Every School for Advanced Studies campus is a tuition-free public charter school. That means each school is fully accredited and funded by the state, so there is no tuition: admission is free of charge.
Like at any public school, students at the School for Advanced Studies may incur expenses for field trips, extracurricular activities, after-school care, or other academic resources.
Yes, financial aid is available for assistance with school fees. Please contact your School for Advanced Studies administrative team to learn more about the process of obtaining financial aid.
The typical classroom at the School for Advanced Studies has 25-30 students in core classes, with slightly more or slightly fewer students for some elective courses.
At every grade level, our student’s complete homework to reinforce concepts taught during the school day and to establish good time management, organizational skills, and self-advocacy. Homework volume differs by grade level and by the student. A typical School for Advanced Studies student should expect the following homework:
Grades 5–7: 60-90 minutes
Grades 8 and up: up to 3 hours
We offer a full range of extracurriculars: from Academic Decathlon and Astronomy Club to Quiz Bowl and Yearbook; from Journalism Club to Mock Trial; from e-sports to any ball, bat, and common sports; from Magic the Gathering to MATHCOUNTS; from Minecraft Club and Physics Olympiad to FIRST Robotics Competition team and FIRST LEGO Robotics Competition; from Speech & Debate to Track & Field; from Basketball to Model UN, and from Brain Bee and Competitive Chess to Code Ninjas and Mountain Biking in the Arkansas National Interscholastic Cycling Association.
Furthermore, extracurricular offerings vary yearly based on student interest, and we actively encourage students to find peers who share interests and start new clubs, even as the school year progresses.
School for Advanced Studies teachers hold bachelor’s degrees, at minimum, and many have a master’s degree or Ph.D. in the subject they teach. When first hired, our teachers must attend summer training where they learn about our curriculum and systems and review classroom management techniques and pedagogical tenets used in our network. Then, each school year (during the summer and the school year), they participate in additional training and workshops to further hone their skills.
The experienced educators and administrators at the School for Advanced Studies have vetted and hired excellent teachers for many years. Our hiring process is stringent, and we treat teachers as the true professionals they are. We also have contacts and partners at top colleges and universities to help us recruit top talent for teaching roles in STEM subjects, humanities, and the arts. Finally, the School for Advanced Studies offers our teachers competitive pay and excellent benefits packages.
Student to teacher ratios can fluctuate by grade and subject.
Visit Apply Now to review enrollment policies and to submit an application. You will need to complete an online application for each child you would like to enroll.
At the end of the open enrollment period, if the number of applications does not exceed capacity, all applicants will receive offers of enrollment. If applications exceed capacity, in any grade, the School will conduct a lottery to determine enrollment. Anyone not enrolled through the lottery will be placed on a waitlist.
The Arkansas Education laws allow an enrollment preference for children of founding members and full time teachers and staff. It also allows for an enrollment preference for siblings of enrolled students.
If a student receives an enrollment offer, then the sibling(s) of that student will be granted sibling priority once the registration packet for the admitted student is submitted to the school. This priority does not guarantee a seat, but it does improve the sibling’s placement on the waitlist and increases the chance of receiving an enrollment offer. We understand that managing multiple schedules and schools in a household can be challenging, therefore this part of our enrollment policy is intended to help families ensure that their students can attend the same school, if they choose.
Be sure to add siblings to each other’s application.
There are many variables involved, so we cannot accurately predict chances of enrollment. Much depends on the decisions of other parents and the availability of seats at a particular campus, in a particular grade. Offers are made throughout the spring, summer, and even into the next school year. Our teams work diligently to ensure that anytime a seat becomes available, an offer is made to the next student in line.
The Schools for Advanced Studies network provides Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to disabled students in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), in accordance with all applicable laws and implementation regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If you have specific questions about Special Education at a School for Advanced Studies campus, please contact the Special Education Coordinator at your school, and they will be happy to assist you.
Every School for Advanced Studies campus has a Student Affairs team. Individuals on this team offer academic, social/emotional, and behavioral support to students who need such support. As experienced educators, we know that strong support programs are essential for student success. The same is true for academic support as ir does for social/emotional support: our teachers hold regular Student Hours (before and after school) during which students can get extra help. The Student Affairs team also regularly meets with students who need extra support, working on organization, time management, stress management, note-taking, and other related skills that enable student success.
Thank you for your interest in our future campuses. We plan on growing the network of high-achieving Schools for Advanced Studies in Northwest Arkansas and throughout the state. At this point, we have not finalized specific locations for our future campuses, but keep checking our websites and sign up on our Interest List to stay up to date on news and announcements.
