Francis Combe Academy is an academy in Garston, on the northern outskirts of Watford, Hertfordshire, UK. The academy opened on 1 September 2009, replacing Francis Combe School and Community College. It is co-sponsored by West Herts College and the University of Hertfordshire. The school opened in 1954 as Francis Combe School a secondary modern school. It was named after Francis Combe (or Combes), a Hemel Hempstead landowner who founded a charity school in Watford in 1651, with a bequest of £10 per annum. It became the first comprehensive in Watford in 1966. Its intake is well below national averages in attainment and parental income, and it has had some of the lowest results in the county for several years. However results and attendance have improved significantly since the arrival of a new headteacher in April 2006. In February 2008, the school was given permission to explore becoming an academy, sponsored by West Herts College and the University of Hertfordshire. The academy opened in September 2009, specialising in English, art and media.