By Lynnette Gonzalez, SLHS AICE Site Specialist
Congratulations to the senior class of 2025! These resilient and hardworking students are the first cohort at South Lake High School to complete the Cambridge AICE Program. The students pictured above took a leap of faith four years ago when the program was first introduced in their freshman year.
The Cambridge AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) diploma program is offered and overseen by Cambridge Assessment, which is a part of The Cambridge University in England. Cambridge AICE courses are college-level courses offered in high school; therefore, students can earn college credit before applying to a university. What separates the AICE program from other programs is the fact that students can earn the Cambridge AICE Diploma. How does a student achieve this? The diploma requires students to pass at least 7 end-of-year course exams in AICE, which means they leave high school with at least 21 credit hours of college coursework.
The other benefit of earning the AICE diploma and following an AICE curriculum is that students can earn the Bright Futures scholarship! If a student receives the AICE diploma, has a 3.5 weighted GPA, and puts in 100 hours of community service or work hours, they are guaranteed the top level (full 100% paid tuition) of the Bright Futures award!
Together, this senior cohort has earned 489 college credit hours, 14 Cambridge AICE Diplomas, and most recently 3 of our seniors were awarded the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Award from Cambridge University for achieving some of the highest exam scores among others in the Cambridge AICE Program around the world. This is a remarkable program designed for students who desire the rigor of college coursework, take part in the full high school experience with sports and clubs, as well as have the great opportunity to be on a path to earning a scholarship that will pay for college.
