Admissions FAQs

A chartered public school is a public school that operates under a specific mission and charter, rather than being part of a local school district.

• Tuition-free for New Hampshire residents

• Non-sectarian and independently operated

• Focused on innovation and specialized educational goals

ASD's charter is available on the ASD Policies page. For more information, visit the New Hampshire Alliance for Public Charter Schools or the NH Department of Education.

ASD is committed to providing a world-class STEM education. We aim to:

• Inspire students with a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

• Support active, individualized learning

• Prepare students for academic and career pathways in STEM fields

ASD fosters a tight-knit community of curious, motivated learners dedicated to personal growth and academic excellence.

ASD has also received significant national recognition. See 'How does ASD rank nationally?' below for the details.

In the 2026-2027 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings, ASD was ranked the #1 high school in New Hampshire and #183 nationally, the only New Hampshire school to make the national Top 200. That puts ASD in the top 1% of nearly 18,000 high schools nationwide, and #43 among charter schools nationally. ASD also tied for #1 nationally on both the State Assessment Proficiency Rank and the State Assessment Performance Rank, which measure how well students perform on state-required tests in reading, math, and science, and earned an overall U.S. News score of 98.98 out of 100 this cycle. ASD is also recognized as a National Blue Ribbon Achievement-Gap Closing School of Excellence.

ASD is ideal for students who:

• Seek academic challenge and rigor

• Have a strong interest in STEM subjects

• Thrive in a community of like-minded, driven peers

That said, a strong STEM background isn't required to attend. Many students discover their interest in STEM once they're here, and our program is designed to build those skills from wherever a student is starting. Middle schoolers get exploratory coursework across aerospace, physics, environmental science, engineering, computer science, and biology and chemistry, regardless of what they came in already interested in.

Many ASD students travel long distances to be part of our unique learning environment.

No. While ASD is located in Nashua, NH, it operates independently from the Nashua School District. However:

• Nashua residents may receive district-provided transportation

• ASD typically aligns its academic calendar with Nashua schools

Each academic year, ASD's student population typically includes students from 30+ different NH school districts.

No. ASD is tuition-free for New Hampshire residents. However, nominal fees may apply for optional services or activities, and a small number of courses carry their own materials fee.

ASD is a public charter school funded through the state portion of adequacy aid. Local tax dollars remain in a student's home district. On average, ASD receives about 45% of the funding received by traditional NH public schools.

ASD serves New Hampshire students in grades 5–12.

• School hours: 8:15 AM - 3:30 PM

• Student drop-off begins at 7:45 AM

School start and end times for the 2027–2028 school year are subject to change. We'll update this page as soon as next year's schedule is confirmed.

Students in grades 7 through 12 also follow a rotating block schedule rather than the same lineup of classes every day. "Odd" days cover class periods 1, 3, 5, and 7, and "even" days cover periods 2, 4, 6, and 8, alternating regardless of the day of the week, with each class period running about 90 minutes. Families can see the current day's rotation, along with the full academic calendar, through their PowerSchool account once enrolled.

Grades 5 and 6 follow a simpler, more traditional day: the same seven periods every day, each about 50 minutes, with a mid-morning snack break and separate lunch and recess blocks.

Absolutely!  ASD provides a well-rounded education, including:

• A rigorous Humanities program

• World Languages: German, Latin, and Spanish

• Integrated learning across all disciplines

ASD requires 3 years of a foreign language to meet graduation requirements. Current language offerings in the building are Spanish, German and Latin. We also offer AP Human Geography, which fulfills our World Language requirement. Students who want to pursue other languages may do so through one of our approved World Language providers.

ASD students take on advanced coursework and a higher level of academic commitment.

• Homework expectations are typically more demanding than at other schools

• Students are expected to show discipline, initiative, and organization

• The curriculum prepares students for college and future careers

We also cap course loads at six classes per semester. A daily study hall gives students time during the school day to work on assignments. Most students who use it well finish the majority of their homework there.

ASD offers a wide range of AP courses, including:

• AP Biology

• AP Business

• AP Calculus AB

• AP Calculus BC

• AP Chemistry

• AP Computer Science A

• AP Environmental Science

• AP Government & Politics

• AP Human Geography

• AP Language and Composition

• AP Physics C

• AP Psychology

• AP Research

• AP Seminar

• AP Statistics

Please refer to our Program of Studies for a complete, current list.

Yes, ASD is currently beginning a multi-year rollout of both the certificate and diploma. AP Capstone is an optional program for students who elect to take multiple AP courses. Students who receive a score of 3 or higher on the AP Seminar, AP Research, and any other four AP exams qualify for an 'AP Capstone Diploma' award. Students who score a 3 or higher on AP Seminar and AP Research qualify for an 'AP Seminar and Research Certificate.'

To graduate, students need to complete 28.5 total course credits, 150 hours of community service (called 'stewardship' at ASD), and an internship of roughly 100 hours, along with a capstone research project. Our team works individually with families throughout high school to track progress toward all of these requirements. Please refer to our Program of Studies for more information.

ASD does not rank students by class rank. We do use a weighted GPA.

Yes, through our dual-enrollment (Early College) partnership with Nashua Community College, there are several courses available for college credit.

Yes. College planning begins in 10th grade and includes support with the PSAT, SAT, AP exams, the Common App, financial aid, and campus visits, along with a dedicated college fair.

More than families sometimes expect from a STEM-focused school. Every student is part of a small, faculty-led Advisory group that covers time management, social-emotional growth, and (in later grades) course planning. We also offer a structured small-group study hall for students who benefit from extra executive-functioning support, peer tutoring through our Honor Society programs, and a dedicated support space for students who are neurodivergent, have experienced trauma, or otherwise need additional support navigating school.

Yes. If your student has an IEP, 504 plan, or is an English language learner, we encourage you to share that documentation as soon as possible after enrolling, so our staff can prepare for a smooth transition from day one.

ASD staff come from both education and STEM industry backgrounds, bringing diverse experience and expertise.

• All staff must pass state-required background checks

• ASD meets all NH Department of Education charter school regulations

For the 2026–2027 school year, ASD has approximately 750 students enrolled in grades 5–12, including roughly 300 high schoolers. 

• Class ratios vary depending on grade level

• Middle school classes are 24 students or fewer

• High school classes range from 4 to 20 students, with some lecture-style classes ranging from 21 to 40 students

No. There's no entrance exam or testing of any kind required to apply. Admission is by random, anonymized lottery, not academic screening.

Yes. If you already have a child enrolled at ASD, you can indicate that on your application, and it factors into priority status in the lottery. Siblings aren't exempted from the lottery itself, they simply receive priority within it. This only applies once a sibling is currently enrolled. If more than one child in a family is applying and none are yet enrolled, each child's application is treated independently. One child being offered a seat doesn't change a sibling's status during that same admissions cycle. If a child is later admitted and enrolled, a sibling would then qualify for priority status in a future cycle's lottery.

The Academy for Science and Design begins accepting applications each fall, approximately mid-October, with the deadline and lottery date typically falling in the winter. Exact dates change every cycle. See our Dates and Deadlines page for the current cycle's information.

The application has both online and paper components for grades 5–8, and both are required for an application to be considered complete. Grades 9–12 applicants complete a three-part process: an online application, a paper packet, and academic documentation, with all three required for a high school application to be considered complete.

The paper packet must be printed and completed by hand. You can submit it by mail to:

Academy for Science and Design
Attn: Admissions
9 Townsend West
Nashua, NH 03063

or drop it off in person at the ASD building's main lobby, Monday through Friday, 8am to 3pm. There's also a drop box just outside the building's main entrance, labeled "Admission Applications Only," available any time. We're not able to accept faxed or emailed copies.

As part of the application, please submit a copy of your student’s transcript showing courses completed through the end of the previous school year. For 9th grade applicants, the end-of-year 7th grade report card is sufficient.

Please also submit documentation from your student’s current school that shows current classes and grades. This can be an end of first quarter (Q1) report card, an end of first trimester (T1) report card, or a mid-semester (S1) progress report.

Please get these directly from your student’s school and submit them with your application. Unofficial copies are fine. If you submit your application before these are available from your school, it is your responsibility to follow up with our Admissions team to submit them once they are available.

If your student’s school is on a semester schedule, the first semester report card must also be submitted by the date listed on the 9th-12th Grade Applicants page. Enrollment offers for these students are contingent on its receipt.

High school applicants are also required to follow up with the Admissions team to provide an updated transcript at the end of the school year. Please visit the 9th-12th Grade Applicants page for more information.

ASD requires five years of high school-level math to graduate. Applicants for grades 9-12 must have successfully completed (with a grade of 80% or higher) the minimum course listed below, based on the grade they're applying to, prior to enrolling, in order to graduate on their current timeline:

• 9th grade: Algebra 1

• 10th grade: Geometry

• 11th grade: Algebra 2

• 12th grade: Precalculus

All applicants are required to review our Program of Studies for a full understanding of ASD's graduation requirements. Our team reviews all submitted coursework to confirm each applicant is on track to graduate within a suitable timeframe. Please visit the 9th-12th Grade Applicants page for more information.

Placement testing only comes into play after a seat has already been offered, as part of building an accurate course schedule; it plays no part in the admissions decision itself. Placement materials for incoming high schoolers are put together and sent out each spring, after offers have been extended and enrollment is complete, so these aren't available earlier in the admissions process.

If any of the coursework on your student's transcript, in any subject, was completed outside of a traditional classroom setting (for example, through an online course or a homeschool program), we may ask your student to complete a placement test in that subject once they've been accepted and enrolled. This helps us confirm the right class placement.

ASD follows NH charter school admission laws.

• Only New Hampshire residents are eligible for the lottery

• Out-of-state students may be admitted only if there are unfilled spots, per RSA 194-B

New Hampshire residency, established before applying, is our only eligibility requirement, so this generally isn't something we're able to accommodate. In the rare case a grade couldn't be filled with NH residents, out-of-state tuition could theoretically be considered with our Board of Trustees, but our grades typically carry a substantial waitlist, so this hasn't come up in practice.

NH residency has to be established at the time you apply, not just before enrolling. As part of the application, you'll need to submit a notarized Residency Affidavit confirming NH residency.

We're not able to accommodate individual tours. In-person information sessions are scheduled each application cycle and include a presentation and a tour. Sessions are recorded and posted on our Information Sessions page for families unable to attend. For current offerings, dates, and registration, please visit our Information Sessions page.

Email is the fastest way to reach us: admissions@asdnh.org. Please allow 2-3 business days for a response. Before reaching out, it's worth checking this FAQ and the rest of the Admissions section of our website first, since most questions are already answered there.

The drawing itself is blind and anonymized. It isn't scored or ranked by a student's background, interests, or aptitude for STEM. The one exception is priority status: continuing siblings receive priority in the lottery, as described above. Outside of that, every eligible applicant has an equal, unbiased shot at a seat.

A late application doesn't disqualify your student, but it won't be eligible for the admissions lottery. Once a late application is considered complete, it's added to the waitlist behind the applicants who submitted in time for the lottery. We still encourage families to apply even after the lottery has happened.

Waitlist movement varies by grade and time of year. Fifth grade is our primary entry point and is considered a foundational year, so waitlist movement there may continue well into the school year, not just the first few weeks. For other grades, offers typically continue only through the first two weeks of school.

You will automatically receive an email any time there is waitlist movement, so there is no need to contact our office for a status check.

Seat availability varies by grade and by year, so we can't promise how any specific cycle will look. Some years see real movement even in grades outside our primary 5th/6th grade entry points. Because of our accelerated STEM sequence, starting at ASD by 8th grade tends to give students the best path to completing our 5 required math credits by graduation. That said, every student's situation is different.

No. Applications do not roll over between admissions cycles. If you'd like to be considered again, you'll need to submit a new application when the next cycle opens.

It's possible, but only for grades that don't currently have a waitlist. When there's no waitlist for a grade, ASD can admit new students through the first two weeks of the school year, and the closer to that two-week mark a student starts, the harder integration tends to be, simply because classes are already underway. When a grade does have a waitlist, we aren't able to accept new applications for that grade. Reaching out early is the best way to find out where a specific grade stands.

Because ASD's STEM sequence moves at an accelerated pace, some transfer students may need an extra year to complete graduation requirements. We work individually with each high school applicant to design a plan that fits their prior coursework.

ASD's middle school runs an accelerated STEM curriculum, so courses like Accelerated Geometry and Honors Biology are typically taken in 8th grade. Because of this, an incoming high school student may need one of these courses as a prerequisite before moving into higher-level classes. An incoming 10th grader, for instance, might need Honors Biology to prepare for upper-level science courses. Since these courses are most often taken in 8th grade, the class may include a mixed grade range, such as 8th through 10th graders together. This is a normal part of our sequence.

Each high school applicant's math placement is reviewed individually, starting with a look at their transcript: the courses already completed, the grades earned in them, and what they're currently enrolled in. From there, our team determines the best fit.

If any of that math coursework was completed outside of a traditional classroom setting, see "Will my student need to take a placement test?”

We don't allow students to skip a grade. This is a firm policy, not a case-by-case decision. We've found students generally do best staying with peers their own age, since each grade's curriculum is designed to build on the one before it. Students ready for more challenge have options to go deeper within their grade level rather than skipping ahead.

ASD participates in a BYOD initiative, asking families to provide a laptop or device for student use.

• Supports 21st-century learning

• Enhances personalized, technology-driven instruction

• Supplements ASD's three in-school computer labs

Participation in BYOD is strongly encouraged to ensure access to digital resources.

There's no strict requirement. A Windows laptop, MacBook, or Chromebook are all fine. Chromebooks work well for younger students since early coursework is mostly web-based, while older high schoolers may benefit from a full operating system for more complex engineering software. Wired headphones are also required. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to us directly; we have a process to help.

ASD isn't able to participate in the federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program, so there's no daily hot-lunch line the way there is at many public schools. Families can pack a lunch, or order through the school's catering vendor, which offers free or half-price meals to students who'd qualify for free or reduced lunch in their home district.

The building is monitored by video surveillance, and ASD follows the Standard Response Protocol used by many NH schools (Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter). The school runs fire and hazard drills every academic year, including at least one lockdown drill, in line with state requirements.

• Middle School Cross-Country

Students may participate in sports offered by their home school district if not available at ASD. We have students that participate in a variety of sports at both the middle school and high school levels for their home district including: football, soccer, basketball, swimming, ice hockey, baseball, lacrosse, and track and field.

Yes. Band is offered as a class, not an after-school activity, open to students starting in 5th grade. Placement is based on instrument experience rather than grade level: 5th and 6th graders choose between Beginner Band (new to that instrument) and Advanced Band (continuing an instrument they already play), while grades 7 through 12 join a single, unified band for students with prior experience. Band meets during the last period of the school day, in place of a study period, once a week for 5th and 6th grade and twice a week for grades 7 through 12. Families can expect approximately two concert performances a year. Band covers brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments; string instruments aren't included, and piano is considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more details, see our Band Information sheet.

ASD offers a wide range of clubs and activities that vary year-to-year. Some of the clubs currently offered include:

• MathCounts, Science Quiz Bowl, Granite State Challenge/Quiz Bowl 

• Student Council, National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), National Honor Society (NHS)

• Theatre, Theater 101, Chorus, Film Club, Design Club, Craft Club

• DECA, Mock Trial, Ethics Bowl

• Dungeons and Dragons (Middle and High School), Trading Card Game Club

• Red Cross Club, Green Thumb Club, Outreach Club, Astronomy Club

• Muslim Student Association

• Ski Club, Sports & Rec Club

• Nashua residents receive transportation from the Nashua School District

• Families outside of Nashua often carpool, which is a popular option. ASD is not responsible for or involved in arranging carpools. Once you're an ASD family, we can provide you with a Carpool Group email contact so you can reach out to others and make your own arrangements.

At this time, middle school busing is free through the Nashua School District. High school busing requires an annual bus pass, currently $65 for a full year, with half-price or free passes available for qualifying low-income families.

ASDEF is ASD's Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) and a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It supports:

• Family events and community engagement

• Teacher and student club support

• Fundraising for school initiatives

ASD was founded by a group of community leaders and educators committed to STEM excellence. Notable founding members and supporters include:

• Dr. Michael Fishbein (Daniel Webster College)

• Dr. Karen Graham (UNH)

• Patricia Humphrey (M.S. Ed.)

• Lucille Jordan (Nashua Community College)

• Shanthi Nair, Thomas Popik, Jennifer Starr (ASD parents)

• Dr. Susan Hollins, Chris Franklin, Regina Rubery (early administrators)

Their vision helped shape ASD into the thriving school it is today.