It is named for Mae Jemison, a native of nearby Decatur, Alabama who was the first African-American female astronaut.

[2] The school is built on the same campus as McNair Junior High School, which is named for the late Ronald McNair, the second African-American astronaut in space, who was killed in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.

Partnered with the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the students have the opportunity to attend classes on campus.

As an incentive, all students that graduate from the College Academy will be able to keep any scholarship that they receive for the next 4 years.

Students who choose to continue at University of Alabama in Huntsville will have a chance to use that scholarship toward a master's degree.