The Davidson Institute has worked for more than two decades to create opportunities for profoundly gifted young people. The Institute is the parent organization of a number of phenomenal programs and opportunities for this population. These programs include Young Scholars, Fellows Scholarship, Summer Programs, Explore, Davidson Academy, and an alumni program. The FAQs below are designed to address the initial questions we expect regarding the recent announcement of establishing Davidson Academy Online as a separate independent (private) school still under the Davidson Institute but separate from the Davidson Academy Reno campus, which will continue to operate as a Nevada public school. If you have questions not addressed in the list below please reach out to online@davidsononline.org.
Davidson Academy Online - Independent: FAQs
FAQs About Establishment of Davidson Academy Online as a Separate Independent School
You mention the complexities of running an online school across 50 states. Are you able to elaborate on those complexities?
The Davidson Institute is always on the foreground of advancing opportunities for profoundly gifted students. Establishing Davidson Academy Online initially as a part of a public school that operated across state lines was a groundbreaking move. However, we have learned that compulsory attendance and other public education laws in different states make it cumbersome and in some cases difficult for families outside of Nevada to enroll in Davidson Academy Online and remain in compliance with their local laws. Moving to the independent school model has proven to be successful for other online gifted programs. By making this move, we are able to make it easier for families living outside Nevada to enroll while not changing its availability to Nevada students.
How does this change impact Davidson's commitment to public education in Nevada?
The success of the Davidson Academy’s Reno campus shows our long term dedication to public education in Nevada. Our commitment to the longevity and success of the Reno campus is unwavering. At this time, students who reside in Nevada will continue to have tuition-free access to the Davidson Academy, either in Reno or Online.
Will Davidson Academy Reno be converting to an independent school?
The Reno campus will remain a Nevada public school. The move is made solely to provide more opportunities for students across the U.S. and has no impact on the operations of the Reno campus or the Davidson family commitment to public education in Nevada.
What does this mean for tuition?
At this time we do not anticipate any significant changes to tuition. We regularly adjust our tuition based on inflation and other factors.
What does this mean in terms of scholarships?
We will still continue to offer personalized need-based assistance.
Are there going to be different entry requirements for Davidson Academy Reno and Davidson Academy Online?
At this time we have no plans to change admissions requirements. Both campuses currently run their own, albeit similar, admissions processes and seek to accept the student for which the programs (in person v. online) is a good fit.
When you become an independent school in 2022-23, will this change any of the support services offered to students?
Davidson Academy Online already offers a full suite of support services, and there are no plans to change these.
Does this mean that you’ll be offering more/different classes?
This is very possible, but no immediate changes to curriculum are planned. The two campuses currently offer several different classes.
How will transfers work between Davidson Academy Reno and Davidson Academy Online?
Students must start and finish the academic year in the campus for which they were accepted. Students are currently required to complete an application and a modified assessment to change enrollment from one campus to another. We do not anticipate any immediate changes to this process.
Will there still be shared extracurriculars or access to Davidson Academy Reno extracurriculars?
Due to the vast extracurricular activities offered at both campuses, we have seen that there is minimal student interest in cross-campus extracurricular activities. Students seem more comfortable joining extracurricular activities with their classmates at their specific campus. We do not expect that this will change in the future as the two schools forge paths best for their student populations.
How will Davidson Academy Online accommodate students who are twice-exceptional (2e)?
Davidson Academy Online accepts students who show a sufficient level of academic readiness based on our curriculum-based assessment. While we will no longer offer official special education plans, this does not change our commitment to providing a high quality and appropriately challenging education. Students who need specialized services from a licensed professional (e.g. speech therapist, occupational therapist) should be able to receive those from their local public school.
Are all Young Scholars automatically qualified to apply for Davidson Academy Online as it falls under Davidson Institute?
Being a Young Scholar does not guarantee admissions to any of the programs offered through the Davidson Institute. Davidson Academy Online and Reno both run separate admissions processes from the Davidson Institute.
As an entity of Davidson Institute, will Young Scholar (YS) services automatically be available to all Davidson Academy Online families?
Yes, and this has been our past practice. Academy students who were not a YS family prior to enrollment simply need to complete some basic demographic information on an application to have access to YS services.
What does this mean in terms of accreditation (specifically in terms of University of California A-G requirements and NCAA)?
We expect Davidson Academy Online will undergo accreditation on its own rather than with the Reno campus. Based on the quality of our courses, internal standards and processes, and expertise of our staff we do not anticipate any issues gaining accreditation independent of the Reno campus. All Davidson Academy Online courses are currently approved for A-G credit by the University of California and we do not anticipate any changes here. Davidson Academy Online will be applying for NCAA program approval just as the Academy has now.