Families often hear that AOS and AET use “blind admissions.” The current public LCPS pages do not define a step-by-step anonymization, weighting, ranking, or reviewer workflow. They do publish the criteria considered, the assessment format, and the rule that applicants cannot submit extra materials. Those facts are enough to build a responsible plan without relying on speculation about a process LCPS has not documented publicly.
This distinction is more than fine print. A confident-sounding claim about exactly what a reviewer sees can change how a family prepares. If the claim is not in a current primary source, it should not be treated like an admissions rule.
The useful takeaway
Prepare for the published criteria. Do not build strategy around an unofficial score formula, assumed cutoff, or supposed view of an evaluator's screen.
What LCPS confirms for fall AOS and AET applicants
The current LCPS admissions FAQ lists four pieces of the fall AOS and AET review:
- enrollment in Algebra I or a higher-level math course when the student applies;
- qualifying math and science grades from the academic record;
- the STEM Thinking Skills Assessment; and
- the Writing Assessment.
LCPS also says applicants cannot submit anything beyond the listed criteria. A portfolio, recommendation letter, activity list, competition record, or extra essay is not a back door into the published process. Students applying to AOS, AET, or both take the same assessments and register for one test session.
Another important boundary is easy to miss: LCPS says it does not use benchmarks or minimum assessment scores. The entirety of the published criteria is considered. That means an unofficial “you need this score” claim is not an LCPS admissions rule.
| Question | What LCPS publishes | What the public pages do not explain |
|---|---|---|
| What is considered? | Math-course enrollment, specified math and science grades, the STEM assessment, and the writing assessment. | A numerical weighting formula for those criteria. |
| Can students add materials? | No materials beyond the listed criteria may be submitted. | No hidden portfolio or recommendation pathway is described. |
| Is there a minimum test score? | LCPS says there are no benchmarks or minimum assessment scores. | A public cutoff table or guaranteed qualifying score. |
| How does review happen? | The published criteria are considered as a whole. | Exactly what identifying fields reviewers see, how many reviewers participate, or how ties and rank order are handled. |
What “blind admissions” can and cannot safely mean
“Blind admissions” is sometimes used as shorthand for a review designed to focus on the published criteria instead of supplementary credentials. The problem begins when shorthand is turned into a detailed technical description without a current source.
The public LCPS pages we reviewed do not say exactly which identifying fields appear during evaluation. They also do not publish score weights, a rank-order formula, the number of reviewers, an adjudication process, or a rule about whether an applicant's middle school is visible. We therefore do not make categorical claims about those details.
Precision builds more trust than certainty
“LCPS does not publish that detail” is a complete and useful answer. It keeps a family from spending time or money on a strategy built around an assumption.
This does not make the process mysterious. It simply separates the part families can act on from the part they cannot inspect. The published criteria point toward academics, STEM reasoning, and timed writing. Everything else needs either a current source or an explicit label as practitioner advice.
A prep plan built around the documented criteria
Verify the academic record early
Confirm that the student is enrolled in Algebra I or above and that the grades LCPS will review are accurate. This is an administrative check, not something a test-prep course can change after the fact.
Diagnose reasoning, not just content recall
The STEM assessment is not described as a conventional school unit test. Useful preparation looks for patterns in how a student handles diagrams, relationships, evidence, constraints, and unfamiliar scenarios. The goal is to identify a reasoning bottleneck, then practice that skill across new problems.
Practice writing under the published conditions
LCPS says applicants receive 45 minutes to type a response to a STEM writing prompt. Students can practice reading the task carefully, planning a central idea, supporting it with relevant reasoning, and reserving time to revise. They do not need a leaked prompt or a memorized essay.
Ignore unofficial cutoff arithmetic
A score target can be useful as a personal practice goal. It should not be presented as an LCPS admissions threshold when LCPS says no minimum assessment score is used. A family needs honest feedback on skills, not a promise attached to an invented formula.
How to test an ACL admissions claim
- Ask for the current primary source. A current LCPS page or active application instruction should outrank a neighborhood summary.
- Check the cycle. A released resource from a prior year may be useful without governing the next administration.
- Separate a requirement from advice. “LCPS requires this” and “we recommend practicing this” are different claims.
- Leave genuine gaps open. If LCPS has not published a detail, contact Admissions and Outreach rather than filling the gap with a confident guess.
This same source discipline is how AcademiesPrep approaches preparation. We can help a student develop reasoning, writing, pacing, and a repeatable feedback process. We cannot see an internal admissions screen, predict a future prompt, guarantee a score, or guarantee an offer.
ACL admissions review FAQs
Is Academies of Loudoun admission a blind review?
The current public LCPS admissions pages do not define a detailed anonymization or blind-review workflow. They publish the criteria considered, so families should plan around those criteria rather than assume what an evaluator can see.
Can applicants submit portfolios, recommendations, or activity lists?
No. The LCPS admissions FAQ says students cannot submit anything beyond the listed criteria. Extra materials such as portfolios, recommendations, and activity lists are not part of the published fall AOS and AET application.
Is there a minimum ACL assessment score or public weighting formula?
LCPS says it does not use benchmarks or minimum assessment scores and considers the entirety of the published criteria. The current public pages do not provide a weighting formula for those criteria.
Does an applicant's middle school affect the review?
The current public LCPS FAQ does not explain whether or how middle-school identity appears during review. Without a current primary source, families should not rely on a categorical claim in either direction.
Keep reading
- See the four published AOS and AET criteria
- Understand which extra materials stay outside the application
- Turn the published criteria into a practical prep plan
- Review the Academies of Loudoun admissions overview
Source note
This guide was checked against the current LCPS Academies of Loudoun Admissions and Outreach page and the official ACL admissions FAQ. Those pages publish the fall AOS and AET criteria, assessment format, submission limits, and the absence of minimum assessment benchmarks. They do not publish a detailed anonymization, weighting, ranking, or reviewer workflow. AcademiesPrep practice recommendations are practitioner guidance, not LCPS rules. AcademiesPrep by EduAvenues is independent and is not endorsed or sponsored by the Academies of Loudoun or Loudoun County Public Schools.
Official sources reviewed:
Fact-checked July 17, 2026. Families should verify active-cycle instructions with LCPS.