# Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering

The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) is an American high school located in Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 2018, it is the first tuition-free residential high school focused on the integration of cyber technology and engineering across all academic disciplines. The school puts a focus on the teaching various topics relating to cyber, technology, and engineering, integrating such topics into core classes. The school is a magnet school which serves the entire state of Alabama. It requires an application. It receives fund through the state education department, and through sponsorships of major companies, in exchange for students to intern at those companies their senior year.

## Academics

ASCTE offers core classes, as well as additional topic-specific classes related to cyber, technology, and engineering. These classes include Mathematics, Science, English, History, Cyber, and Engineering. The school operates on trimesters, and each class (except for senior level classes) takes two terms to complete. This allows students who start as freshman to do four years of classes in three years. Should a student start as a sophomore, they will be placed in freshman level classes, with the exception of English Language classes. At the start of their senior year, the student will have finished 4 courses of English Language and 3 courses of every other subject.
Students who start as freshman will spend their senior year doing an internship at one of ASCTE's several sponsors. Notable sponsors include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Leidos, and Raytheon. This is preceded by a capstone project, which is chosen by the student. For their first semester they will take the last courses needed for graduation in addition to completing their capstone project. They will complete a shorter internship in their last semester.

## Student life

ASCTE students can choose to either live on campus in a dormitory, or to migrate themselves to and from the school. Residential students do not have to pay for boarding unless they live near the ASCTE building. Food is also provided for a meal fee of $1,400 per year for commuter students, and $2,000 per year for residential students. Activities are regularly hosted, although most events are exclusive to residential students. The activity fee is $150 per year for commuter students and $300 per year for residential students.

## History

Although founded in 2018, ASCTE never had a dedicated campus until 2022. ASCTE's new campus consists of spaces for classrooms, speakers, metalworking, and housing. The large windowed space at the front of ASCTE's campus overlooking U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s replica of the Saturn V is dubbed the "Schola" by teachers and students alike. Plans are in progress to construct a student activities center in the field adjacent to the housing and academic buildings. The student activities center will include a gymnasium, a wide range of office spaces, and student lounges. ASCTE President Matt Massey describes the upcoming student activities center as "a hub where talent will flourish, passions will be nurtured, and friendships will be forged."