The new Academies of Loudoun not only reflects Loudoun County Public Schools’ vision to integrate advanced academic and technical programs into its curriculum, but it also creates more contextualized, hands-on learning experiences, a growing trend in public education.

The project was inspired by the district leaders’ desire to erode the boundaries and biases that had existed between the independently operated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and to leverage the unique learning opportunities at the intersection of scientific research, engineering, and fabrication.

The Academies of Loudoun is a three-story, 305,000-square-foot structure that houses 2,500 students (1,250 students a day on an alternating schedule), grades 9 through 12, from three separate high school programs–the Academy of Science, the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy, and the Academy of Engineering and Technology–under one roof. The campus is also connecting and bringing students together with ample gathering spaces and site furnishings that invite students and instructors to study, socialize, eat, and play outdoors. The design of the facility and campus celebrates the formal work of the students and promotes informal learning across all programs through a spatially connected design. Learning spaces are flexible, ready to adapt to the rapidly shifting demands of STEM and CTE programs and careers. Maker spaces, commercial greenhouses, automotive shops, engineering and scientific research labs, television production studios, and cyber security classrooms display hands-on, active learning.