The Office of Shared Accountability (OSA) in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) is conducting a multiyear evaluation of the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program. The ACES program is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College (MC), and the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) to create a seamless pathway from high school to college completion. The first year of the program was implemented in both Grades 11 and 12 in 10 schools. The schools were selected because they have a significant number of students who are underrepresented in higher education and who would be the first in their family to attend college. This is the first of a series of reports provided for the first year of the ACES program and focuses on a portion of the formative evaluation. This report examined two questions: (1) How is the ACES program perceived by students and program staff?; and (2) To what extent did the ACES program increase student knowledge and assist in their participation of the college application and financial aid process? A combination of methods was used to address the formative evaluation including surveys, interviews, and program documents. A total of 474 ACES students (a 49% response rate) completed an anonymous online survey about their participation in the first year of the program. All 10 ACES coaches and all 10 resource counselors (RCs) from the participating schools (a 100% response rate) completed an online survey at the end of the school year. These same staff members also were interviewed in the middle of the school year. The following are appended: (1) Tables; and (2) ACES Pathway to College.