kind, independent, and daring kids.
Hello, World!
Our mission: a generation of kids who contribute good to the world.
We look for students who work hard and love to learn. We hire faculty at the cutting edge of their field who love to teach. We design each year, anew, built on first principles and try to answer the question: what actually matters?
The Basics
What kind of school is Astra Nova?
We are an online-only non-profit school. Our school operates on Pacific Time (PT) although students join us from all over the world — 45 countries and counting.
What ages do you work with?
We work with students ages 11–18, roughly 6th through 12th grade.
How are classes taught?
All courses are taught live in English — class sizes generally range from 6–16 students.
When is the school year?
We have three terms — Fall, Winter, Spring — with a school year that runs from early September to early June. See the full calendar at astranova.org/cal.
When are classes?
Classes are held in six one-hour blocks, Monday through Friday. Register for the blocks that fit your family's schedule. Most students take between 4 and 16 class hours per week.
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School Calendar
View the full Astra Nova school calendar including term dates, breaks, and important deadlines.
2025–2026 School Calendar astranova.org/cal →What courses do you offer?
We create new classes each term. Here is a glimpse of courses offered in a previous semester: Winter 2026 Courses.
What about math?
Our faculty teach Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus. We work with Art of Problem Solving to support students who need a different math class.
Do you provide transcripts and college support?
We provide guidance and support, including Astra Nova transcripts and letters of recommendation. Many Astra Nova graduates attend the most selective boarding and day schools in the country.
What is the Astra Nova community like?
We are a small community of kind, curious, and ambitious people working together on big ideas. Any insights we glean from our school, we humbly share with the world.
Conundrums and Synthesis are two projects born at Astra Nova that have impacted millions of students to date.
Astra Nova is widely recognized as one of the most innovative schools in the world — expect new ideas each term.
How does admissions work?
Our admissions process is need-blind, and we meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for US-based and international families.
How much does Astra Nova cost?
Tuition is $2,400 per class hour per school year with a minimum of 2 class hours. Most students enroll in the 4–16 hour range. Astra Nova is a nonprofit tuition-based school — we do not have an annual fund, we do not actively solicit donations from families, and we do not receive money from the state or federal governments. Astra Nova relies almost entirely on tuition to pay for teachers' salaries, student supplies, and other program expenses.
To keep things easy, we offer a few different fee-free payment plans along with the ability to pay with credit card with a 3% fee.
What are your thoughts on tuition?
It is critically important to us that family finances should not prevent a child from attending Astra Nova. From the earliest days of Ad Astra to today, we have met 100% of demonstrated financial need for all families. This year, 33% of our flagship and 6% of our part-time families received some form of tuition assistance.
How does financial aid work?
We use Clarity, a financial aid system used by some of the best private schools in the country. It is designed to be streamlined, fair, and easy to use. You can complete the application on your mobile device, and for most families the process will take less than 20 minutes.
Once a family successfully completes the financial aid application, we are bound by our Board of Directors to honor the tuition amount that Clarity calculates. We share all financial aid offers at the time of acceptance.
How do I apply for financial aid?
- Please have your child apply to the school before the next deadline.
- If we invite your child to the next round and you would like to be considered for financial aid, please complete the Clarity process here: Clarity Application.
- Clarity charges a non-refundable application fee of $60. Astra Nova purchases fee waivers for applicants with total family incomes of $75,000 or less — email tara@astranova.org to request one.
What is your policy on integrity?
We are unapologetically judicious with the financial aid we give out. We expect everyone in the Astra Nova community to operate with the highest standard of integrity. If that trust is breached, we will not be able to move forward with your family.
Apply in three steps
We think a single "admissions season" is an outdated idea and charging money to apply is silly. We accept applications year-round and review submissions twice a year.
Parent Letter
Tell us about your family. What are you looking for in a school and what do you hope to find at Astra Nova? No more than one page — think of it as a short email. Don't worry about grammar or spelling. All languages welcome.
Upload Documents
Fill out the basic information on the application and upload the CONUNDRUMS RESPONSE and PARENT LETTER. Typically, about half of applicants move to the next round of the admissions process.
We meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all families.