Nova High School

301 21st Avenue East

School District

Seattle Public Schools
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by other on March 17, 2024

I didn't learn much there, the teachers in my experience were not as professional as they think they are, they allow students to be disrespectful to others, and that school was WAY too politically correct. If you say one thing considered wrong students AND teachers get easily get triggered and offended. It's ridiculous! It started off ok at first then as years went on I realized how unprofessional, rude, condescending, passive aggressive, stressful, overbearing, contradicting, hypocritical, arrogant, ignorant, and disrespectful most of the teachers are (with my two previous speech teachers and MAYBE a few other teachers being an exception), how terrible they are on solving any problems (like bullying and/or students getting stressed out and/or depressed like I was at the time being at the school.) and how poorly managed the school is in my opinion! It had its moments of being fun, creative and different which is why I say it started off ok. Also I'd be lying if I said there wasn't any teachers that did A COUPLE good things for me that I appreciate and can thank them on even if I think differently of them now!
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2019

I cannot recommend this school to folks who have other options. If it is the only option available to you, it may be better than nothing.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2018

Nova was a game-changer for my son, who had been bullied in middle school. Students build strong bonds with teachers who serve as mentors and advocates. The curriculum is highly engaging and students are held to high standards. We need more schools like this!
Submitted by student on November 02, 2017

I really love this school. It allows me to be independent while still catching me when I fall. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough work or the teachers aren't assigning a lot of homework, but then I go into my classes and realize that the amount of work I'm doing in my classes is a lot. It's very involving and the work makes me want to participate. I also always feel like my voice is being heard and that it matters. In general this school makes me happy everyday and I always want to be here in my classes. Plus we get to actually choose our classes which allows me to want to be here.
Submitted by student on November 01, 2017

I love my school. I'm the kind of student who would do fine at a regular high school, but Nova makes me so much happier than I would be anywhere else. Students are accountable for themselves, which is one of my favorite aspects. I've developed a sense of accountability that I didn't have before. No, there won't be a phone call home if I skip class, but I'll miss work and if I miss too much material I won't get full credit. It definitely makes me feel like I'm more ready for the working world. It's much more difficult to make up work than it is to just participate regularly. This is why Nova may not be the right choice for everyone, if their only motivation is a fear of being punished/shamed. That being said, a lot of kids transfer here with a record of failing grades and horrible school experiences and go on to thrive here. By getting involved in the community, making friends with like-minded people, connecting with the teachers, and finding interesting classes that wouldn't be taught elsewhere. For example: Financial Algebra, Black Studies, Korean Studies, Chicano/a Studies, Women's World, hand drawn animation, etc. The history classes at Nova are awesome. I've learned stuff I never would have known existed. History isn't boring anymore. I'm not just memorizing dates for a test and a grade. I could talk about Cesar Chavez, the Korean occupation, Mongols and African fables. Those are all ACTUAL super cool things I learned about here!! My coordinator (sort of like a counselor) helps and motivates me toward succeeding in the future and supports me in everyday life and extracurricular activities. It's so refreshing to be able to talk to an adult about things in my life and it's seriously the best feeling when my coordinator is proud of me, especially since they are unlike other adults in my life in that they know about things I'm struggling with too. I've never met anyone like that before. I'm two grades ahead in math, and I really enjoy my calculus class. My teacher always asks if anyone need help, and makes sure everyone understands before moving on. Before I came here, I was worried about the math program, but it's been very good for me. For real, I love this school and I literally haven't met a person who dislikes it here.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2016

The school is not the caring, mentoring environment it once was, and it is also no longer a democratic school in which student committees run every aspect, including teacher hiring and finance. The core faculty that built it have retired, and so now it's a school that does not give grades, does not give parents feedback even during freshman year, and also does not provide mentoring. Math here is a joke. A student that is gone for an entire semester--truant--will not inspire a single phone call home. There is a political agenda attached to the social justice aspect of the program, and if a kid doesn't agree politically with whatever social justice goal is being promoted, they will receive heavy pressure to fall in line. Mentoring does not happen, and parents receive no feedback. If the district sends out a letter telling the parent their child is not in line to graduate and needs summer school, Nova will tell them that because their program is different, that letter does not mean anything, but when the kid is truly at risk not to graduate, not a word is said. My girl scored 94% on the reading SAT, but did not get her diploma. Of course she is responsible, but as parents, we were discouraged from coming in for progress reports. The one time we insisted on a meeting, we were told, "Oh wow", and in the meeting we were assured our child could graduate easily and that we would hear if she got so far behind that she could not. This never happened. We got a cc'ed e-mail from her counselor to our child asking if she wants to be removed from attendance. I know that trans students, about whose safety there are lots of class meetings and coor meetings, feel safe here. If you have a trans student, I still recommend this place because your kid will be safe. Students who do well in any educational environment may prefer Nova's laid back approach and can track their own credits. But if your child is introverted and depressed, this place is not going to help, and may even hurt.
Submitted by student on December 18, 2015

Nova has been amazing to me! All the teachers really care about you and really want to see you succeed. I felt that through the classes that I am in, I have learned more than I ever have. All the classes are taught in a way that makes it interesting to everyone, and if things aren't working out for you in a class the teachers will work with you to change something so you will learn and want to continue learning. The other students are all really nice and there is no bullying at all. Nova has a reputation for drugs but all I can say about that is that they won't expel you for doing it, instead they will work with you to quit. They really want to help you and won't just push you away just to keep a good reputation which is a lot more than I can say about other schools.
Submitted by student on December 01, 2015

As a current Nova student getting ready to graduate this year I can say Nova saved my life. I come from a small town where i dealt with years of people putting me down for being queer and mixed race and coming to Nova I found refuge. Teachers can appear to play favorites but for a majority of them if you talk to them about problems outside of class they are happy to help and talk to you. During my freshman year I had a mental breakdown due to family drama and landed myself in a pysch ward for a month and my coordinator came to see me once a week, not for homework but to check in on me. Nova is a very close knit community due to the size of the school and if you start there with out having friends that are current students it can be hard to find your way but if you try you can. It is a family and once you find the people you need to find there you will have a good experience.
Submitted by other on September 04, 2015

I'm a former Nova student and all I can say is that this place is horrible. I came to Nova after several bad experiences with past schools - bullying, inattentive teachers, and a general lack of motivation to excel academically. I started classes my freshman year of high school and almost didn't make it through the year. There's no structure, organization, or support there. It's a fairly small school, so it seemed like it would be easier to get to know people - I was totally wrong. Most of the students know the teachers outside of school, and it was obvious that they picked favorites. There was a problem with drug use there - like to the point where I saw kids from class shooting up in the bathroom. It was impossible to know what grades you had or how many credits you were earning; teachers rarely responded to emails and even during class couldn't make a coherent point during a lecture. Aside from math there weren't any real academics being taught there. I struggle with math, and by the second month I was there I was moved to an online class because I couldn't get any help from the teacher, even though I repeatedly asked her for help. I know it's an alternative school, but there was very little being taught that could be actually used. The only decent classes were off-campus where you could get experience volunteering. I will say, however, that the principal was interested in student activities and often talked with them, as well as teachers. He seemed to have a good relationship with the people there.Aside from that, I don't think it's worth going there. I've heard from teachers at my current school that it used to be a lot better there, but I don't know what happened. Maybe all the good teachers left? I ended up repeating 10th grade at another school due to the credits I lost there - and believe me, I really did try to get a good grade in my classes. I'm an A/B student, but it was impossible to succeed there. I'm going to have to spend an extra year in high school, even after completing 6 classes in summer school. I'd advise parents or students to avoid this place at all costs.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2013

Nova High School exists because the dedicated students and staff that work there provide a unique experience in learning. I removed my son from SSD middle School system due to incompetency and an unwillingness to be flexible. As my son had developmental problems from birth and needed an approach to learning that was not available elsewhere, Nova filled that niche. My son is engaged and supported in Nova's envirnment and support this very special school. It is set up for students that have a desire to learn. Thanks Nova!
Submitted by student on January 02, 2013

I am a recent NOVA graduate, and I have to say that NOVA saved my life. Traditional schools never worked for me, some were bad enough that I was literally able to write the answer is Fish on my math work and I would get an A+ NOVA actually got me to think about my work and learn. I will agree with a previous review saying " no one cares about fundraising or leadership there and the school will probably die soon." BUT from my first-hand experience, I feel that it is mainly because of all the cuts the district has done the past few years. From what I can tell, most of the newer students have been kids that the district placed there when they wanted to go somewhere else, which is why no one is doing fund raising.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2012

Something is broken and I don't know how to fix it. The lack of organization and communication is appalling. I am very open-minded, which is why we sent my child to Nova in the first place. But whenever a problem arose instead of dealing with it head-on trying to correct it, we were told our child should drop out and go somewhere else. After 4 years we received a letter that arrived while I was in the hospital on bed-rest. It came after I had been admitted stating our child was going to be expelled. His Senior credits had been denied by the principal and I believe it was a retaliatory act. A family member called the principal to explain I was in the hospital and we were promised no action would be taken until September AFTER meeting with him to discuss the situation. However, he has been conveniently unavailable and won't return our phone calls and our child WAS "dis-enrolled" while I was still in the hospital after being promised that would not occur. I'm taking this up with the district. Our child did not do anything wrong and deserves to graduate. As an aside, no one cares about fundraising or leadership there and the school will probably die soon.
Submitted by parent on December 18, 2012

I need to add this to an earlier review in order to address a pejorative remark that someone made. One parent said that the only type of student who will excel at Nova, is one who would excel elsewhere. Familiarize yourself with their demographics. A large percentage of Nova students transfer in mid-way through high school because they were in danger of dropping out, or had dropped out, of another school. My son, who was in the APP program in middle school, racked up180 truancies at Garfield. He moved to Nova and graduated ON TIME by taking DOUBLE credits his senior year. This is because they got him to buy into what they were doing, whereas Garfield just did discipline. Check the facts before you trash a school.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2012

Nova has my 5th child now; it's been 6 years since I've posted. I feel this outstanding and flexible school should be defended. First, please note that students are NOT routinely graduated. Check their SAT scores; they are among the highest in the state. One of my 5 was shown the gate for not attending class. Yes, you CAN get kicked out of Nova, but they will try to engage the student first. OSPI awarded ONE school in all of WA state the lang. arts award...NOVA. There's a reason for this. Before that child leaves school to start forging checks or burglarizing your house and car, they try to work with them, find their interests and passions, and build a curriculum (but real work) around that topic if it's what it takes to keep them in school. This is not a slacker school, but it is also not sink-or-swim. Students see the faculty and administration (outstanding!) as part of "we", not "us" vs. "them". This is especially critical for very bright students with power issues. This is how drop-outs turn in to high-scorers. And this is why my children and I love Nova.
Submitted by student on January 29, 2011

This is an add-on to the last comment This school is really fantastic, its the only alternative school in Seattle so we better keep it loved as much as possible. Thats my review, please consider visiting Nova if your looking for schools. You won't be disappointed. I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! One thing that has changed that I notice this site didn't change.