Nova Academic Overview

“Nova has given me the freedom and capacity to be my own person and follow my own path.  I look forward to being with my teachers and fellow students every day.  Nova is a unique high school environment.”  –Ada, Nova Class of 2017

Nova High School (also known as The Nova Project) is an innovator in non-traditional education.   We are a competency, inquiry and project-based school that uses performance and portfolio assessment to gauge the level and depth of student work.  As a social and racial justice school, we believe personalization in education is key to building trust and academic success in preparing all students for college and the workforce after high school.  Learning to take responsibility for one’s own education is an educational experience in itself.  Nova’s coordinating system and active committees provide a network of supports, enabling students to grow into this responsibility. 

This philosophy of student involvement extends beyond the academic to the school and its governance.  Students take responsibility not only for their own learning, but also for the institution in which their learning occurs.  Nova students have an equal vote with staff members on issues including allocations for the school’s budget, hiring decisions, and planning for the school’s future.

All kinds of students flourish at Nova because it is an individualized, student-centered and relationship-based education.  This approach allows Nova students to ignite their own passion for learning and provides them with the tools for university-level expectations and course work.

At Nova, students choose their classes and are directly involved in creating their schedules.  In the classroom and through independent learning contracts, students can follow their own passions while creating unique and individual ways to demonstrate their learning.