Our Mission
The ancient Greeks knew the importance of fulfilling one’s greatest potential. So much so, they had a name for this endeavor: Arete.
Fern Creek’s Ivy Plus Academy is designed to connect high-achieving students with the nation’s top colleges to help them realize Arete.
Results
Fern Creek High School’s Ivy Plus Academy works with students throughout their four years of high school to prepare them to gain acceptance to, and succeed at, the nation’s premier colleges and universities. It has grown from an initial class of 11 seniors during the 2015-16 academic year to 139 students during the 2023-24 academic year. Our 215 Ivy Plus Academy graduates have been accepted to over 160 different colleges and universities. The list below shows the 70 selective/highly-selective colleges and universities our student have been accepted to.
American University
Bates College
Berea College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brigham Young University
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve
Centre College
College of Wooster
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Earlham College
Emerson College
Emory University
Furman University
Hamilton College
Hampton University
Harvey Mudd College
Howard University
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Lawrence University
Lehigh University
Macalester College
Middlebury College
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Purdue University
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhodes College
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Scripps College
Sewanee College
St. John’s College
Spelman College
Stevens Institute of Technology
Trinity College (CT)
Trinity University (TX)
Tufts University
Union College
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
University of Chicago
University of Illinois
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of Virginia
University of Washington
Vanderbilt University
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Washington & Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wesleyan University
Wheaton College
Whitman College
Wofford College
Our Ivy Plus seniors have an average acceptance rate of 67% to these selective schools (nearly twice the national average).
This speaks to the great work Fern Creek High School does to prepare its students for these highly competitive institutions.
Our Ivy Plus graduates have an 88% retention rate and an 84% 4-year graduation rate.
78% attend private colleges/universities
22% attend public colleges/universities
65% attend out-of-state colleges/universities
35% attend in-state colleges/universities
73% of Ivy Plus Academy graduates are the first in their family to attend a four-year college (first-gen students)
70% come from low-income families
No one can tell us that public schools do not offer the same advantages and opportunities as private and/or charter schools. These 215 young men and women prove otherwise.
To say we are proud of these young men and women is an understatement in the truest sense of the word. None of these students would be where they are now without the phenomenal education, mentoring, and guidance each of them received at Fern Creek High School.
Get with the program.
Assistance & Information
Help finding the right school for the right student
Help arranging campus visits
Help filling out admission and scholarship applications
Help filling out financial aid applications
Rigorous advanced and AP courses
Standardized test preparation
College essay writing workshops
Access & Means
Access to elite college admission counselors and in-school visits
Financial aid to offset travel and applications costs
College campus visits to colleges/universities across the country
Outdoor leadership retreats
Mentoring & Guidance
One-on-one mentoring
Group lessons on preparing a solid application and character development
Informative parent and student meetings throughout the year
Individualized college search and access counselling for students and families