LA PLATA, Md. — Families at Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, Eva Turner and Dr. Gustavus Brown elementary schools are crossing school supply shopping off their lists this year. Thanks to community school funding, students will arrive on the first day with everything they need in the classroom — from pencils and notebooks to scissors, folders, crayons, markers and glue. Parents are only asked to send a backpack, a refillable water bottle and a lunch box if needed.
What Is a Community School?
The three schools covering supplies this year are part of the Charles County Community Schools Program, which connects families to academic, health and social support services. Funded through Maryland’s Concentration of Poverty grants, community schools receive additional resources to meet the needs of their students and neighborhoods.
In Charles County, 14 schools are designated as community schools for the 2025-2026 school year, including:
Elementary schools:
C. Paul Barnhart, Dr. Gustavus Brown, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, Eva Turner, Indian Head, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy, J.C. Parks, J.P. Ryon, William B. Wade
Middle schools:
Benjamin Stoddert, Glymont, John Hanson
High school:
Thomas Stone
More information on the program is available at the CCPS Community Schools Program page.
A New Chapter for CCPS
This school year also marks a major milestone for the district with the opening of Margaret Jamieson Thornton Elementary School, CCPS’s 23rd elementary school. The 94,000-square-foot facility in White Plains will welcome its first students on Monday, Aug. 25, serving about 618 children.
The school, named for longtime educator and community leader Margaret Jamieson Thornton, was built to address enrollment growth and provide modern learning spaces for Charles County students. Its launch adds to the sense of new beginnings for families as the academic year starts.
The first day of school for Charles County students in kindergarten through grade 12 is Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. Prekindergarten students begin Tuesday, Sept. 2, after Labor Day. Families can find full details on transportation, school meals, calendars and other back-to-school resources at the CCPS website.
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