For our most serious students, Astra Nova offers a flagship two-year program of foundational, intensive, collaborative, and experimental courses.

Astra Nova designs each year anew, and any insights from our work are humbly shared with the world. In our experience, breakthroughs come from working intensely with a small group of highly motivated and curious students. We’ve seen that a cohort of <100 students are best positioned to form lasting friendships, find meaning in academic challenge, and develop the confidence and competence to make any team better. To achieve our mission of working on the cutting edge of education, we are making aspects of our “full-time” program available to qualified students around the world. Traditionally, the core Astra Nova experience was only for students available for 20 class-hours a week. Beginning in the 2024/2025 school year, we want to extend eligibility to exceptional students around the world.

Requirements:

— 7th, 8th, or 9th grade only (ages 12-15).

— Commitment of ≥10 class hours per week.

— We gather as a school community for three optional in-person events each year in Southern California: mountains outside of Palm Springs (October), Catalina Island (April), and Los Angeles (June).

— We focus on what really matters: a child’s disposition towards challenge, their ability to work effectively in teams, and their capacity to contribute good to the world.

— We are need-blind and meet 100% of demonstrated financial need.

— Our students win global competitions and go on to attend some of the most prestigious high schools and universities in the world; they feel equally comfortable reading David Copperfield and writing code in Python; they work on Conundrums that reach millions of students, and most importantly, they operate with kindness and a sense of possibility.