Monticello doesn’t list a discount for individual teachers. Its special rates and discounts page covers military, Museums for All, local universities, the Virginia 250 Passport, memberships and locals, and there’s no teacher or educator offer among them. What it does offer is for school groups: field-trip scholarships that can cover the students, the required adults and school staff.
If you’re planning a trip to Jefferson’s mountaintop with a class, the scholarship is the part worth your time, and the rules are specific enough that it helps to know them before you book. A teacher visiting alone pays the same ticket price as anyone else, which we cover below.
How To Get The Monticello Teacher Discount
The route runs through a group booking. Monticello’s school field trips page says to submit an On-Site Field Trip Request Form, or email reservations@monticello.org. It also says the number of groups taken each day is limited, so it asks you to submit your request early and include alternative dates. The student Highlights Tour it describes is a 45-minute tour of the first floor of Jefferson’s home and the historic West Lawn, led by a Monticello Guide.
The scholarship comes second. The scholarship page says to reserve your visit first, then submit the scholarship request form within 10 calendar days of reserving. Requests without an order number cannot be reviewed, and you get that number when your reservation is confirmed. Support may include admission, transportation, or both.
What A Scholarship Can Cover
The page says admission, if awarded, can cover students, required adults (1 per 24 students) and school staff. Additional parent or guardian chaperones aren’t covered, though they may attend at the school group rate. Virginia and out-of-state schools are encouraged to apply, with priority given to Title I schools and schools serving students with free or reduced lunch needs.
Transportation, if awarded, covers direct round-trip bus transportation for Virginia schools only. Schools in Monticello’s local area may be eligible for full scholarship support, including student and school staff admission, and transportation. The local area includes Charlottesville City Schools and schools in ten nearby counties that the page names, starting with Albemarle and Fluvanna, so check the list if you’re within driving distance.
Scholarships are first-come, first-served and subject to available funding, and schools may generally receive one scholarship per academic year. If the funds run out, the scholarship page says you may cancel at no cost up to 48 hours before your visit. The field trips page says to cancel up to 24 hours ahead if a scholarship isn’t awarded, so ask which window applies to you.
Programs For Virginia Classes
Virginia educators and administrators can book the Roundabout School Program, a two-hour guided experience designed specifically for student groups. The page lists a few months when it isn’t available, so look at those before you pick a season.
The Archaeology Roundabout is free and needs no house tour reservation. It’s listed for 4th and 5th grades, with a minimum group size of 15 students and a maximum of 24.
Visiting On Your Own
Without a class, you buy a regular ticket. The tickets page lists the Highlights Tour at $42 for adults, $13 for ages 12 to 18 and $4 for ages 5 to 11, with children under 5 free. The Grounds Ticket, which skips the house, is $22 for adults, $8 for ages 12 to 18 and $2 for ages 5 to 11. Adult groups of 25 or more pay $32 for the Highlights Tour and Grounds, which could suit a staff outing.
The special rates that do exist follow other lines. Active-duty military personnel visit free on any Standard Rate Tour with a DOD-issued ID, and veterans pay $32 for an adult Standard Rate Tour ticket and $16 for a Grounds Ticket. SNAP recipients can reserve free standard rate tour tickets through Museums for All. The Virginia 250 Passport saves 15% on standard rate tours.
A membership might matter if you’ll come back. The page says members receive free standard-rate tours with every visit and that a membership pays for itself in just two visits. Residents of Charlottesville and the surrounding counties get specially priced membership rates.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
We didn’t find a per-student price for a school group on the pages we read, only that Monticello offers special rates for school field trips, so ask the reservations team for the number. The scholarship page covers “school staff” without defining who counts, and we couldn’t tell whether that includes every teacher on the trip. We also can’t say whether scholarship funds remain right now.
Q&A
Does Monticello give teachers a discount?
Not to individual teachers. The special rates page has no teacher or educator offer.
Can a school scholarship cover the teachers on the trip?
The page says admission, if awarded, can cover students, required adults (1 per 24 students) and school staff.
Do I book the visit or apply for the scholarship first?
Book first. The page says to reserve your visit, then submit the scholarship request form within 10 calendar days, with the order number from your confirmation.
Are parent chaperones covered?
Additional parent or guardian chaperones are not covered, but they may attend at the school group rate.
Is the Archaeology Roundabout free?
Yes. The page says all Archaeology Roundabouts are free and need no house tour reservation, and it lists the program for 4th and 5th grades.
More Information:
The details above come from Monticello’s own pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
