School Prof ile and secondary school report

2016-17

A Mission-Driven Independent School Albuquerque Academy is a non-denominational, coeducational, independent day school for 1,156 students in grades six through twelve. The Academy offers students an education that is without equal in the Southwest. Admission to the Academy is competitive. In 2016-17, the student body comprises approximately half boys and half girls, 51% are students of color, and about 21% are receiving over $4 million in financial assistance. Financial assistance is based entirely on demonstrated financial need; only after students are admitted and their tuition needs assessed is financial assistance offered. The entering sixth grade Class of 2023 includes 52% students of color with students coming from 55 different schools.

On May 3, 2001, the Simms Library was named in hon-or of Albert G. Simms II, M.D. and Barbara Young Simms.

We believe that children’s lives change when their natural passion for learning is nurtured and transformed into habits of life-long learning and reflection. We believe that the world changes as these children learn to serve country and community with wisdom, conviction, and compassion.

In light of these beliefs,• We serve students of talent and character, offering them an

education that broadens their perspectives, sharpens their minds, strengthens their bodies, and engages their hearts.

• We commit to creating a caring, inclusive, and just community, using the geography and culture of our home in the Southwest to enrich our educational programs and to foster creativity, personal balance, and a connection to the natural world.

• We devote our resources to ensure economic accessibility to our students and to support the wider community through outreach and community service.

• We entrust this mission to our graduates and successors as we preserve our resources and serve the generations of children to come.

Albuquerque Academy6400 Wyoming Blvd NEAlbuquerque, NM 87109-3899(505)828-3200(505)858-8988 FaxSecondary School Code 320 003www.aa.edu

Andrew T. WatsonHead of School

Rafael S. FigueroaDean of College Guidancefigueroa@aa.edu

Dean A. JacobyDirector of College Guidancejacoby@aa.edu

Donna A. WhiteAssociate Director of College Guidancewhite@aa.edu

Mauree ThordahlCollege Guidance Coordinatorthordahl@aa.edu

Our Mission

Albuquerque Academy Does Not Rank Its Students Students in grades 9-12 are required to take five courses per semester each year. Twenty-three and one quarter credits are required for graduation, including four in English, four in history (one in United States History and one in Senior Humanities), three in mathematics (though Algebra II/Trigonometry), three in a single modern language, three in a laboratory science, and two in fine arts. The 23 Advanced Placement courses offered are designated AP on the transcript.

39%Scored 5

2%Scored 1 8%

Scored 2

20%Scored 3

31%Scored 4

Advanced Placement TestsIn May 2016, Academy students wrote a total of 483 Advanced Placement exams. Seventy percent of those Advanced Placement examinations received scores of 4 or 5; 90 percent received scores of 3 or above.

The Class of 2017There are 163 students in the Class of 2017. The grading scale is 0-100, with 60 the minimum passing mark. A distribution of marks within each course is provided on the transcript.

Scholastic Assessment Test

Middle 50%

Class of 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

National Merit Scholarship Corp Semifinalists 33 28 27 27 25National Merit Scholarship Corp Commended Students 14 11 15 11 15National Hispanic Scholars 19 24 18 23 20

EBRW Math

630-720 610-710

American College Test

Middle 50%

Composite

26-32

Standardized Tests - Class of 2017

Curriculum NotesThe Academy curriculum is exclusively college preparatory and, because of the rigorous nature of the program, and the selectivity of the admission policy, all courses are equivalent to honors-level courses as they are usually known. Since 2002, the Academy has not had an Advanced Placement (AP) English course. The Academy offers a choice of electives for seniors, all of which are highly rigorous college-level literature and writing courses. In each of these electives students are prepared to do well on the AP exams in English. The student to faculty ratio is 9:1; average class size ranges from 19 in the 6-7 Division to 15.5 in the 10-12 Division. More than 75 percent of the faculty have a master’s (or higher) degree.

The Senior AppraisalThe Senior Appraisal is generated by a committee consisting of 15 members: the three college advisers and 12 faculty members. Each appraisal is drafted by a committee member then reviewed by the entire committee to ensure its comprehensiveness and accuracy. In reporting issues of student character and academic achievement, and in all other college admission matters, Albuquerque Academy endorses and complies with the Statement of Principles of Good Practice produced by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

American UniversityAmerican University of ParisAmherst College (3)Arizona State University (40)Arkansas State UniversityAuburn UniversityAustin CollegeBard CollegeBarnard College (5)Baylor University (3)Birmingham-Southern CollegeBoston College (2)Boston UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrigham Young University (2)Brown University (2)California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (5)Carleton College (2)Carnegie Mellon University (5)Case Western Reserve University (3)Centenary College of LouisianaChadron State CollegeClaremont McKenna CollegeCoe College (3)College of the Holy CrossCollege of William and MaryCollege of WoosterColorado College (4)Colorado School of Mines (6)Colorado State University (17)Columbia University (4)Cornell College (1)Cornell University Creighton University (2)Dartmouth CollegeDavidson CollegeDuke University (5)Elon UniversityEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona BeachEmerson CollegeEmory University (2)Fashion Institute of TechnologyFordham University (3)Fort Lewis College (2)George Fox UniversityGeorge Washington University (3)Georgetown University (2)Georgia Institute of Technology (2)Georgia Southern UniversityGonzaga UniversityGrinnell College (2)Harvard University (5)Harvey Mudd CollegeIndiana University at BloomingtonIthaca CollegeKansas City Art Institute (2)Kenyon College (2)Lawrence University (2)Lehigh University (2)

Lewis & Clark CollegeLipscomb UniversityLoyola Marymount University (2)Macalester College (4)Maryland Institute College of Art (2)Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMaster’s CollegeMcGill University (2)Middlebury CollegeMills College (2)Montana State University, Bozeman (2)New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (9)New Mexico Military InstituteNew Mexico State University (4)New York University (10)New York University ShanghaiNorth Carolina State University (3)Northeastern University (6)Northwestern University (3)Oberlin College (2)Occidental College (6)Oklahoma State UniversityPacific UniversityPitzer CollegePomona College (2)Portland State UniversityPrinceton University (2)Purdue University (2)Reed CollegeRegis UniversityRensselaer Polytechnic Institute (3)Rhode Island School of Design (2)Rice University (4)Rochester Institute of TechnologyRollins CollegeRose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyRutgers University - New BrunswickSan Diego State University (2)San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2)Sarah Lawrence CollegeSavannah College of Art and DesignScripps College (4)Seattle University (2)Smith CollegeSouthern Methodist University (7)Southwestern University (2)St. Edward’s University Stanford University (10)Stevens Institute of Technology (2)Sweet Briar CollegeTexas A&M University (7)Texas Christian University (4)Texas State University Texas Tech University (9)Trinity University (5)Tufts University (4)Tulane University (6)Union College (2)United State Air Force Academy United States Military Academy (2)United States Naval Academy

University of Alabama (2)University of Arizona (12)University of Arkansas University of British ColumbiaUniversity of California, Berkeley (3)University of California, DavisUniversity of California, Los Angeles (4)University of California, San Diego (2)University of California, Santa Barbara (2)University of California, Santa Cruz University of Chicago (5)University of Colorado, Boulder (5)University of Colorado, Colorado SpringsUniversity of Colorado, Denver University of DallasUniversity of Denver (11)University of HoustonUniversity of Iowa (2)University of Kansas (3)University of Mary WashingtonUniversity of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Massachusetts, AmherstUniversity of Miami (2)University of Michigan (3)University of Minnesota, Twin Cities University of Mississippi (5)University of Montana, MissoulaUniversity of Nebraska at Lincoln (3)University of New Mexico (124)University of North DakotaUniversity of Notre Dame (7)University of Oklahoma (6)University of Pennsylvania (7)University of Puget Sound (4)University of RedlandsUniversity of RichmondUniversity of Rochester (4)University of San Diego (5)University of San Francisco (4)University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Florida, Tampa University of Southern California (9)University of Texas, Austin (11)University of the SouthwestUniversity of Tulsa University of Virginia (3)University of Washington (5)University of Wisconsin, MadisonValparaiso UniversityVanderbilt University (3)Vassar CollegeVillanova UniversityWashington University, St. Louis (15)Wellesley College Wesleyan University (2)Western Sate Colorado UniversityWestern Washington University (4)Westmont CollegeWhittier CollegeWilliams College

Schools at which five or more students have matriculated over the past four years.

College EntranceAlmost all Academy graduates enroll in four-year colleges immediately after graduation. Follow-up studies indicate that, on average, Academy graduates earn higher academic averages as college freshmen than they did as Academy students. The classes of 2013-2016 have matriculated at the following colleges and universities (numbers in parentheses indicate schools where more than one student matriculated):

Recent Achievements of noteTwenty-five Seniors Named National Merit® SemifinalistsThe National Merit® Scholarship Corporation announced last week that 25 Albuquerque Academy seniors have been named Semifinalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program, the tenth consecutive year in which Academy seniors have ranked among the top ten independent schools in the nation.

Twenty Albuquerque Academy Students Named National Hispanic ScholarsTwenty Albuquerque Academy students in the Class of 2017 were named 2016-17 National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) Scholars.

Mock Trial Team Represents New Mexico at National High School Mock Trial Competition Albuquerque Academy’s Mock Trial team took fourth place in the National Nigh School Mock Trial Competition. The team finished the competition with a record of 3-1, taking every ballot in the three rounds they won.

Chargers Athletic Teams Bring Home State Championships Charger athletes brought home multiple State Championships in 2016 in soccer, cross country, swimming, tennis, and track and field. In addition, many athletes won individual titles.

Classical Guitar Quartet Performs at San Francisco Conservatory of MusicAlbuquerque Academy’s Classical Guitar Quartet was recently invited to perform at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The invitation came from the head of the conservatory guitar program, who has admired Academy students over the years for their obvious talents, intellectual rigor, and willingness to take creative risks.

2016 Scholastic Writing AwardsAlbuquerque Academy students made an impressive showing in the writing portion of the 2016 Southwest Region Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Thirteen students received a combined 25 awards, and most submitted several pieces of writing in a variety of genres.

Spring Musical Named Best High School Musical Production of the YearAcademy's production of Bye Bye Birdie was selected as the best high school musical production of the year at the first annual Popejoy awards

Visual Arts Students Receive 30 Gold Key AwardsAlbuquerque Academy Visual Arts students received 30 Gold Key awards in the 2016 Regional Scholastic Art and Writing competition.

Global Online AcademyAlbuquerque Academy is a founding member of the Global Online Academy, a consortium of the world’s leading independent schools whose mission is to translate into online classrooms the intellectually rigorous programs and excellent teaching that are hallmarks of its member schools. Academy students in grades 10-12 may elect to take a GOA class.

Senior ProjectsSenior Projects are a four week experiential program at the end of the senior year. The project may include an internship, mentorship, faculty-run seminar, or independent project of the student’s design. This project allows seniors to explore an area of professional, personal, intellectual, or global interest.

Albuquerque Academy is an independent college-preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12. Albuquerque Academy does not discriminate against otherwise qualified students on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, spousal affiliation, sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation and makes reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified students with physical or mental disabilities.

Accreditation and AffiliationThe Academy, a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, is accredited by the New Mexico State Department of Education and the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. It is a member of the College Board and of the Rocky Mountain and National Associations for College Admission Counseling, and it subscribes to the N.A.C.A.C. Statement of Principles of Good Practice.