Enroll at NSA
How to Enroll at Nashville School of the Arts
Nashville School of the Arts is an MNPS Magnet School, which requires an Optional Schools application to request to audition and enroll.
All students must fill out an application in order to audition for NSA. If you have filled out the application through the school options process during the district open enrollment period (Tuesday, January 20 to Friday, February 6), you will receive a link within 24-48 hours to schedule your in-person audition on Saturday, February 7. Please check your spam folder if you don’t receive and email, and then contact the main office.
If you are applying after the open enrollment period, you will need to reach out to the conservatory director to schedule an audition at their availability.
Incoming 11th and 12th Grade Students
Incoming 11th and 12th grade students have a later deadline of Friday, March 7 but are encouraged to utilize the February 6th deadline for the underclassmen to take advantage of the of the planned audition day on Saturday, February 7.
What If You Miss the Initial Deadline?
Families who miss the initial deadline should still apply, but please note that there will not be any additional coordinated audition days. Auditions will be organized by each individual conservatory lead at their discretion and availability.
District Application Portal and More Information
To learn more about MNPS Optional schools, visit the MNPS Optional Schools page for more information.
Requirements
Nashville School of the Arts students must be residents of Davidson County and need to be registered for MNPS schools before filling out the Optional Schools application.
You can register your student online or visit one of the MNPS Enrollment Centers. Find more information on registering on the District website.
- If your student will be entering the 9th or 10th grade, you will simply fill out the Optional Schools application.
- If your student will be entering the 11th or 12th grade, you will need to upload a copy of your student's transcript as well as most recent report card to the online application. You should be able to obtain a PDF version of both from your current school if you are already in the MNPS district.
- If you don't have access to a digital copy of these documents, you can bring paper copies to the school or the district Family Information Center. If that is not an option and you are currently an MNPS student, please email Jeremy Lee, and he will make arrangements to get it from the system on your behalf. Our counselors will make sure your student has the credits needed to graduate on time if attending our school. This process may take up to three days, so please allow 72 hours for the application to be approved or denied.
Getting Ready to Audition
You are able to audition for one or two conservatories. If you do choose to audition for two, please note you will have to indicate which is your first and second preference on the application. If accepted to both conservatories, you will be autommatically placed in your first choice.
Once the application has been filled out online or dropped off at the School Options Office on Bransford Avenue, a representative from NSA will then contact you with details of an open audition or to schedule an audition.
- You can also see the audition information for each conservatory by reading the conservatory pages.
- Please note late applicants, regardless of reason, are not guaranteed an audition.
Ready to Apply?
Conservatory Audition Information
For more details on a specific audition, please visit to our Conservatories page.
After the Audition
Once you have auditioned, we follow the District School Choice calendar for the release of audition results. You will be able to see those results by logging back in to your online application, but you should also receive an email notification sent to the email used to create the application itself.
If accepted, don't miss the deadline for accepting your seat! Please note you must do this online within 10 days from the School Options page. Any seats not accepted in time will be understood as a nonacceptance, and could be filled by other applicants on the waitlist.
On the Waiting List?
If a student is waitlisted, this means that all of the seats in that conservatory are currently filled. If extra seats open, you will receive a notification to accept your seat via the email used to create the application.
