NASHUA – Julia Devasia’s daughter Nisha has always excelled at math and science, so making the decision to send her to the Academy for Science and Design in seventh grade was not hard.
“We had looked at the curriculum and compared it with the Nashua School District’s and thought the curriculum at ASD was strong,” Devasia said. “We wanted to give it a chance.”
But after one year at the public charter school, Nisha decided she wanted to return to Fairgrounds Middle School, where she attended sixth grade, and rejoin the city’s traditional public schools.
It’s a decision that an increasing number of students at the charter school are making in recent years, according to Nashua school officials.
While she did not have exact numbers, high school guidance director Maureen O’Dea said she’s seen more and more students, particularly at the high school level, interested in returning to North or South for their last four years of schooling in the city.
ASD Director Jennifer Cava said the charter school does have a 10 to 15 percent attrition rate of students between middle and high school, a number she said has remained fairly stable over the years.
Some of those students return to their traditional public schools, while others head to Phillips Exeter or another prestigious college preparatory program.
“I think some kids are really just looking for a more traditional high school, with more opportunities for advanced classes across different subject areas,” Cava said. “We offer advanced science and math courses, but if a student’s focus shifts from STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) onto something else, they may be better off elsewhere. ...![]()
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