Academy Dreams
The Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel with the Rampart Range behind it

USAFA · High school roadmap

Sophomore year: U.S. Air Force Academy10th grade · Build the foundation

Your 10th grade checklist for USAFA, built from the official pages we track.

USAFA Cadet Chapel, August 2019. Photo: Anthony Quintano via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Why this year matters

This is the year to build the grades, fitness and leadership the academies look for. The checklist below lists what the official pages say.

Checklist for sophomore year

Courses and grades

The academies' recommended courses overlap a lot. Plan your 11th- and 12th-grade schedules now so you don't come up short.

  • Honors, AP, IB, and dual-enrollment courses are valued21.

Sports and fitness

  • Compete in team sports and individual endurance sports, run regularly ("two-mile runs are recommended"), and do push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups3.
  • Learn the CFA events now. USNA, West Point, and USAFA use the same six events: basketball throw, pull-ups (or flexed-arm hang for women), shuttle run, crunches/modified sit-ups, push-ups, and 1-mile run451.

Leadership and service

  • Go for depth over breadth. West Point "considers it more valuable for you to achieve distinction in a specific activity than to participate in numerous activities"3. USAFA advises "quality over quantity"6.
  • Examples the academies list include team captain, student government, Eagle Scout/Gold Award, Boys/Girls State, club leadership, community service, and JROTC73.

Key deadlines

The official pages we track list no dated USAFA deadlines for sophomore year. Dated steps start in junior year. See junior year or the full deadline list.

Dates change. Always confirm on the official USAFA admissions site and your congressional offices’ pages.

USAFA-specific notes

USAFA recommends:

  • English: 4 years1
  • Math: 4 years, up to pre-calc or higher1
  • Science: 4 years of lab science incl. chemistry, physics, biology1
  • Foreign language: 2 years1
  • History / social studies: 3 years incl. U.S. history1
  • Computer science: 1 year recommended1

Eligibility basics1

  • Age: 17 to not past 23rd birthday on July 1
  • Other basics: U.S. citizen; unmarried; no dependents

Sources

  1. USAFA (usafa.edu)
  2. USNA Advice (usna.edu)
  3. West Point: Middle & High School (westpoint.edu)
  4. USNA CFA (usna.edu)
  5. West Point CFA (westpoint.edu)
  6. USAFA Grades 8–10 (usafa.edu)
  7. West Point Steps (westpoint.edu)

Keep every USAFA date on your calendar.

Coming soon: reminder emails before applications open, nomination deadlines close and summer program windows shut.

Reminders coming soonAll deadlines