College Academy

The College Academy is a dual credit program providing high school students with the opportunity to earn a high school diploma from Cypress Fairbanks ISD (CFISD) while simultaneously receiving an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree from Lone Star College-CyFair.

About the College Academy

Beginning Fall 2017, CFISD initiated a pilot program with LSC-CyFair at Cypress Lakes High School, called the College Academy. As an extension of the dual credit program at CFISD, it provided a head start for high school students to earn an Associate of Science degree during the senior year of high school.

The program was introduced to eighth-grade students from Thornton and Watkins Middle Schools in the spring semester of the 2016-2017 academic year. Approximately 175 students submitted applications for the program and of those, 140 met the criteria for selection. Priority was awarded to students who were first generation to attend college, economically disadvantaged, high achievers and/or underserved.

In the ninth grade, the College Academy students prepared to complete dual credit placement examinations in order to start taking college courses as early as the summer before their sophomore year. Their high school schedule continued to include opportunities to take college courses throughout the remaining years of high school, including summer school courses to earn up to 60 credit hours or two years of college.

Subsequently, the program plan changed in the ninth grade to focus primarily on college readiness and preparedness while working with a College Academy Mentor. College Academy students began taking dual credit courses during their sophomore year. Dual Credit course offerings were expanded to allow College Academy students to complete college coursework to apply to either an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree throughout the remaining grades of high school, including summer school opportunities.

Beginning Fall 2020, the College Academy expanded to all CFISD high schools through the school district’s application process. 85 students in the College Academy at Cypress Lakes High School graduated with an associate degree from the initial Fall 2017 pilot program. In Spring of 2023, the program grew to 462 awards. For more information about the College Academy, please visit CFISD’s website or email CollegeAcademy@CFISD.net.

LSC-CyFair College Academy Graduate from Cy Lakes Earns Full Ride to Stanford University

One of Lone Star College-CyFair's more than 3,000 graduates of the 2023 class, Sarah Ayomide Olufemi-Dada, said it feels "amazing" to be a high school graduate with an associate degree and "surreal" to have been accepted with a full ride to Stanford University.

"My experience at LSC-CyFair has set me up for success at Stanford because of the rigorous coursework they have to offer. Not only that, but my credits transfer so I’ll be able to dive into classes pertaining to my major rather than start over with general studies," said Olufemi-Dada.