Who We Are
Montford North Star Academy (MNSA) is a public middle school in the Asheville City Schools system serving 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. MNSA is a magnet school focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). The mission of MNSA is to recognize and respond to students’ diverse backgrounds, abilities, challenges, and opportunities. MNSA envisions providing an immersive, empowering, skills-focused, and performance-based learning environment in which to prepare all students with the authentic readiness for career, college, and life. MNSA’s motto is “Connect. Collaborate. Create.”
MNSA is a partner in the Asheville Buncombe Middle Grades Network, which utilizes a collective impact strategy that brings together Asheville City Schools, Buncombe County Schools, and community partners around a shared vision of creating success-ready 9th-graders and improving graduation rates.
What We Do
MNSA serves sixth through eighth grade students using a Project-Based Learning approach to engage students in real-world and personally meaningful projects. MNSA offers the following programs and activities:
- Academics: Core coursework including English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics.
- Electives: Additional coursework beyond required core courses including PE, Band, Visual Arts, Crafting, Yearbook, and STEAM careers.
- Project Lead the Way Electives: Special electives such as Medical Detectives, Robotics, and Computer Science that engage students in hands-on, real-world activities, projects, and problems that help students apply classroom-acquired knowledge and skills in everyday life.
- Extracurricular Activities: Clubs and activities outside the classroom such as Battle of the Books, Drama, Science Olympiad, and Student Government and school athletics such as field hockey, basketball, and volleyball.
- Instructional Supports: Additional programming such as Academically and Intellectually Gifted Program, Counseling Services, and Library Services.
- In Real Life After School Program: Fun, engaging, and healthy after school activities and courses offered both at MNSA and off campus.
