Florida Atlantic University High School (FAU High School) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

, dual-enrollment high school located on the

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

campus of

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...

. It is the only

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 ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to offer full-time dual-enrollment at a state university to students after completion of 9th grade.

Overview

Founded in 2004 for "students with exceptional academic abilities and strong self-motivation" by University President

Frank Brogan Frank T. Brogan (born September 6, 1953) is the former Assistant Secretary of Education (Elementary and Secondary Education). He succeeded Deborah S. Delisle. He is the former Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, fo ...

, FAU High School operates as an entity under

Florida Atlantic University College of Education The College of Education is one of the ten academic colleges of Florida Atlantic University located in Boca Raton, Florida. The college is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and actively holds teaching partner ...

, the State University System of Florida, and as an

independent school district An independent school district (ISD) is a type of school district in some US states for primary and secondary education that operates as an entity independent and separate from any municipality or county, and only under the oversight of the resp ...

( FAU Lab Schools) which only hosts Alexander D. Henderson University School and FAU High School. Since its inception, the High School has always earned an "A" or "A+" ranking by the

Florida Department of Education The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) is the state education agency of Florida. It governs public education and manages funding and testing for local educational agencies (school boards). It is headquartered in the Turlington Building (na ...

. Entry to FAU High School as a 9th grader is competitive and consists of a series of

standardized tests 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 ...

and interviews. Only a small number of transfer students are accepted into the High School per year. FAU High School's structure is considered unique in the

since 9th grade students undergo an accelerated and rigiorus curriculum to prepare them for collegiate study. After completion of 9th grade, 10th through 12th grade students are directly enrolled, full-time, at Florida Alantic University. With the exception of a few limitations concerning Greek life and NCAA Division 1 sports, FAU High School students share many of the same rights and privileges as regular enrolled full-time students, including the ability to declare a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. A typical graduate of FAU High School earns three years worth of college credits towards a bachelor's degree. Since most students earn more than 60 credits, many also earn

associate's degrees An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

before graduating high school. As of 2023, over 80 students completed their

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 ...

before graduating from high school.

Research

FAU High School has a robust research program within the School that allows students to conduct research, typically focused on

physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...

and

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

. As post-9th grade students are considered full-time students at Florida Atlantic University, they have access and are allowed to conduct

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

directly with the University instead of the High School. FAU High School also hosts the University's Cane Institute for Advanced Technologies which studies complex robotics, machinery, and artificial intelligence. As a laboratory school, high school students and their parents or legal guardians sign an agreement upon enrollment that they may be subject to approved research studies regarding student success, behavioral and mental health, and social skills. The

also maintains an active teaching and research partnership where

undergraduate 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 graduate students in the College of Education are able to conduct

and teach at FAU High School. As part of their research program, FAU High School also maintains partnerships with the

Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), is a research facility located in Jupiter, Florida. Its research focuses on brain function and neural circuits, using techniques to visualize microscopic molecular processes. It is the fir ...

Scripps Research Scripps Research, previously known as The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is a nonprofit American medical research facility that focuses on research and education in the biomedical sciences. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the institu ...

, and

Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is the medical school of Florida Atlantic University located in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The college offers the degrees of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Medicine/Doctor of Philosophy ( ...

. The Schmidt College of Medicine also provides a pipeline for FAU High School students to pursue their

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

following high school graduation.

Sports

Because FAU High School students are prohibited from participating in the university's NCAA Division 1 sports until after high school graduation, FAU High School maintains a separate sports program for their students. Current sports include: * Track and Field * Cross Country * Soccer * Lacrosse * Basketball * Volleyball * Flag Football

Recognition

FAU High School is considered a

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

for Excellence and a Green Ribbon School for

Sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

by the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

, a Reference School by

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

, and is a member of the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked FAU High School 1st (tied) in the

in its Graduation Rate Rank category and 1st in the

state of Florida Florida is a U.S. state, state located in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia (U.S. state), Geo ...

in its State Assessment Proficiency Rank category. The School is recognized for producing

Forbes 30 under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists of people under 30 years old issued annually by ''Forbes'' magazine and some of its regional editions. The American lists recognize 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in twenty industries ...

awardees, finalists and seminfinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition, and Regeneron Scholars. Many FAU High School graduates stay at Florida Atlantic University to finish their degree. Those who do to choose to leave, typically attend

ivy league The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

and other top

and graduate institutions. Several students each year graduate FAU High School and directly enroll into

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

Accreditation

FAU High School is recognized as a

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

by the

. It is also recognized by the State University System of Florida as an entity operating under the

References

{{authority control Public high schools in Florida Educational institutions established in 2004 2004 establishments in Florida Florida Atlantic University