Currently, sixty-six young men and woman are appointed by their Members of Congress to serve as pages in the U.S. House.

To be eligible for the school year, applicants must be at least 16 years of age at the time their appointment begins, be in their junior year of high school, and have a cumulative grade point average of "B" or better in all major courses to date.  The program is available to juniors in high school for those applying for the school year – (Students should apply when they are sophomores for their junior years).  The summer program is available to those who have completed either their sophomore or junior year.  Applicants should submit a complete application to their Member of Congress.

An official transcript of all grades (from 9th grade through at least the first semester of the current year) is required to verify the cumulative grade point average of "B" or better in major courses.  Only the grades in the following subject areas will be counted: English, science, mathematics, social studies and foreign languages - electives are not included.

Along with the application form, the following items are required: Social Security number, signed parental consent form, official transcript of all high school grades to date (from 9th grade through the first semester of current year), a 50-100 word essay on why you want to be a page, a resume of extracurricular activities, three letters of recommendation and a letter of support from the sponsoring Member of Congress.

In Washington, beginning at 6:45 a.m., the school-year pages attend five 40-minute classes at Page School.  Located on the third floor of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building, the Page School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.  Summer pages do not attend school.

Five courses are selected from the current school curriculum, which consists of: American, British or World Literature (all with composition), or Humanities; Algebra II/Trig, Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus or Pre-Calculus; Physics or Chemistry; U.S. History of Government and Politics; Intermediate or Advanced French or Spanish.  First-year language courses are not offered nor are Advanced Placement classes.  In addition, all school-year pages participate on alternate Saturdays in a Washington seminar program called WISP (Washington Interdisciplinary Studies Program).

The workday begins immediately following the last class (at 9:00 a.m. for summer pages) and extends to at least 5:00 p.m., or until the House adjourns for the day -- whichever is later.  The pages report to their page supervisor where the first order of the day may be the filing of the Congressional Record from the previous day's proceedings.  The pages serve primarily as messengers delivering legislative materials between the various buildings of Capitol Hill.  During the course of the day, the pages accumulate points for "runs" (or deliveries). Those with the highest number of points may be excused early when the House goes into late-night sessions.

The dress requirement for males is navy blazer, long sleeved white shirt, dark grey slacks, dark socks, and a standard issue tie.  For females, a navy blazer, long sleeves white blouse, dark grey skirt or dark grey pants, dark shoes, appropriate hosiery, and standard tie that is provided during orientation is navy with red and white stripes.

All pages live at the Page Residence Hall (O'Neill Building directly behind the Cannon Building), 300 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., under the supervision of a resident manager and five proctors who reside on the premises.  The third floor is set aside for males and the fourth floor for females.  The pages agree in writing to abide by a strict Code of Conduct which includes a curfew of 10 p.m. on week nights and 12 midnight on weekends.

The triple rooms are furnished with twin beds, night stands, dressers, desks and chairs.  Each of the rooms has a large walk-in closet, a study area, toll-controlled telephone, a small refrigerator, private bathroom and two air-conditioning units.  A community room with color television and a microwave oven is available on each floor as well as a laundry room in the basement.

The pages are paid $1,049 gross per month with an automatic payroll deduction of $300 to cover the cost of the dorm and five dinners weekly.  They are responsible for their transportation to and from Washington, their uniform, breakfast (other than cafeteria-style provided to the school-year pages) and lunch on weekdays, weekend meals, school supplies and all incidental expenses.  In addition, a one-time, refundable security deposit of $100 payable to the U.S. Treasury is required for the dorm.