On behalf of the Admiral Farragut Academy Upper Division community, greetings and thank you for visiting our Web site. The Upper Division consists of approximately 250 young men and women studying in grades 9-12. AFA offers a traditional military school structure, while providing a college preparatory educational experience.
There are many good private day and boarding schools in the United States, but few are as unique and inviting as ours. The school is located on Boca Ciega Bay in sunny and beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida. Our mission is to provide a college preparatory environment that promotes academic excellence, leadership skills, and social development within a diverse community of young men and women.
Research indicates the reason children and parents choose a particular private school is based on several factors:
We have wonderful opportunities for you to take advantage of at AFA. Whether you would like to be part of our Aviation Program, study Mandarin Chinese, earn an appointment to the Naval Academy, anchor our Television Production Show, travel abroad, join the school band, participate on one of our athletic teams, sail, or make friends from around the world, you can find it here at Admiral Farragut Academy. Our students forge everlasting friendships, prepare themselves for college academically, socially and understand the value of respect and leadership.
If you’re contemplating joining us, we welcome your interest as you learn about our wonderful school. Enjoy your visit! Please write or call if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
L. Shannon Graves
Upper Division Principal
Admiral Farragut Academy
Teachers and staff in the Upper Division, grades 9 through 12, have three basic goals:
As a result, our science classes offer extensive labs, our foreign language classes are rigorous and thorough, and our English classes require much writing and outside reading, including summer reading. Twenty-four (24) credits are required for graduation, including English (4), Algebra (2), Plane Geometry (1), Foreign Language (2), U.S. History (1), World History (1), Geography (1), Biology (1), Chemistry (1), Physical Science (1), Physical Education (1/2), Health (1/2), Fine Arts (1), Naval Science (1), and at least five electives. Students of advanced ability may select from a wide range of dual-enrollment electives, which allow them to build a college transcript while fulfilling high school graduation requirements. Parents will enjoy the fact that there is no additional tuition charge for these courses. Students must have an 80% academic average to be eligible for dual-enrollment. See Guidance for a complete listing of dual-enrollment courses offered at Farragut.
Our athletic philosophy at Farragut is that wanting to win, and preparing properly to win, are what is most important; we offer excellent programs which allow students the chance to be involved. Our feeling is that it is far more desirable to suit up and play than to sit in the stands and watch. We do not require that our students participate in sports, but the vast majority of them are involved in either varsity or junior varsity athletics during the year. Because of our small numbers, many large sports are "no cut," and all athletes play in almost every contest.
Farragut is a member of the Florida High School Activities Association (FHSAA). Under the FHSAA rules, only students in grades 6-12 may participate in interscholastic sports.
Below are sports offered at Farragut:
| Boys' Sports | Girls' Sports |
|---|---|
| Football | Cheerleading |
| Cross-country | Cross-country |
| Swimming & Diving | Swimming & Diving |
| Soccer | Volleyball |
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Golf | Golf |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Track and Field | Track and Field |
| Baseball | Softball (Fast-pitch) |
| Riflery | Riflery |
| Wrestling |
Other extracurricular programs include:
| Flight Training | For students at all grade levels. Students may earn their solo bars and pilot's license in this program. Costs depend upon the per-hour charges for the aircraft. |
| SCUBA | Open-water certification class at competitive price; all students who hold certification (whether earned at AFA or not) may accompany the classes on their dive trips. Classes are held on campus in fall and spring. |
| Riflery | Open to all Farragut students at all grade levels, free of charge. Upper Division students may try out for a spot on one of the three national teams, but all students are invited to shoot on our indoor range, built to Olympic specifications. |
| Sailing | Open to all Farragut students at all grade levels, free of charge. Waterfront is open for sailing six days per week, weather permitting. Students teach each other, under the guidance of the Naval Science teachers. Features Lasers, flying juniors, and 420's. |
Farragut cadets are always expected to conduct themselves as young ladies and gentlemen, and to comport themselves in such a way as to perpetuate the fine reputation of the Academy, and to reflect the values their parents have taught them. We cannot accommodate the needs of a student with a record of misconduct or defiance; students who are not of good moral character need not apply.
All students function in a system of merits and demerits; their behavior is considered satisfactory as long as they do not exceed an allowable number of demerits each period. For Middle Division students, this period is one week; for Upper Division students, this period is six weeks. Various incentives encourage excellent performance in all areas. Restriction to the campus and loss of privileges await students who earn too many demerits. Students do not march "tours," and there is no "plebe" period, or any form of initiation allowed. New students enter with the same rights as returning students, and all privileges are bestowed according to each student's merit. Like all schools of good repute, Farragut has a zero-tolerance policy for cheating, theft, alcohol and drugs, and discourteous conduct. Smoking is not allowed on campus, and students are not allowed to possess tobacco in any form.
Naval Science
Admiral Farragut Academy offers what may be best described as a buffet of activities and involvement for our students. A child can partake of as much, or as little, as he or she desires. The Naval Science program is a prime example. Each Upper Division cadet is enrolled in Naval Science, and all students drill once a week. That is all the participation that is required, but most students like to take advantage of the optional weekend trips to air shows, Naval bases and ships, and camping excursions. Summer cruises aboard Naval vessels are very popular, too. Our drill teams and color guards are well known for their excellence. It is the opportunity to EXPERIENCE which is so attractive to our students. For many years, Farragut has been an Honor Naval School by act of the U.S. Congress, a tradition of which we are very proud.
Upper Division and Middle Division cadets live in separate dormitory areas, have different class buildings, and different break and meal times. All dormitory areas are air-conditioned and rooms include individual bathrooms and showers. Resident faculty live throughout the dorm, and have supervisory responsibilities. Several other faculty members, some with families, live on campus. Students are allowed to bring their computers with them, and many choose to do so. Televisions and VCR's are allowed, but students should know that they will not be able to watch TV or listen to their radios during required study times.
Weekends are very active, with both cultural and recreational trips occurring throughout the year (Renaissance Festival, museums, Florida theme parks, canoeing, spring baseball, pro football and hockey, deep-sea fishing, etc.). Faculty are on campus to open the facilities, and run shuttles to area beaches and malls. Students may normally depart for the weekends by 3:00 on Fridays, provided they are passing their classes, not experiencing deportment difficulties, and have kept a neat room. Normal weekend leaves expire at 9:00 p.m. Sundays. Except for academic field trips and sporting events, boarding students do not normally leave campus from Sunday evening until Friday afternoon.
Holidays include traditional breaks at Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus a long fall weekend, long Easter weekend, and spring break. Generally, the school year begins mid-August and ends near the end of May. The school runs shuttles to Tampa International Airport at these breaks; students normally use the airport's shuttle service for their return and at other times.
