Admissions
To schedule a tour of the school or a student shadow experience, or to meet with an administrator, please call (603) 912-4944 and we will schedule a date that works for you. Should you have additional questions, please contact admissions@artsacademynh.org. You must fill out the online enrollment form as part of the admissions process (please have your parents fill out the enrollment form). See below for additional requirements.
Admissions Policy and Process
Arts Academy of New Hampshire is an open enrollment, chartered public high school. All New Hampshire residents may apply, and tuition is free. However, the state of New Hampshire has special regulations regarding charter schools and their admissions process (RSA 194-B:9). The school may accept out-of-state students at a fee to be set annually (currently $7,800/year), on a space-available basis.
There are three criteria for admission eligibility:
Application-Related Dates
While applications are accepted throughout the year, a registration deadline is set for incoming and transfer students wanting to start in the new school year.
Application Package
All required forms in the registration package are available at Arts Academy of New Hampshire as well as online and must include all information required to meet the Arts Academy of New Hampshire Charter and NH State requirements (RSA 194-B). (See below for application package contents.)
Information Session
Every applicant and one parent/guardian is required to participate in an information session as part of the application process. Information sessions take place at Arts Academy of New Hampshire and must be attended in entirety by the applicant and at least one parent/guardian for the school year information session.
Lottery
A lottery will not be necessary if all available spaces are filled with eligible students. If there are more applicants that have completed the application requirements than available spaces in any grade, a lottery will be conducted per the school’s charter and eligibility criteria. Only New Hampshire residents are eligible for the lottery. Out of state applicants may be admitted in the event that there are insufficient New Hampshire applicants to fill the available openings, in accordance with New Hampshire state law (RSA 194-B).
Each applicant will be counted as one entry into the lottery. The lottery will be conducted at Arts Academy of New Hampshire by an adult who is not affiliated with the school and who has no child applying to attend.
The following eligible students will be exempt from the lottery on a space-available basis, in the following order:
Wait-List
Applicants who are not admitted through the lottery of eligible students will be placed on a wait list in the order their names are drawn, according to grade. Should an opening occur, placement will be offered based on waiting list order. Once the lottery has been drawn or once the school year has begun, applicants requesting entrance or transfer to the school will be invited to complete an application package. Eligible applications received after lottery application deadline will be time-stamped and added to the wait-list in the order received.
Reopening Admissions
At the discretion of Arts Academy of New Hampshire and conforming to all elements of this policy, admissions may be reopened prior to the beginning of the academic school year if it is anticipated openings will become available in any grade level for which a wait list does not exist.
Application Package Contents
Legal References (NH RSA 194-B)
Arts Academy of New Hampshire does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, national/ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or disability in its programs, activities, admissions, and employment practices. This refers to, but is not limited to, the provisions of the following laws:
There are three criteria for admission eligibility:
- Applicants will have successfully completed the school year preceding admission with credits or creditable work in all core subjects with verification of last grade completed by the sending school district or Department of Education.
- Applicants and parents/guardians acknowledge full understanding of and willingness to participate in the mission of the school, its policies, programs, and expectations.
- Students seeking enrollment must complete the Arts Academy of New Hampshire application process, which includes completion of the required forms in the application package and participating in a mandatory information session.
Application-Related Dates
While applications are accepted throughout the year, a registration deadline is set for incoming and transfer students wanting to start in the new school year.
Application Package
All required forms in the registration package are available at Arts Academy of New Hampshire as well as online and must include all information required to meet the Arts Academy of New Hampshire Charter and NH State requirements (RSA 194-B). (See below for application package contents.)
Information Session
Every applicant and one parent/guardian is required to participate in an information session as part of the application process. Information sessions take place at Arts Academy of New Hampshire and must be attended in entirety by the applicant and at least one parent/guardian for the school year information session.
Lottery
A lottery will not be necessary if all available spaces are filled with eligible students. If there are more applicants that have completed the application requirements than available spaces in any grade, a lottery will be conducted per the school’s charter and eligibility criteria. Only New Hampshire residents are eligible for the lottery. Out of state applicants may be admitted in the event that there are insufficient New Hampshire applicants to fill the available openings, in accordance with New Hampshire state law (RSA 194-B).
Each applicant will be counted as one entry into the lottery. The lottery will be conducted at Arts Academy of New Hampshire by an adult who is not affiliated with the school and who has no child applying to attend.
The following eligible students will be exempt from the lottery on a space-available basis, in the following order:
- Siblings of current Arts Academy of New Hampshire students
- Children of current Arts Academy of New Hampshire employees
- Children of current Arts Academy of New Hampshire board members
Wait-List
Applicants who are not admitted through the lottery of eligible students will be placed on a wait list in the order their names are drawn, according to grade. Should an opening occur, placement will be offered based on waiting list order. Once the lottery has been drawn or once the school year has begun, applicants requesting entrance or transfer to the school will be invited to complete an application package. Eligible applications received after lottery application deadline will be time-stamped and added to the wait-list in the order received.
Reopening Admissions
At the discretion of Arts Academy of New Hampshire and conforming to all elements of this policy, admissions may be reopened prior to the beginning of the academic school year if it is anticipated openings will become available in any grade level for which a wait list does not exist.
Application Package Contents
- Online enrollment form
- Letter of recommendation from guidance stating the student’s readiness to engage in a college preparatory curriculum (click to download form)
- 200-word student essay about yourself and why Arts Academy of New Hampshire is a good fit for you
- Copy of your certified transcript and current report card
- 7th and 8th grade transcript for incoming 9th graders
- Current transcript for 9, 10, 11, & 12th graders
- Emergency contact form
- Other information pertinent to the admissions process
Legal References (NH RSA 194-B)
Arts Academy of New Hampshire does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, national/ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or disability in its programs, activities, admissions, and employment practices. This refers to, but is not limited to, the provisions of the following laws:
- Titles IV, VI, and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - race color, national origin
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
- The Age Discrimination Act of 1975
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) - sex
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) - disability
- The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) - disability
- NH Law against discrimination (RSA 354-A)