College Guidance
As a college preparatory school, The First Academy is committed to helping students gain entrance into the best colleges fit for a student’s unique college, career and life goals. The First Academy’s Upper School offers a comprehensive guidance program which partners with parents in the development of adolescents for college. College and academic advising is provided by the TFA Guidance office throughout a student’s time in high school.
The Upper School Guidance office helps coordinate standardized testing, college visits, college searches, grade-level course scheduling, college fairs, individualized college-prep meetings with students and parents, classroom guidance sessions for students, and community service hours.
Academic Resources
AP exams will take place the week of May 1st through May 12th. The testing will take place on the campus of The First Academy.
Welcome to The First Academy! We are delighted to host College Admissions Representatives on our campus for weekday lunchtime visits, which offer a wonderful opportunity to connect directly with our Upper School students. All of our visits are conveniently coordinated through SCOIR, so please log in to your account to find a date and time that aligns with your travel schedule.
Because we have a large campus, we want to ensure your arrival is as seamless as possible. Once you have scheduled your visit, please take a moment to review our Campus Map so you can locate the correct building and find the closest parking lot. We truly look forward to welcoming you to our campus soon.
If you have any questions or concerns prior to your visit, please do not hesitate to reach out to our College Advisor, Susan Gentry.
It is the mission of The First Academy to encourage our students to practice service before self in and outside of the classrooms. Community Service is unpaid and voluntary work (outside of school hours) that helps and benefits others in specific areas in the community and globally.
Click here to view Upper School Volunteer Opportunities.
Complete the following form by making a copy and returning the Community Service Hours Form or submit it online here.
In the Spring current students are given the opportunity to make course requests for the following school-year through FACTS. Instructions for making requests are emailed to each family by the Guidance Office. To assist in this process, the Guidance staff facilitates academic planning with each student throughout their high school career.
Resources: Course Catalog & Curriculum Guide | Schedule Change Request
Questions about your graduation requirements? Contact your guidance counselor.
Approximately $9 million in scholarships are offered each year related to academic excellence, leadership potential, and athletic achievement. As much as we value our academic successes, our goal is to help students choose character before career and wisdom beyond scholarship. Students are encouraged to start researching scholarships prior to their senior year through SCOIR, which includes the National scholarship search option.
Many of our students qualify for the in-state program, Bright Futures Scholarship. To receive application notices about scholarships, deadlines and offers please register at the following directories: meritaid.com and fastweb.com.
Most graduating seniors also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify for the best financial packages from colleges. Based on the result of the FAFSA, students will receive federal/state grants and loans. Students can start applying for the FAFSA in October of their senior year.
SCOIR, a comprehensive college and career readiness program, is used by the Guidance Department to help connect academic achievement to post-secondary goals. Through SCOIR, a student will complete career research interest assessments, a personality test, and college or career research.
The ACT Registration form closed. Please contact Grayson Merritt, graysonmerritt@thefirstacademy.org regarding availability or the next timeframe.
Some students may wish to supplement their academics with summer coursework. Specifics on course offerings, dates, cost, and registration information are emailed to students in late February when students begin the course scheduling process. Registration for Upper School Summer Courses is closed. Please contact your College Advisor with any questions.