| Academies of Loudoun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
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42075 Academy Drive Leesburg, VA 20175 Loudon ,Virginia | |
| Coordinates | 39°02′33″N77°33′01″W / 39.042637°N 77.550348°W /39.042637; -77.550348 |
| Information | |
| Type | Magnet school (Division) |
| Motto | Explore, Research, Collaborate, Innovate |
| Established | 2005 |
| School district | Loudoun County Public Schools |
| Principal | Ryan Sackett |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | ~500, varies depending on how many they end up admitting and how many drop out. |
| Colors | Blue, Turquoise, and Green |
| Athletics | None |
| Mascot | Raptors |
| Director of the Academy Of Science | Jennifer Chang |
| Website | Official Webpage |
TheAcademy of Science (AOS) is aSTEM program for high school students enrolled inLoudoun County Public Schools. The program was previously located inDominion High School. During the summer of 2018, the Academy of Science joined the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy (MATA) and the new Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET) to form theAcademies of Loudoun (ACL). The Academies of Loudoun opened with a new campus located inLeesburg,Virginia.[1]
The Academy of Science program was established in 2005 as a magnet program for Loudoun County high school students. The program has an acceptance rate of 7.2% in 2020,[2] which is the most up-to-date statistic data published by LCPS. The coursework focuses on science and math with aDual Enrollment and numerousAdvanced Placement Courses.[3] In the final two years, students take an independent research class.
Applications to join the Academy of Science begin in student's final year of middle school. Applicants are judged based on test scores, a writing section, and grades.[4]
AOS and AET came under scrutiny in 2019 by theNAACP for alleged discrimination against black students during the admission process.[5] This is despite as of 2024 using a strictly blind admissions process where the personal details of students remain unattached to the student's application until it has been accepted, waitlisted, or denied.
Loudoun County high schools have alternating day schedules that allows Academies students to attend both their home high school as well as the academies on alternating days. ACL has extracurricular clubs available to students during their lunch period, but no athletic sports teams exist at the Academies although non-athletic sports teams although there are non-athletic sports teams. Students attending the Academies are able to join extracurriculars and athletic sports teams at their home high schools.
In the first year students take a course primarily covering Newtonian physics in Science and Algebra 2 trig along with ~1.5-2 quarters of calculus depending on where you draw the divider.
Most students end up failing the very first test in math due to the radically higher requirements for proof of work and much harsher than typical middle school/high school grading standards which most students managing to adapt reasonably well.
Math homework in the first year tends to take around 2+ hours per night and is a lot harder than AP world history. Deriving formulas tends to be a steep learning curve but pays off with a better understanding of the concept. It is not advisable to use tutors to just explain the material to you unless you really need the help as due to personal experience they tend to lead to mental offloading reducing actual learning and harming test scores.
According to multiple teachers at AOS/AOS an A at your home school in a course like AB calculus might correlate to a C or D at the academies due to actually requiring the students to understand the underlying concept and challenging the students.
The academics are also faster paced in math with around one week in middle-school geometry being equal in content to about one day at the academies so ~2.5x faster.
In the second year the students spend the first quarter or so on particles and waves(Associated sub concepts nested within. Refraction, reflection, double slit experiment, lensing, and more.) along with around two weeks of relatively easy Earth-Science.
The second quarter starts with basic QM[Quantum mechanics] with concepts like electron shells nested within for the first few weeks before moving to chemistry for most of the year's remainder.
I cannot vouch with any confidence about what is done after the 3rd quarter of the 2nd year in explicit detail.
In their Junior and Senior years students conduct research formulated and approved during their 2nd years. They are required to write extensive reports and keep extensive notes equal to what they would be required to take if they were doing genuine research to be published. Only around a dozen papers total have been published from student conducted research, the majority ends up remaining unpublished although submitted to universities to boost colleague applications and put on resumes.
The research idea has to be original, accomplishable on a budget, and answer a relevant question. The cost of lab machinery is not included on their budget of ~200$. Extensive machinery is accessible to students if they require it for their projects like an electron microscope, FTIR[Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy], gas centrifuges, an ashing oven, 3d printers, Bio 3d printers, fatigue cycle testing machinery, material strength testing via a hydraulic press, and more as this is a non-comprehensive list.
(Previously written cannot verify though as I have never received any information at all about it.) Students are given the opportunity to collaborate with students of theHwa Chong Institution inSingapore andDaegu Science High School inSouth Korea.
Research projects from AOS have been published and have placed in competitions like theSiemens Westinghouse Competition andInternational Science and Engineering Fair.[6]
39°1′33.4″N77°22′26.4″W / 39.025944°N 77.374000°W /39.025944; -77.374000