FAQs for Students

There are a lot of opportunities to build strong relationships at Nora; because our classes are small, you get to actually know your classmates and teachers in a real way. When you’re in conversations with the same people every day, connections grow naturally over time.

Making friends ALWAYS feels a little intimidating at first, but that’s totally okay. At Nora, you’ll never have to be on your own with that: the teachers and counselors here are really supportive, and they can help you get connected with our community and help you find the people that you’re meant to find.

Even after they graduate, our alumni stay connected with their Nora friends for a lifetime.

The Nora School is designed to support a healthy balance between school and personal life. While you will typically have homework every day, teachers chunk large assignments into manageable pieces, offer time in class to get started on work, and encourage reading at many levels.  Not every class gives homework every day, and we offer Overtime to help with the classes that do.

If you’re struggling in a class, you’ll typically stay for Overtime so you can get extra help from that teacher and go over anything you’re finding challenging. It’s a really common time for students to get the support they need, from teachers or even Nora’s members of the National Honor Society (NHS) who make themselves available as peer tutors. And if you need even more consistent support, we also have an academic coach who can work with you more individually to help build skills, organization, and confidence in your classes.

Nora trusts us with a lot of free time. Between Open Lunch, Lab period clubs, and interesting elective classes like Band (the guitar kind) or Latin American Films. Beyond that, our school really emphasizes hands-on, “experiential learning”. That just means classes often take field trips to places like museums, theaters, and national parks to connect what we’re learning in class to the real world. Intersession, especially the Social Justice Travel, is our favorite part of the year - we take a week off of regular classes to learn skills and have experiences that we couldn’t otherwise explore.

We also have grade-based Advisory groups that meet once a week, and go on an annual retreat. These groups not only help you bond with the other kids in your graduation class, but to help develop skills & supports that are particular to each grade.

Lab is a 30-minute block built into the school day that’s kind of like in-school social clubs. You get to choose where you go each day, based on what you’re into or what you need that moment.  Some Labs are more fun and social—like games or group activities—while others are more chill and give you time to study, relax, or catch up on work. Past Lab offerings have included karaoke, Dungeons & Dragons, quiet study hall, book-club, Fiber Arts (knitting and crocheting), theater, chess, and many others.

Overtime is at the end of the school day from 2:45-3:15pm, and is either optional or assigned depending on what you need. It’s basically built-in support time where you can get help from teachers, finish assignments, or focus on specific subjects. It’s also a great space if you just need a little extra time and structure to end your day feeling on track. Students can also use this time to meet with additional support like personal tutors or executive function coaches.

To colleges and other post-high school groups, The Nora School looks just a traditional high school - it has an organized, college prep program with plenty of high-level classes, student life activities like Homecoming & Prom, leadership associations like the Student Government and National Honors Society, competitive sports opportunities, and strong social engagement.

But once you’re past the transcript, Nora might seem totally unique.  Waiting until 8:45am to start classes helps us all stay sane and ready to learn.  Having classes that max out at 12 students makes every class period a lot more comfortable, and being on a first-name basis with all your teachers - and knowing every single student in your school - allows everyone to be heard.  Nora’s focus on student hobbies and experiential learning really makes this group of people feel more like a community than you might expect!

Not at all!  A lot of students come here from other schools so everyone’s path looks a little different. We work with each student individually to figure out a graduation plan that works for them - from early graduation to our “5th-year” option for students who want or need to take extra time.

One of the most important things about Nora is that it’s a really small, close-knit community where people actually get to know each other. You won’t be just a face in the hallway - people will get to know you for what you want, what you like, and how you want to be known.