All pages must attend school. The House of Representatives Page School is located in an attractive facility on the uppermost floor of the Library of Congress. The Senate Page School is located on the lower level of Webster Hall. Class schedules must avoid conflict with the hours the House and Senate are in session. Pages are appointed by individual Members of Congress and competition for the approximately 66 House and 30 Senate positions is fierce.
Some appointments are for a full year, others for one semester or for the summer only.
Applications must be requested from the Senator or Representative from the applicant's state or district. Since its first days, the House employed messengers, mostly young boys between the ages of 10-12. It was derived from the English custom of employing youths as personal attendants to persons of rank. Senator Daniel Webster appointed the first Senate page in the 1820's. Nine years old, Grafton Hanson was a descendant of John Hanson, President of the Continental Congress.