The Gatton Academy (Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky) is a public academy and an

early college entrance program Early entrance to college, sometimes called early admission or early enrollment, is the practice of allowing high school students to be accelerated into college, one or more years before the traditional age of college entrance, and without obtaini ...

funded by the state of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and located on the campus of

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...

Bowling Green, KY Bowling Green is a Home rule in the United States, home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate government of Kentucky ...

, United States. In 2010 and 2011 the Gatton Academy ranked on ''Newsweeks Public Elite list, a list of the nation's 20 top public high schools, as graded by scores on standardized tests. The Gatton Academy was recognized by ''Newsweek'' magazine as one of the nation's top five high schools. ''America's Best High Schools 2011'' recognized more than 500 schools from across the United States. In June 2012 the Gatton Academy was recognized as ''Newsweeks Top School in America. For three years in a row, the Gatton Academy was ranked the best in the nation by ''The Daily Beast''.

Overview

The Gatton Academy began in the 2007–2008 school year. As of the 2021–2022 school year, the Academy admits 95 qualifying high school students (for a total of 190 students attending) each year to spend their junior and senior years on the WKU campus taking classes at the university. The students are selected on basis of grades,

standardized test A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...

scores,

extracurricular activities An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities a ...

, teacher and community leader recommendations, personal interview, and interest in a science, mathematical, or engineering career, and focus their classes mainly on

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

s. Students of the Academy are considered both

undergraduates Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

and

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 ...

students by Kentucky and federal scholarship programs. As such, they are qualified for undergraduate research programs,

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

s, honors, and even (in exceptional cases)

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

s, but at the same time must take the classes required by the state of Kentucky for a

high school diploma A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...

(and, if still enrolled in their home high school, the classes required by their previous school). Students also have the option of being dually-enrolled, or, remaining students at their home high schools while attending the Academy. However, some private schools will not allow students to remain enrolled while attending the Academy. This dual-enrollment option allows students, in some cases, to remain eligible for services offered by their home high school (guidance, textbook funding). However, this option also requires students to meet state graduation requirements, and participate in KPREP testing. The home schools benefit from this arrangement by receiving the test scores from their respective Gatton scholars. Most of the school's graduates attend four-year colleges (67% of graduates attend either

, the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

or the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

), while some chose to pursue other opportunities during

gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gatton, Carol Martin Academy Educational institutions established in 2007 University-affiliated schools in the United States NCSSS schools Western Kentucky University Schools in Warren County, Kentucky Public high schools in Kentucky Boarding schools in Kentucky Public boarding schools in the United States 2007 establishments in Kentucky

Overview

See also

References

External links