Alconbury High School is a public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in

Alconbury Alconbury is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Alconbury is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England. Alconbury lies approximately ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). It is a U.S. publicly funded school, and all schools within DoDEA are fully accredited by U.S. accreditation agencies. It is not funded by the

HM Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

and is not open to

British Citizens British nationality law prescribes the conditions under which a person is recognised as being a national of the United Kingdom. The six different classes of British nationality each have varying degrees of civil and political rights, due to the ...

and British Nationals. It mainly serves families of

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

personnel based at

RAF Alconbury Royal Air Force Alconbury or more simply RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station near Huntingdon, England. The airfield is in the civil parish of The Stukeleys, close to the villages of Great Stukeley, Little Stukeley, and Alconbur ...

and

RAF Molesworth Royal Air Force Molesworth or more simply RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, England with a history dating back to 1917. Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished ...

. It is one of three DoDEA school communities that still exist for families stationed in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The other two are located at

RAF Lakenheath Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The base also sits close to Brandon. Despite being an RAF sta ...

and RAF Croughton, and all three of these communities are districted as part of th
West District
o
DoDEA Europe
There used to be other American schools in England to support families and their students, but some have closed down, and those students are bussed to nearby school communities. For example,

London Central Elementary High School London Central Elementary High School (LCEHS), formerly London Central High School, was a United States Department of Defense Dependents School ( DoDDS) in the Isles District of DoDDS Europe for pupils in kindergarten through grade 12. It operated ...

, which officially closed in 2007, had its students transferred to Alconbury Middle High School in the following school year (2007-2008).

Alconbury Schools Community

The Alconbury Schools Community consists of two schools: Alconbury Middle High School (which teaches grades 6 - 12) and Alconbury Elementary School (which starts as early as Head Start and continues until 5th grade). Both schools work together to support their community of students and families, and as of 2021, still have an update
Facebook
to keep everyone notified and up-to-date of current and upcoming school happenings.

History

Originally, Alconbury Elementary and Middle High Schools did not exist. In 1951, the RAF Molesworth School was opened, and it enrolled students from grades 1 - 9. Between the time it opened and the time schools closed on RAF Molesworth, there was Alconbury Elementary, Molesworth Junior High School, and Lakenheath High School. All schools on RAF Molesworth closed in 1974, and the schools were relocated to RAF Alconbury, where they still are today. Students that are stationed at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall attend Lakenheath High School, while students whose families are at RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, and other stations nearby, attend the Alconbury Schools Community. Alconbury Elementary School opened up in 1955, and has since been supporting students from preschool through 6th grade, until the Middle/High School became 6 - 12th grade in the school year 2008–2009. Alconbury seniors have been able to have graduation ceremonies in amazing locations. Until 2013, Alconbury students graduated at the

Peterborough Cathedral Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Pau ...

. In 2013, the graduating class was able to have their ceremony at Ely Cathedral.

Extra-Curriculars Offered

Just like any other school, there are numerous extra curricular activities offered. Alconbury has a variety of sports teams - such as Cheerleading, Cross, Country, Volleyball and Football in the fall season, Basketball, Cheerleading, Marksmanship, and Wrestling in the winter season, and Soccer, Tennis, and Track in the spring season. All of these sports culminate in their specific Europeans Championship - and they are considered to be a member of the District IV teams of DoDEA Europe, due to size of the student population. There has been a drama program most years, as well as a Beginning and Advanced Band. There are both Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops on base that the students are able to participate in, and are able to accomplish their Awards (e.g.

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

and Gold Award) through the school if necessary. In addition to the usual offerings, being in England has offered some unique opportunities for high school students to participate in, such as the

Duke of Edinburgh's Award The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

. In 2005, Sponsor Carol Bilverstone took her team of Silver Award level students Megan (now Sam) Camero and Shastina Crittenden (née Oglesbee) to Slovenia to participate with a group of students there in a Silver Level expedition. The following year, in the spring, the Slovenian students came to the U.K. and joined both Sam and Shastina, as well as students from the RAF Menwith Hill Duke of Edinburgh's Award students for their final Silver Expedition. Unique opportunities like this are available throughout the school year, depending on the resources available.

References

{{authority control Private schools in Cambridgeshire