Schools of Choice

In addition to our 13 comprehensive high schools, APS has several schools of choice that meet the needs of different types of learners. Three additional high school programs will be added to the choices in the fall 2013 including a dual-credit school located on the CNM campus; a virtual high school located at eCADEMY; and an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme located at Sandia High School.

Other schools of choice include nex+Gen Academy, eCADEMY, the Early College Academy, the Career Enrichment Center, Freedom High School, School On Wheels and New Futures.

APS@CNM

(official name yet to be determined)

APS has joined with the Central New Mexico Community College to develop a dual-credit school on the main CNM campus that will allow students to complete their high school diploma while earning a two-year college degree, certificate or credits towards a bachelor's degree. The as-yet named school will open in the fall of 2013 to sophomores, juniors and seniors from across the greater Albuquerque community. Students pay no tuition for college classes or textbook fees, and they get a jump on their college education.

More about APS@CNM.

APS eCADEMY virtual high school

APS is starting up a full-time virtual high school that will be located at eCADEMY. The school will blend online classes with face-to-face instruction. There will be no tuition or textbook fees for students.

Freshmen and sophomores will be allowed to enroll in the virtual high school for fall 2013. Juniors will be added in 2014 and seniors in 2015. While much of the classwork will be completed online, students will be required to spend some time on campus, for example, for science labs. The school will be on a trimester schedule.

More about the eCADEMY virtual high school.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

Sandia High School is now an authorized International Baccalaureate World School, offering the academically rigorous Diploma Programme beginning in the fall of 2013 for incoming juniors. Students can apply for the programme by downloading an application here.

Though it will be housed at Sandia, all qualified students from around Albuquerque are invited and encouraged to participate in the programme. It will be available to students in the Class of 2015 and beyond. They will enter the two-year program as juniors.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is designed as an academically challenging and balanced program of education with final examinations that prepare students for success at the university level and beyond. The program has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.

More about the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

nex+Gen Academy

nex+Gen Academy is a small community school with a capacity of 400 students in grades 9-12 and a unique culture of trust, respect and responsibility. Students at nex+Gen are expected to demonstrate independence in learning, self-motivation and autonomy.

Emphasizing project-based learning and located just north of Del Norte High School, nex+Gen offers unique academic opportunities provided by a collaborative working environment. Students are expected to build and demonstrate mastery of standards in core content through dynamic collaboration and technology integration. Technology is viewed as a professional tool to advance student work.

eCADEMY

The mission of eCADEMY is to provide alternative education opportunities through a variety of electronic delivery methods that promote independence and excellence in learning. eCADEMY works with parents and the community to help students develop creativity, personal responsibility, cooperation, and critical thinking skills.

All core courses and some elective courses are offered for credit recovery or accelerated learning. Computers and other technological support for students are available at eCADEMY’s new facility and at four partner high schools. Teachers are available to help students from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every school day. All classes incorporate an element of face-to-face instruction with the teachers and peers. The meetings are held at a variety of flexible times to accommodate the students’ school and work schedules.

Career Enrichment Center (CEC)

The Career Enrichment Center is a magnet school that provides opportunities for advanced, in-depth learning. Students from all Albuquerque high schools can choose unique courses from a variety of career areas, including medicine, computers, engineering, health, languages, business, and CTE courses including vocational classes. CEC’s distinctive programs attract a wide variety of students from all geographic areas and socioeconomic groups in Albuquerque. The blending of strong academic, career, and technical classes enhances the education of all our students.

Did you know:

• CEC classes count toward full-time enrollment at your home school
• CEC classes count toward athletic/academic eligibility
• Dual Enrollment (or AP/Honors or online) courses are a graduation requirement for the Class of 2013 and beyond
• CEC has many Dual Enrollment classes available to help you meet this requirement
• Students can receive certification from the Nursing, EMT, and Autos Programs upon successful completion of course requirements
• We offer AP Physics C and AP Chinese
• We offer specialty classes for Native American students from across the district.
• CEC classes are free and transportation is provided

Early College Academy

The Early College Academy (ECA) is a college-prep magnet high school and sister school to the Career Enrichment Center (CEC) that focuses on college preparation. Classes are offered to 200 students in a small school environment. ECA classes are scheduled in the morning so that students may take CEC, UNM, or CNM classes in the afternoon. UNM and CNM classes may apply toward an associate or university degree.

ECA’s small-school environment offers students an intimate and personalized college-readiness learning experience. We believe in an academic focus, paralleling a college-level curriculum, and we encourage our students to start their post-secondary work while still in high school.

Is the ECA right for you? The Early College Academy is a match if you have:

• an interest in a challenging curriculum
• a history of successful completion of Language Arts and Mathematics classes
• a willingness to complete 2-3 hours of nightly homework
• a preference for small class sizes
• an interest in career exploration (internships, apprenticeships or vocational courses)
• the drive to complete college coursework while still in high school
• an interest in the individualization of a smaller school environment
• an interest in personalized college admissions support

Freedom High School

Freedom High School is a diploma-granting school of choice that provides educational services for students in grades 10-12 who have determined they may benefit from a personalized, small school setting. Students come to Freedom having faced a variety of barriers to earning their high school diploma but all have a determination to graduate. The program is semi–self progress and allows students to recover credit, move forward and in many cases graduate on time or early.

Freedom offers a nontraditional setting which emphasizes close student-teacher relationships. The program offers:

• An advisement system that involves every Freedom High School student.
• Support services that include individual and group counseling.
• Six-week grading periods and parent-teacher conferences.
• Regular parental involvement through continued communication with student’s advisor and weekly progress reports.
• Student input through classroom review processes, advisement and the Principal’s Advisory Council

School on Wheels

School on Wheels is an alternative work study, credit recovery high school. Its goal is to provide a high school education and marketable job skills to students between the ages of 16 and 18. The school’s calendar, graduation requirements and diplomas are the same as those of other district high schools. Students have the opportunity to take traditional classes during the morning and gain work-study experience in the afternoon.

The School On Wheels staff educates students to be responsible, caring and thoughtful citizens through school-to-work experiences, student-led evaluations, portfolio presentations, reflection, service learning options and the development of teacher/student relationships which foster academic, career and social skills for life-long success.

New Futures

New Futures School (NFS) is an APS School of Choice for pregnant and parenting students. It offers an environment that promotes rigorous learning as well as provides essential services that support and foster good parenting practices. New Futures is committed to the needs of the whole student, offering a learning environment that creates autonomous life-long learners who are prepared for post-secondary education and successful futures.