THE TEMPLE Frederick: A Paul Mitchell Partner School

The Temple operates as two Paul Mitchell Partner Schools in Maryland, both run by The Riser Academies Inc. Both are nationally accredited by NACCAS, and their minimum program standards are set by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the Maryland Board of Cosmetology and NACCAS.

The Frederick campus fills a 15,000-square-foot building in downtown Frederick that was a Masonic Temple about a century ago. Exposed brick walls, murals and hand-blown light fixtures by local artists give it a distinctive look.

Clinic services are performed by students, who are called Future Professionals, and their work is overseen by instructors known as Learning Leaders. Because the clinic is a learning environment, guests should plan extra time for appointments. Guests who are receiving a service serve as models, and anyone not being served waits in the reception area.

The school describes its culture as focused on changing lives, backed by a dress code, an attendance requirement and educational standards. Students are taught business and personal skills alongside technical training.

Students learn from iPads rather than traditional textbooks. Programs include cosmetology (1500 hours, offered at both campuses), nail technology (250 hours, offered at both campuses), esthetics (600 hours, Annapolis only), barbering (1200 hours, Annapolis only), a 900-hour barber stylist program that does not teach chemical services, and a 450-hour barber bridge program for licensed cosmetologists.

Treatments here are carried out by students, with an instructor watching over each one directly. The clinic also works as a teaching space, giving students hands-on practice with paying clients.

Frederick is a historic brick building with murals and hand-blown fixtures, while Annapolis has a modern-industrial feel with an open clinic classroom.