Loudoun Academy of Science

The Academy of Science (AOS) is a STEM program for high school students enrolled in Loudoun County Public Schools. The program was previously located in Dominion 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 the Academies of Loudoun (ACL). The Academies of Loudoun opened with a new campus located in Leesburg, Virginia.^[1]

Loudoun Academy of Science
Location
42075 Academy Drive Leesburg, VA 20175 Loudoun , Virginia
Coordinates	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[citation needed]
Colors	Blue, Turquoise, and Green
Athletics	None
Mascot	Raptor
Director of the Academy Of Science	Jennifer Chang
Website	Official Webpage

History and structure

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 a Dual Enrollment and numerous Advanced Placement Courses.^[3] In the final two years, students take an independent research class.

Admissions

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 the NAACP 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.

Extracurricular activities and athletics

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. There are non-athletic sports teams at the Academies, but no athletic sports teams. Students attending the Academies are able to join extracurriculars and athletic sports teams at their home high schools.

Academics

In the first year students take a course primarily covering Newtonian physics in Science and Algebra 2 trig along with approximately one semester of calculus. Notably, numerous students fail their first math test due to radically high requirements for proof of work and much harsher grading standards than are typical of secondary schools. For example, an A at a student's home school in a course like AB calculus might correlate to a C or D when taken at AOS due to stricter requirements meant to challenge students and ensure they understand the underlying concepts behind their studies. The material is also taught at a faster pace.

In the second year students learn about particles and waves and associated concepts such as refraction, reflection, lensing, and the double slit experiment. Students also learn basic quantum mechanics, which includes concepts such as electron shell nesting. Additionally, students participate in two weeks of Earth-Science before taking Chemistry for the remainder of the year.

In their Junior and Senior years students conduct research formulated and approved during their 2nd years. They are required to write thorough reports and keep extensive notes to the degree that they would be required to if they were performing professional research. Only around a dozen papers total have been published from student conducted research with the majority remaining unpublished, although they may be submitted to universities as a way of boosting college applications and spiffying up résumés.

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, such as an electron microscope, FTIR, 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.

Students are given the opportunity to collaborate with students of the Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore and Daegu Science High School in South Korea.

Research projects from AOS have been published and have placed in competitions like the Siemens Westinghouse Competition and International Science and Engineering Fair.^[6]

39°1′33.4″N 77°22′26.4″W