| Academy for Math, Engineering, & Science | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 5715 South 1300 East Murray, Utah, |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public, Charter |
| Principal | Brian McGill |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 400-425 |
| Color(s) | Silver Black, and Red |
| Mascot | Archer |
| Website | www.ames-slc.org |
The Academy for Math, Engineering, & Science (AMES), is a charter high school serving grades 9-12 in Murray Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. AMES is closely affiliated with the University of Utah. Students attending AMES are able to take University of Utah courses, taught in AMES classrooms by University of Utah professors, at the same time that they are completing their normal high school graduation requirements. University courses currently taught at AMES include: calculus, physics, chemistry, statistics, college algebra, writing and humanities.
AMES is a free (publicly funded) high school and the university classes which students take while at AMES are also provided free of the normal university tuition charge. Enrollment is open to all students living anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley. Each year, new students are selected based on a random lottery from the applications received. Previous grades and test scores are not considered in the admissions process.
AMES is located in the same building that houses Cottonwood High School but it is not actually part of Cottonwood High. Although the two schools are separate entities, they do have a class sharing agreement which allows AMES students to take certain classes that Cottonwood teaches but AMES does not. These classes include: music, drama, driver's ed, sports, and a few others. (The agreement does not allow Cottonwood students to take AMES classes with the exception of Arabic.)
AMES was founded in 2003 as part of a state initiative known as the New Century High Schools. It is intended to be an alternative to the traditional type of high school, and as such AMES limits its enrollment to keep a "small school" environment. Total enrollment is capped at about 450 students.
The school opened with start-up funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their Early College High School Initiative. It receives on-going financial support from the state of Utah as well as various corporate donors and charitable foundations.