At Nora, I can BREATHE.
— Nora Graduate
 

A Tight-Knit Pride

We believe teachers and students are can lead good lives inspired by curiosity, steered by compassion,and guided by knowledge. Our goal is to help students discover their unique identity and their place in this world within a safe and kind community. There’s a patience and an understanding at Nora that gives back control of our lives. Knowing everyone around you believes in you can make the impossible feel achievable.

Here are some of the ways Nora does things differently:

DISCUSSIONS IN CLASSES

School is SO MUCH BETTER when it’s interesting.

Nora prides itself on its unique, seminar-style classes - discussions are easy with classes of less than 12 students. Not to mention our quirky teachers bringing their passions to school and leading us in subjects that actually captivate us.

We don’t just have Chemistry, but also Anatomy or Zoology. We don’t only have English Literature, but also Dystopian Fiction. There are always core math classes, but sometimes you just need something more real - that’s what Financial Math is for.

There’s almost always an option that piques our curiosity, so there’s almost always a reason to dive in.

 
We will always be grateful that such a school exists for students who really have lost hope and are able to regain it in a no-nonsense, trusting, intelligent, respectful environment.
— Parents from Maryland

EXPLORING THE WIDER COMMUNITY

GROUP & CLASS TRAVEL

Nora gives us the chance to travel in all kinds of ways.

We take class and grade-level field trips (the metro is only half a mile away) - and the whole school does a couple of trips all together. These trips are inspired by our commitment to community and social justice.

Many of our Intersession Programs allow for travel too, whether biking 150 miles or studying different cities or gardens, being off campus is a big part of our plan.

INTERSESSION

Sometimes the best way to learn is to take a break from classes. We take ten days of our school year to take a deeper dive into our collective passions, from filmmaking to urban studies, from Chinese brush painting to cooking class, from quilting to agricultural studies.

The center piece to our Social Justice Program happens during this time too. We travel to follow the history (and present) of Civil Rights in the Deep South or of Native American Relations in the Great Plains (depending on the year).

SOCIAL LAB

We don’t just follow our passions for a couple weeks a year; that’s not nearly enough for most of us. We take time in mid-afternoon “Lab” period and use it for OUR interests instead!

We have labs for College Prep, Fitness, Music, Art, D&D, Knitting, TED Talks, Board games and more - the list is ever-changing depending on what we show an interest in.

IT’S WORTH THE HUSTLE

Everyone who practices gets to play in our Coed sports & athletics: Rock Climbing, Soccer, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Softball, Hiking are all options on the table.

You never know until you try…

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Just as our field trips allow us to explore the wider community, so to does our commitment to service. Grades 9-11 go in groups, taken by a teacher to locations around the city to assist in food banks, shelters and distribution centers. Seniors get a little more freedom - but also a little more responsibility. It’s good practice for “real life,” they say... but we mostly do it because it feels good to help.

 

NO ONE IS ALONE

SUPPORT FOR EVERYONE

This Pride has got your back in all sorts of ways.

Need Academic Support? The teachers are free every single day after school to help out, and learning plans are always an option.

Need Emotional Support? We can share our dilemmas with our social worker, through peer mediation, or in our daily advisory groups - and there’s a meditation program to help us keep our minds straight in the first place.

But most of all, the thing that makes Nora stand out is our relationships with teachers - calling them by their first names becomes an invitation to bond and relate in ways most teachers never get to. They’ll cheer for your silliest success, and understand when things get rough.

We’re all on the same team at Nora, and that’s what makes the difference.

If you’re curious, our alumni have gone a lot of different places - and Nora helps us close the deal.

Adelphi University, NY Albright College, PA Albion College, MI Alfred University, NY Allegheny College, PA American University, DC American Academy of Dramatic Arts, CA Appalachian State University, NC University of Arizona Art Institute of Washington University of the Arts, PA Atlanta College of Art, GA Averett University, VA Bard College, NY Barry University, FL Bay State College, MA Beloit College, WI Bennett College, NC Bishop’s University, Quebec Brandeis University, MA Brock University, Ontario Bryant College, RI Bucknell University, PA University of California–Santa Cruz Catholic University, DC Central Pennsylvania College, PA Centre College, KY Centenary College, LA Champlain College, VT Chowan University, NC Clark University, MA Clark Atlanta University, GA Christopher Newport University, VA College of Charleston, SC University of Cincinnati, OH Clarkson University, NY University of Colorado, Boulder Columbia College, IL Concordia University, Quebec Corcoran College of the Arts and Design, DC Columbia University, NY Curry College, MA University of Dayton, OH Davis and Elkins College, WV Dean College, MA Denison University, OH Dickinson College, PA Digipen Institute of Technology, WA University of Delaware Drew University, NJ Drexel University, PA Earlham College, IN Eckerd College, FL Elon College, NC Emerson College, MA Emory University, GA Emory and Henry College, VA Eugene Lang College, NY Evergreen State College, WA Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Los Angeles Fairham College, VA Fayetteville State, NC Ferrum College, VA Fisher College of Art, MA University of Findlay, OH Florida A&M Florida International University Florida Institute of Technology Florida Polytechnic University Fordham University, NY Franklin and Marshall College, PA Franklin Pierce College, NH Frostburg University, MD Furman University, SC Garrett College, MD George Mason University, VA The George Washington University, DC Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College, PA Grinnell College, IA Goucher College, MD Guilford College, NC Hampton-Sydney College, VA Hartt School of Music, CT University of Hartford, CT University of Hawaii High Point University, NC Hofstra University, NY Hood College, MD Howard University, DC Iona College, NY Ithaca College, NY Johnson & Wales University, RI Johnson C. Smith University, NC Johnson State College, VT Juniata College, PA Kenyon College, OH Landmark College, VT Lasell College, MA Lesley University, MA Long Island University, NY Lewis and Clark, OR Loyola University Chicago and MD Lynchburg College, VA Lynn University, FL Maine Maritime University Mansfield Hall, VT Marist College, NY Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Maryland, College Park Marymount University, VA Marymount Manhattan, NY Massachusetts College of Art McDaniel College, MD McMaster University, Quebec Memphis College of Art, TN Meredith College, NC Miami University, OH Missouri University of Science and Technology University of Montana Morgan State University, MD Moravian College, PA Morehouse College, GA Mount Holyoke College, MA Muhlenberg College, PA The New School, NY Newbury College, MA New England College, NH New England Institute of Technology, RI University of New Hampshire, NH University of New Haven, CT College of New Jersey New Jersey Institute of Technology Northeastern University, MA University of North Carolina, Asheville Oberlin College, OH Occidental College, LA Ohio State University Ohio Wesleyan University Otis College of Art and Design, CA Parsons School of Design, NY Pennsylvania State University University of Pittsburgh, PA Pratt Institute, NY University of Puget Sound, WA Purchase College, NY Queens College, NY Quests University, Canada Quinnipiac University, CT Randolph Macon College, VA University of the Redlands, CA Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY Rhode Island College University of Richmond, VA Rider University, NJ Roanoke College, VA Rochester Institute of Technology, NY University of Rochester, NY Roger Williams University, RI Rutgers University, NJ Sacred Heart University, CT St. Andrews College, NC St. Bonaventure University, NY St. John’s College, MD St. Mary’s College of Maryland Salisbury University, MD Sarah Lawrence College, NY San Francisco State University, CA Savannah College of Art and Design, GA School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL School of the Museum of Fine Arts, MA Seattle University, WA Seton Hall University, NJ Shepherd University, WV Shenandoah University, VA Skidmore College, NY University of Southern Maine Southern Vermont College Spelman College, GA Springfield College, MA Stevenson University, MD Susquehanna University, PA Syracuse University, NY University of Tampa, FL Temple University, PA Towson University, MD Tulane University, LA Ursinus College, PA Vassar College, NY University of Vermont Villanova University, PA Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Union University Warren Wilson College, NC Washington College, MD Washington & Jefferson College, PA Webster University, MO Wesley College, DE Western Maryland College Western New England College, MA Westminster Choir College, NJ West Virginia University West Virginia Wesleyan Wilkes University, PA Wilson College, PA Wittenberg University, OH Widener University, PA Willamette University, OR College of Wooster, OH Worcester Polytech Institute Xavier University, LA York University, PA