ACCESS Academy is halfway through its inaugural year with sights set on expanding enrollment.

Standing for Accelerated College and Employability, ACCESS Academy is “an innovative partnership between George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Northern Virginia Community College,” according to its website. ACCESS Academy serves students across Virginia, from ninth grade until senior year, with a goal of offering high schoolers an alternative education path that prepares them for post-high school careers or college.

“Access Academy is George Mason’s Lab School,” said Jeremy Shughart, Access Academy Coordinator. “George Mason has collaborated with this program between Loudon County Public Schools, Northern Virginia Community College, and then obviously Mason itself, specifically here at Potomac Falls High School.”

ACCESS Academy works to get students career ready through a mix of problem-solving-based learning, hands-on industry collaboration, and an industry-aligned, research-driven curriculum.

“Access Academy is an innovative high school experience, focusing on providing students with the opportunity for a more direct pathway to work outside of high school,” said Shughart. “The intention behind this is to prepare students to enter the job market and a computer science and information technology field.” 

The end goal of ACCESS Academy is to help students graduate with a standard diploma while “gaining specialized skills in information technology (IT).” However, students also have opportunities to earn dual-enrollment credits, micro-credentials, and industry certifications. Students additionally  have the chance to easily transition into two and four year IT degree programs. Lastly, students have room to prepare for IT careers that are in high demand and that promise good amounts of compensation. 

This school year,  applications for ACCESS Academy opened on Dec. 1 and close Jan. 16. Additionally for this school year, the program is looking for freshmen it can serve through senior year. Both LCPS students and non-LCPS students can apply through the ACCESS Academy page on lcps.org. Students are selected through a lottery system that strives to be equal yet random.

Waitlisted students are notified through email if a seat becomes available. If a student applies to ACCESS Academy and is accepted, they will remain in the program until they graduate if they maintain good grades. However, withdrawals are available to those who believe the program is not a strong fit.