AAA Application Process for the 2026-2027 School Year
Special Note:
AAA began accepting applications from 2025-2026 10th grade students with a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0 when the District AAA Application (School Choice) Portal went live on Saturday, September 27, 2025. That process ended on January 14, 2026 when the list of eligible applicants was finalized and a random ranking lottery was conducted. At that point, it was determined who was accepted into AAA for the 2026-2027 school year and an extensive waitlist resulted. Those students who have been accepted and those placed on a waitlist were notified in the subsequent days following January 14, 2026.
However, AAA will continue to accept applications after January 14, 2026 from qualified 10th graders using the information listed below and if an applicant is deemed eligible, will be added to the back of the already existing waitlist. Prospective AAA applicants should be aware that openings at one of the 5 SAS campuses at Miami Dade College may still be available at this time.
10th grade students accepted to AAA will begin 11th grade full time at AAA for the 2026-2027 school year in August, 2026 (including a MDC college math course) in Summer B at MDC that runs from June 22, 2026 to July 31, 2026). The AAA counselor will assist accepted AAA students in the process to enroll in that Summer B math class.
Students in 10th grade during the 2025-2026 school year can use the AAA application link posted below in Step 1 to initiate the application process.
Step 1
Please use the links below to complete the 2026-2027 Academy for Advanced Academics (AAA) application.
Step 2
After the AAA Registrar verifies that the applicant’s GPA meets the minimum unweighted threshold of 3.0, the AAA registrar will then submit a request to FIU that a “permission to take the PERT test” be authorized. The AAA Registrar or AAA Counselor will then email instructions to the applicant on how to make an appointment to test in the FIU Assessment Department. AAA does not administer the PERT – FIU does that and the FIU test results must be reported to the AAA Registrar by the AAA applicant by emailing or hand delivering the results to the AAA registrar. The university does not automatically send the test results to AAA.
AAA cannot process applications from students with an unweighted GPA below 3.00. The GPA must be verified before the process continues. In addition, passing all sections of the PERT at the levels indicated by AAA policies posted on the AAA website under “Eligibility” is also required to be admitted to AAA. Therefore, utilizing the online PERT practice material (linked below in Step 3) is very important. Preparing for the PERT is a must since the AAA applicant only gets two attempts at the PERT to become eligible for AAA admission.
Please contact the AAA Registrar or AAA Counselor if questions arise pertaining to reporting the test scores (PERT or PSAT10/NMSQT). The names and email addresses of those individuals are listed below:
AAA Registrar: Maria Dearmas dearmas1@dadeschools.net
AAA Counselor: Rita Estorino restorino@dadeschools.net
Special Boundary Note: Only students coming to AAA from Braddock Senior High, Varela Senior High, Coral Park Senior High, Reagan Senior High, and Ferguson Senior High will be eligible for MDCPS school bus transportation to AAA (as long as they live more than 2 miles from the AAA/FIU campus).
Students coming from other high schools or programs can still apply to AAA but they will not be eligible for MDCPS school system bus transportation.
Students who live in Broward or Monroe counties can apply to AAA but are also responsible for their own transportation.
Step 3 Get Tested
What is the PERT test?
As part of the admissions process for AAA, prospective students can take the PERT test at FIU for a small fee. This only occurs after the AAA Counselor authorizes the student to take the test at FIU and a Panther ID is secured. The PERT has three sections that must be passed for AAA admittance: Writing (103 or above). Reading (106 or above), and Math (123 or above).
Test scores must result in course placement for ENC 1101 and MAC 1105. This can be done through any combination of sections on the PERT, or Digital PSAT/NMSQT (PSAT10) SAT, ACT, and CLT, Please visit the “Eligibility” page under the “Admissions” tab of the AAA website for more detailed information about minimum acceptable test scores on these various testing options.
Alternate test approved by AAA
If an applicant took the Digital PSAT/NMSQT (PSAT10) in 9th grade (October 2024) and earned a minimum score of 530 on the Math and 490 on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing sections, they may email proof of those scores (obtained and printed out from the student’s College Board account) to the AAA registrar as a substitute for taking the PERT at FIU. The PSAT 8/9 test is not valid for this purpose as it is not accepted by AAA as a qualifying test.
Minimum passing score requirements for AAA admission are also listed on the AAA Agreement of Understanding which the applicant will receive from the AAA registrar after deemed eligible and accepted to AAA. The PERT test administration takes approximately 2-3 hours and is done on a computer at FIU with no time limits. For AAA admissions purposes, an AAA applicant is permitted to take the PERT no more than TWO times total.
How do I prepare for the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG?
Information about each section of the PERT and sample questions are provided via the MDC Test Preparation website page linked below.
Link to PERT Test Preparation through Miami Dade College https://www.mdc.edu/testing/tests/pert/ and click on the tabs labeled sample “Test Preparation”, ”Sample Math Test”, etc. and “Pert Study Guide.”
No AAA applicant can schedule a PERT appointment prior to GPA verification and until the AAA registrar has obtained a Panther ID for the student and sent a test authorization referral for that student to FIU.
The Digital PSAT was given to all 10th graders who attend MDCPS public schools in October 2025 and those results can be emailed to the AAA registrar. Those PSAT scores, if high enough, can be used by the AAA registrar in an attempt to meet AAA eligibility.
STEP 4
What do I need to do after testing?
Email the test results to the AAA registrar (even if the scores fell short of what is needed for admission). Applicants that need a second test attempt are required to wait at least 30 days before making a second attempt at FIU. Students can only take the PERT twice. If questions or concerns arise, email the AAA Registrar at dearmas1@dadeschools.net
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Can a student apply to AAA if they did not attend the October 4, 2025 “in person” meeting? Yes, but capacity at AAA was fulfilled on January 14, 2026 and an extensive waitlist already exists. However, space may still be available at one of the 5 SAS campuses at Miami Dade College.
2. Can I use previous PERT results to meet testing requirements for AAA (Class of 2028)? Yes, if the student tested on PERT after September 1, 2024 and documentation of those scores can be obtained and emailed to the AAA registrar after submitting an application.
3. Can I be considered for admissions if I do not currently have an unweighted GPA of 3.0? No
4. Are AAA students eligible for transportation services through MDCPS? Yes, if the student lives more than 2 miles away from the AAA campus and is transferring from one of 5 high schools (Braddock, Varela, Coral Park, Ferguson, and Reagan).
5. How will the Agreement of Understanding be sent to prospective students? Once the applicant has applied to AAA and accepted, the document will be emailed to the student by the AAA registrar. The applicant and parent will sign that document and return it to the AAA registrar.
6. Do private and home school students and out of county applicants need to submit a transcript as part of the application process? Yes, the AAA registrar must hand calculate the unweighted GPA for those students before moving forward with other steps in the application process and therefore has to receive transcripts from private school applicants and students outside of Miami-Dade County, etc. and verify the unweighted GPA of at least 3.0.
7. How will students be notified of the admissions decision? The AAA registrar will notify applicants who have been accepted or placed at the end of the waitlist after January 14, 2026.
8. Is there an application deadline to apply? No. However priority was given to applicants who applied and were accepted prior to January 14, 2026.
9. If I’m not selected at AAA, can I be considered for one of the SAS campuses, assuming seats are still available at that SAS campus and I meet eligibility requirements?
Yes, but the application for AAA must be withdrawn at that point and the student would be removed from the wait list for AAA.
10. Are parents responsible for the cost of college tuition and books if their child attends FIU through AAA? No. There is no charge to AAA students for their tuition at FIU or their college or high school textbooks (however, textbooks must be returned at the end of the semester).
11. What are the minimum scores necessary for AAA admission on the PERT? Please see minimum PERT scores in STEP #3.
12. Are there online resources for the PERT? Yes, on the MDC testing website. Please click on the link below and click on “Test Preparation” to access various options. https://www.mdc.edu/testing/tests/pert
13. Must the prospective student make an appointment with FIU for the PERT exam? Yes, but only after the AAA registrar authorizes the student to do so and ensures that the student has been assigned a Panther ID number.
14. Do I need to inform my current school that I’m applying to Academy for Advanced Academics? No
15. Do I need to obtain authorization from my current school in order to take the PERT exam? No, the AAA registrar will submit the authorization to test to FIU on behalf of AAA applicants after receiving the application documents and verifying the student’s GPA and securing a Panther ID for the AAA applicant.
16. If I attend AAA, can I still participate in athletics through my neighborhood high school or another high school according to athletic rules and regulations? Yes, (see AAA and SAS website under the “Students” tab for current AAA and SAS athletes competing on athletic teams through other high schools).
17. If accepted to AAA, do I continue attending my current 10th grade school? Yes, Students admitted to AAA for 11th grade in August, 2026 will finish their 10th grade year (2025-2026) at their current high school. After June 4, 2026, the students who are accepted into AAA will not return to their 10th grade high school for any further classes.
18. Does AAA offer high school extracurricular activities? Yes, many clubs and activities are offered at AAA. Some of them are listed on the AAA website. Club options vary from year to year.
Activities where all AAA and the 5 SAS campuses come together include dances, winter trip to a Central Florida theme park, Senior Trip to a Orlando theme park, annual picnic, awards ceremonies, college forums with top tier universities, college tours in Florida and to the Ivy League schools, NHS induction ceremony, Top Ten Percent Dinner, Prom and many more. AAA and SAS offer possibly more high school activities than the typical traditional public high school, charter, private and/or magnet high school in Miami.
19. Can I take the PERT test more than two times? No. A maximum of two attempts on the PERT exam is acceptable for AAA applicants. 20. If I am part of a magnet program, when do I notify my current school that I will be attending AAA for the following school year? Within 10 days of meeting with the AAA counselor for the “intake” session (these meetings with the AAA counselor usually occur in February or March of the student’s 10th grade year after the student has been notified that they have been accepted into AAA for the following school year).