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DC Purple Star Schools

Overview

DC Purple Star Schools (PSS) recognizes Washington, DC schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting military-connected students and their families. Schools earning this designation provide resources, training, and programs that help ease the educational and social and emotional challenges faced by students during military-related transitions. Designations are valid for three years and are awarded by the District of Columbia Educational Opportunity for Military Children State Council.

Purpose

Military families often experience frequent moves, deployments, and unique challenges that can impact student success. The PSS designation, familiar to military families nationwide, recognizes schools in DC that are equipped to:

  • Support smooth transitions for military-connected students.
  • Provide staff training on military family needs.
  • Foster a welcoming and inclusive school environment.
  • Build partnerships with local military installations.

Currently Recognized DC Purple Star School

The DC Council on the Interstate Compact of Educational Opportunity for Military Children will recognize the first ever class of PSS in October 2026. The full list of schools will be listed below and updated annually.

To earn the Purple Star designation, schools must meet all of the following requirements:

  • The school must have at least one designated staff point of contact (POC) for military connected students and families. The POC serves as the primary link between the military family and the school. This contact could be a counselor, administrator, teacher, or other staff member, and should have adequate capacity to serve the unique interests of the school’s military-connected families. While not required, we recommend having an alternative POC that completes identical training. The POC must:
    • Within the last calendar year, complete one DC-approved training that addresses the key issues encountered by military families. DC-approved trainings include any one those listed below, and a certificate of completion must be submitted with the application:
      • MIC3 Compact 101 Training (asynchronous, self-paced, 90 minutes).
      • MIC3 Compact 201 Training (asynchronous, self-paced, 90 minutes).
      • Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) “Purple Star Schools Exemplary Practices” Training (asynchronous, self-paced, 1 hour).
      • A training provided by a School Liaison Officer (SLO). If interested, you may email a SLO using the information in the “Contact” section of this webpage.
      • Other trainings approved on a case-by-case basis.
  • The school must have a webpage on the school’s website with information related to supports provided for military-connected youth enrolled in the school. The page must have, at a minimum:
  • The school must have one annual military recognition event designed to build community support and understanding for military students and their families. Applicants will be required to provide a written summary of their event(s). Examples include, but are not limited to:
    • A public military display in the school (memorial, tribute wall, bulletin board, a Purple Star room, etc.).
    • A military appreciation event (for example, a Veterans Day event, writing letters to military veterans or active servicemembers).*
      • *As a best practice, the District of Columbia Educational Opportunity for Military Children State Council recommends that schools with small military-connected populations not hold events that single out military-connected students for recognition, as such events can actually isolate, rather than celebrate, them.
    • Military family/committee/counseling groups to offer support.
    • A fundraiser to support military veterans and active-duty members.
    • Recognition of the Month of the Military Child (April) or Military Family Month (November) with relevant event(s) hosted by the school.
      • This could look like a partnership with a local military installation that provides opportunities for military members to volunteer at the school, speak at an assembly, or host a field trip. For more information, please contact a SLO using the contact information in the “Contact” section of this webpage.
  • The school must have a welcome program for newly arrived/transitioning students who may arrive at the school at any point in the school year. While the program does not need to be particular to military-connected youth, at a minimum the program must:
    • Include student led, peer-to-peer mentoring;
    • Focus on building relationships between the student and adults in the building,
    • Highlight and inform the incoming student of the unique cultural features of the school community; and
    • Present newly arrived students with opportunities to learn about and join school extracurricular programming.
  • In addition to 1-4, the school must also have one of the following:
    • Proof of provision of school school-wide professional learning regarding the unique experiences of military connected youth. Evidence must show that at least 50 percent of your school’s staff have received a DC-approved training. Any of the trainings listed as helping meet the requirements for a school’s POC are DC-approved trainings.
    • An additional military recognition event.

For 2026 PSS recognition, applications open on Friday, May 1. The window to submit an application closes at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 1, 2026. Applications will then be reviewed and either approved or returned for appeal through Sept. 30, 2026 by the Purple Star Advisory Board. Applications returned for appeal will include instruction for how schools might meet the qualifications to be recognized as a PSS. Schools will be notified if the Purple Star Advisory Board finds that a school’s application has met requirements, and the school will then be nominated for formal approval by the DC Council on the Interstate Compact of Educational Opportunity for Military Children in its to-be-scheduled October meeting.

To apply, schools must submit the following to [email protected], using the subject line “SCHOOL NAME PSS Application:”

Schools designated will be publicly recognized as PSS, receiving an official letter from the DC MIC3 Commissioner naming their status as a PSS and can promote their PSS status.

Schools that are recognized as PSS will be required to renew their recognition every three calendar years. Starting in 2029, schools recognized in 2026 will be expected to renew their recognition, and more information on how to renew will be provided at that time.

Appeals Process

Once submissions are made, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis in the month of August. During that month, schools nominated for PSS approval, or denied nomination, will be notified as such no later than Sept. 1, 2026. Schools denied nomination will be given an itemized rubric stating where the school did, and did not, meet the requirements necessary to be recognized for PSS designation.

Applications submitted prior to the Aug. 1, 2026 deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with the opportunity for schools to be nominated earlier in the application process. The PSS Advisory Board will meet once in the months of June and July to review applications submitted prior to their meeting, providing an opportunity for feedback for denied applications prior to the Aug. 1 deadline and early nominations for schools that have met all requirements.

Schools denied PSS designation will then be given until 5 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2026 to correct deficiencies in their application by submitting a new application that meets all requirements. A final decision on all applications will be rendered no later than Sept. 30, 2026.

Please note that schools are not PSS designated until officially approved by the DC Council on the Interstate Compact of Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which will meet to consider and vote on PSS nominees in October 2026. Meeting dates and times, as well as past minutes, can be found here.

Upcoming Trainings

PSS Application Trainings

The Washington, DC MIC3 Commissioner will hold informational trainings and application office hours monthly from May, June, and July 2026. Sign up to join below:

Additional Resources

Promotional Communications Resources

Contact

For questions or concerns regarding the PSS Program, or for general support for PSS programming in your school, families and schools are encouraged to contact:

Joseph Hood, DC MIC3 Commissioner.
Email: [email protected]

Alonso Hay, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, School Liaison Officer
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: (202) 706-3618

More Resources