivering items by car and donating without anything handmade do not count.
How do I get the MCPS purple tassel?
Document 240 or more SSL hours by the end of March of your senior year to receive the Certificate of Meritorious Service and a purple tassel for graduation. For 2026-27 the forms are due by March 25, 2027.