Academies of Loudoun, Leesburg: admissions, programs and calendar

Last checked Oct. 23, 2026. Sources: the Academies of Loudoun and its LCPS Admissions and Outreach page, the Loudoun County Public Schools schools list, the federal NCES school directory and the Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profiles.

The Academies of Loudoun, at 42075 Loudoun Academy Drive, is Loudoun County Public Schools’ (LCPS) building for three high school programs that students apply to: the Academy of Science, the Academy of Engineering and Technology and the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy. It has no attendance zone. Students stay enrolled at their zoned high school, such as Heritage, Loudoun County or Tuscarora, and take their academy courses here.

The building has a Leesburg mailing address but sits outside the town limits, south of Leesburg, according to Loudoun County’s town boundary map.

Who to call

• Main office: 571-252-1980
• Reporting an absence: 571-252-1982
• Admissions questions: Admissions and Outreach Office, 571-252-1992, AcademiesAdmissions@lcps.org
• Buses: LCPS Transportation, 571-252-1700 (transportation page)
• LCPS central office: 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, 571-252-1000

Principal

Principal Ryan Sackett, according to the school’s website.

The three programs

LCPS lists the three programs on its schools page, each with its own page:

• Academy of Science (AOS), entered in ninth grade
• Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET), entered in ninth grade, with an Advanced AET option for 10th graders
• Monroe Advanced Technical Academy (MATA), the career and technical education program, entered in 11th or 12th grade

A student can take part in only one of the three at a time, and all academy students complete courses at their home high school as well, according to the admissions page’s FAQ.

How admission works

All of this comes from the LCPS Admissions and Outreach page. Only applicants who live in Loudoun County may apply, and public, private and home school students are all eligible. Military families moving to the county should call the admissions office.

Fall cycle, eighth graders, AOS and AET. The 2026 window ran from Aug. 24 to noon Oct. 15, 2026, and is now closed. An application counted as complete only once the student submitted it and a parent approved it in ParentVUE. Applicants must be in grade 8 and taking Algebra I or higher, sit a writing assessment and the 2026 admission test, and have earned a C or higher in their sixth and seventh grade math and science courses, among other criteria on the page. Families applying to both AOS and AET file a separate application for each.

Winter cycle, high school applicants. The 2027 window opens Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026, and closes at noon Friday, Jan. 15, 2027. It is for current 10th and 11th graders applying to MATA and 10th graders applying to Advanced AET. The Advanced AET admissions test is Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027; testing accommodations must be requested in writing by noon Jan. 15. Offers are posted in the Student Opportunities app in LCPS-GO in February and March 2027.

MATA criteria. Applicants must be taking Algebra I or higher, have at least a 2.0 GPA (3.0 in some dual enrollment courses, when Northern Virginia Community College requires it) and be on track to graduate on time. A lottery is held only if qualified applicants outnumber the seats. Students applying to the certified nurse aide or emergency medical technician pathways must be 16 by Aug. 19, 2027, the first day of the 2027-28 school year.

Every program keeps a waitlist until the first day of the new school year, and waitlisted students are told by email when a seat opens.

Enrollment and the state report card

The federal NCES directory lists the Academies of Loudoun with 89 full-time-equivalent teachers in the 2023-24 school year and no enrollment count of its own. The Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profiles have no separate profile for the Academies; the state ratings, graduation rates and test results for Leesburg students are on their zoned high school’s profile: Heritage, Loudoun County, Tuscarora or Riverside.

Calendar and bell times

From the 2026-27 LCPS calendar the School Board adopted:

• Wednesday, Oct. 28: end of the first quarter
• Thursday, Oct. 29, to Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school for students (Election Day is Nov. 3)
• Monday, Nov. 9: holiday
• Wednesday, Nov. 25, to Friday, Nov. 27: Thanksgiving break
• Monday, Dec. 21, to Friday, Jan. 1: winter break; classes resume Monday, Jan. 4
• Monday, March 22, to Friday, March 26: spring break
• Friday, June 11, 2027: last day of school

The school posts its bell schedules on its website. Weather closings are posted on the LCPS inclement weather page.

More on Leesburg schools

• The school’s own page: lcps.org/o/acl
• Every public school in Leesburg, with zones and state ratings
• Our Leesburg schools guide for the calendar, registration and the School Board
• High school sports: Friday night football and the high school scoreboard

Frequently asked questions

How do students get into the Academies of Loudoun?

By application. Eighth graders apply to the Academy of Science or the Academy of Engineering and Technology in the fall cycle; 10th and 11th graders apply to the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy in the winter cycle. Only Loudoun County residents may apply.

When is the Academies of Loudoun application deadline?

The 2026 fall window for eighth graders closed at noon Oct. 15, 2026. The 2027 winter window for high school applicants opens Dec. 1, 2026, and closes at noon Jan. 15, 2027.

Do Academies of Loudoun students leave their own high school?

No. Students offered a place must be enrolled full time at both their zoned high school and the Academies of Loudoun for the length of their program, LCPS says.

Who is the principal of the Academies of Loudoun?

Ryan Sackett, according to the school’s website.