At the School for Advanced Studies Northwest Arkansas, Advisory Groups are an integral part of creating a cohesive, tight-knit intellectual community comprised of inspiring faculty, curious middle school students, and focused high school students. Every faculty member leads an advisory group of 12 to 15 students. Each group has high school students who are studying within the faculty member’s area of instructional concentration, as well as rotating groups of students in 5th through 8th grade students. Middle school students are assigned advisory groups that connect them to mentor students in high school, as well as to a variety of faculty members representing the three areas of academic concentration for high school.

Advisory Groups provide regular and consistent opportunities for students to build relationships outside the classroom. Through these relationships, middle schoolers get to see their high school peers engaged in serious academic and community work, while the older students get to leverage their experience in mentoring and nurturing the next generation of School for Advanced Studies Northwest Arkansas students. With guidance from the faculty advisor, together these students navigate social challenges and academic decisions, while also establishing social connections that help them engage with the larger school community.