Advanced Technologies Academy (A-TECH/ATA) is a magnetpublic high school in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It focuses on integrating technology with academics for students in grades 9–12. The magnet school program was founded in 1994 and is part of the Clark County School District. The first year included only 9th and 10th grade, adding a grade each year. The first graduating class was 1997, and the first graduating class with all four years of attendance was 1998. The magnet school focuses on computer and technology related study fields.
The gymnasium building began construction during the 1998–1999 school year, and opened in 2000.
Efforts to increase the student population at the school began in the early 2000s. Construction of the school's east wing (including additional classrooms, offices, and a lecture hall) and expansion of the existing cafeteria began in 2002, and were completed in time for the start of the 2003–2004 school year. The expansion increased enrollment from approximately 750 students to just over 1000.
The school has also been a popular stop for some national politicians to discuss their education policy. Visitors include then Vice President Al Gore and Florida Governor Jeb Bush. They were also visited by First LadyLaura Bush in 2004 to talk about President George W. Bush's Jobs for the 21st Century plan announced in the 2004 State of the Union address.
Awards and recognition
During the 2003–04 school year, Advanced Technologies Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.
A-TECH was named a School of Distinction—top Technology Excellence high school—by the Intel corporation in 2005.
Advanced Technologies Academy was recognized with the Exemplary School Award from the Nevada Department of Education for the graduating classes of 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2010, and received the High Achieving School Award from the Nevada Department of Education for the graduating classes of 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2007.
↑"BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL Academy recognized by education secretary", Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 17, 2003. Accessed November 6, 2007. " The Advanced Technologies Academy was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School on Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. The Clark County School District magnet high school is one of 220 outstanding schools to receive national recognition for efforts to raise student achievement. It is the only Nevada school to receive the award."
↑CIBA cited as one of the best by Education DepartmentArchived August 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
↑Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
This list is incomplete. Schools listed in the bottom section are physically located in unincorporated Clark County despite having "Las Vegas, Nevada" postal addresses.