Advanced Opportunties
The Advanced Opportunities (formerly Fast Forward) program provides every student attending an Idaho public school an allocation of $4,125.00 to use towards Advanced Opportunities in grades 7-12. The program was expanded by the Legislature in 2016 through the passing of House Bill 458. The fund can be used for:

Overload Courses
An overload course is a high school level course that is taken in excess of the student’s regular school day. These courses are offered online, during the summertime, and after school. In the event that student incurs a cost for such courses, the Advanced Opportunties program can pay up to $225.00 for the cost of the course. Overload courses must be above and beyond the full course load offered by the student’s local school.

Dual credit courses are taken by high school students that are transcribed on their high school and college transcripts. The Advanced Opportunties program can pay for up to $75.00. Dual Credit courses can also be taken online, by virtual conferencing, or in some case, students can go directly to the college/university campus. More information on specific Idaho colleges and universities can be found in the Links tab.

Students can utilize Advanced Opportunities funds to pay for a variety of college-credit bearing or professional technical exams. These include Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), or Career and Technical Education (CTE) exams. A full list of qualifying exams and associated costs is available here.

Challenging Courses
Many school districts provide options for students to challenge courses for credit. In most cases, this means that a student would request to challenge a course by taking an exam. If the student meets the level of mastery set by the local school board for a given set of standards, the school can grant the student a high school credit without requiring the student take the course. Contact your local school district for a list of courses eligible for challenge under Advanced Opportunities.

Early Graduation Scholarship
Early Graduation Scholarships are available for students who graduate at least one full year early. These scholarships are equal to 35% of the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for a given school year. This equates to roughly $1,500.00.

Scholarships can be used at Idaho public post-secondary institutions. The awarded amount will double for students who graduate two years early and will triple for students who graduate three years early. If a student elects not to attend a college or university immediately after high school, they will have up to 28 months to utilize the scholarship before it expires.