At Catalina Foothills High School, we are committed to preparing Falcons for college, careers, and beyond. Through rigorous academics, Career & Technical Education (CTE) pathways, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, dual enrollment opportunities, and hands-on learning experiences, students gain the knowledge and skills needed for success in an ever-changing world. Our college and career readiness programs, including Falcon Connections, internships, and counseling support, help students explore their interests, set goals, and confidently take the next steps toward their future. Whether pursuing higher education or entering the workforce, CFHS graduates leave prepared to soar to new heights.
College & Career Planning
Click here for College Application FAQ
Click here for the CFHS School Profile (PDF)
ECAP – Education and Career Action Plan
Counselors present bi-annual ECAP (Education and Career Action Plan) lessons to students through their English classes. ECAP has four components:
The annual schedule of ECAP sessions is as follows:
CFHS uses a web-based tool called MaiaLearning (aka “Maia”) to support ECAP goals and implementation. Maia has several information tabs and each student has their own account. Maia is an amazing tool and students are encouraged to review ECAP lessons with their parents. The primary applications of Maia include:
The Pima JTED Career and Technical Education District offers premier, tuition-free CTE programs to sophomores, juniors and seniors from public, private, and charter schools as well as home-schooled students, and students who have not earned a diploma or GED who are under the age of 22.
Classes are held at a central JTED campus or through a satellite location at a designated public high school. Program areas include Business, Arts & Design (Accounting, Management/Operations, Fashion Design, etc.); Industrial Technologies (Automotive, Aviation, and Construction Technologies; Carpentry, HVAC, Drafting, Welding, etc.); Computers & Media (Animation, Computer Maintenance, etc.); Hospitality, Education & Human Services (Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, etc.); and Health Science (Dental Assisting, EMT, Licensed Nursing Assistant - LNA, Medical Records Technology, etc.)
CFHS (on campus) Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways and certification programs:
Learn more about each program here.
College Exploration
CFHS Fall College Fair - check Google Classroom, Parent Square, and @cfhs.counseling for updates
Arizona College Consortium College Fair @ CFHS
National Association of College Admission Counseling Phoenix College Fair
Tucson College Night @ Tucson Convention Center
College Representative Visits: Ongoing. A schedule can be found in MaiaLearning under the Events page. It is also posted outside the Counseling office and in the weekly Falcon Flash. If the visit is during class time, students must request permission from their teacher 24 hours in advance of any affected class.
Financial Aid/Scholarships
Institutional Merit Scholarships:
The number one source of financial aid/scholarships comes from the school the student is attending. Colleges often offer merit scholarships to incoming freshmen who meet certain academic standards (usually a combination of GPA, strength of high school curriculum, SAT/ACT test scores). These are often part of the admissions application (e.g., UA Wildcat Excellence Scholarship), but sometimes you have to complete a separate scholarship application. Specific academic departments often have scholarships (e.g. the “XYZ Memorial Scholarship for Nursing”). These often aren't available to underclassmen but should be checked out for soph/jr/sr years with the college or program the student is in (e.g., College of Nursing, Education, Agriculture, etc). Find scholarship information on the school's website under scholarship or financial aid search. (Check out scholarshipuniverse.arizona.edu for UA scholarships.)
Other Scholarships:
The second most-likely source of scholarship money is through family affiliation with certain programs. Oftentimes employers have scholarship programs for dependents of employees (e.g., Raytheon, Jim Click Ford). Churches/Religious organizations often have scholarships available to members. Fraternal organizations such as the Elks or Masons or Rotary Clubs often have scholarships, as do some professional organizations (Association of Stenographers, Fraternal Order of Police, etc.). If affiliated, Scouting programs and the like would also be avenues to explore. Students of certain heritage can check out cultural organizations (Celtic, Hispanic, Native American, "Descendent of ...." etc.) through google searches.
Students also might register with www.fastweb.com, which purports to be the largest internet scholarship database. You sign up, enter some information, and then get periodic emails about scholarships for which you may qualify. These scholarships require applications, often an essay or artwork or other, which is made clear in the scholarship description.
Other examples of search engine websites: MaiaLearning, SallieMae, Big Future/College Board, Road2College and also at Scholarships.com.
Suggestion: Create a separate email account for scholarship notifications so your primary mailbox doesn’t get overwhelmed.
Note: Because there are so many scholarship programs throughout the country, it takes time to explore and find matches and deadlines, and then complete the applications, essays, etc. It can certainly pay off, however, for a motivated and qualified student.
Caution: Companies that charge money to do scholarship research for you or who “guarantee” scholarship offers are scams. Scholarship searches are meant to be FREE and should have no fee attached. Also, more and more scholarship programs are tied to marketing and are similar to a lottery. More info on scholarship scams can be found at finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2025-26 school year FAFSA will fully open by Dec. 1, 2024. Families are encouraged to apply early, as many schools have priority deadlines. (The sooner you complete the FAFSA, the sooner you’ll know about your financial aid package.) Students must first create an FSA ID and then fill out the FAFSA application once the FSA ID is generated.
Be sure to enter the college codes for the colleges you want the information released to. After the government processes your info, you'll be sent information regarding your calculated Student Aid Index (SAI) for college expenses for the upcoming year. Each school to which you requested the information released will then soon send you a student aid report (SAR) with the need-based financial aid package (any grants, loans, and/or work study) for which you qualify.
Useful Resources:
Career Exploration
Military Opportunities
Air Force
Website: Air Force Website
What to Know: The United States Air Force is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services.
Army
Website: Army Website
What to Know: The United States Army is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.
Marines
Website: Marines Website
What to Know: The United States Marine Corps, also referred to as the United States Marines, is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations with the United States Navy as well as the Army and Air Force.
National Guard
Website: National Guard Website
What to Know: The United States National Guard, also commonly referred to as the National Guard, is part of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Navy
Website: Navy Website
What to Know: The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States.
Coast Guard
Website: US Coast Guard Website
What to Know: The United States Coast Guard is the coastal defense and maritime law enforcement branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's seven uniformed services.
The United States service academies, also known as the United States military academies, are federal academies for the undergraduate education and training of commissioned officers for the United States Armed Forces. There are five U.S. service academies. See your School Counselor for guidance, questions, and more information.
US Military Academy
Website: US Military Academy: West Point Website
Location: West Point, New York
What to Know: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point's mission is "to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.
US Naval Academy
Website: US Naval Academy Website
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
What to Know: As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps. Naval Academy students are midshipmen on active duty in the U.S. Navy. They attend the academy for four years, graduating with bachelor of science degrees and commissions as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates serve at least five years in the Navy or Marine Corps.
US Air Force Academy
Website: US Air Force Academy Website
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
What to Know: The role of the USAFA is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation.
US Coast Guard Academy
Website: US Coast Guard Academy Website
Location: New London, Connecticut
What to Know: The United States Coast Guard Academy is the service academy of the United States Coast Guard, founded in 1876 and located in New London, Connecticut. It is the second smallest of the five federal service academies and provides education to future Coast Guard officers in one of nine major fields of study.
US Merchant Marine Academy
Website: US Merchant Marine Academy
Location: Kings Point, NY
What to Know: The US Merchant Marine Academy is charged with training officers for the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the military, and the transportation industry. Midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) are trained in marine engineering, navigation, ship's administration, maritime law, personnel management, international law, customs, and many other subjects important to the task of running a large ship.
The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program offered at more than 1,700 colleges and universities across the United States that prepares young adults to become officers in the U.S. Military.
ROTC branches: Army, Navy & Air Force