National High School Institute

What National High School Institute does

National High School Institute (NHSI), branded as "The Cherubs," is a performing arts pre-college summer institute operated as a program within Northwestern University's School of Communication in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest and largest university-based pre-college arts program of its kind. NHSI serves high school students (freshmen through seniors) through four residential core divisions — Theatre Arts, Film & Video, Debate, and Playwriting — plus a portfolio of year-round online workshops, virtual boot camps, and In-School Residencies delivered directly to partner high schools in Chicagoland and Los Angeles.

NHSI's technology stack is operational rather than proprietary: residential programs use Northwestern's campus facilities, including the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, while online programs (launched in 2021 amid COVID-19) run on Zoom for seminars and Slack for text-based communication, with enrolled students receiving Northwestern NetID access to the NU Library's journals and e-books. The application process uses Qualtrics as the unified form platform. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or software-as-a-service products are offered.

Revenue is generated primarily through summer program tuition ($4,000–$8,050 per student depending on program length and residential/commuter status), supplemented by $60 non-refundable application fees, shorter online boot camps ($250–$400), and grant funding (notably the JCCC Foundation) underwriting the Playwriting+ In-School Residencies. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the nhsi.northwestern.edu website, virtual Zoom info sessions, email, and social channels (@NuNHSI, @nhsicherubs). The program is led by Director Jennifer Avery (since September 2015), with Film & Video Division Director Joe Rowley and program support staff. Notable alumni include Oscar-nominated actor Lucas Hedges, and faculty have earned Sundance and Directors Guild of America recognition.

Name

National High School Institute

Legal name

National High School Institute

Website

https://nhsi.northwestern.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National High School Institute ("The Cherubs") is Northwestern University's 1931-founded pre-college summer program offering Theatre Arts, Film & Video, Debate, and Playwriting instruction to high school students on the Evanston campus, supplemented by online workshops and In-School Residencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pre-College Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-College Summer/Winter Academic Programs (High School Students) (EDAIAIAD)

Keywords

• Pre-college summer programs
• Performing arts education
• Theatre arts training
• Film and video programs
• High school enrichment

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Summer Program Tuition: Students pay tuition for multi-week residential or online summer programs in Theatre Arts, Film & Video, Debate, and Playwriting. Fees vary by program length and include residential and commuter options.
2. Online Boot Camps: Shorter online programs during the school year including TV Pilot Boot Camp ($400) and Playwriting Boot Camp ($250), charged as one-time fees.
3. Application Fees: Non-refundable $60 application fee per program; reduced to $30 for subsequent programs if applying to multiple. Application fee waiver available for families with financial need.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

National High School Institute (NHSI), known as "The Cherubs," operates pre-college summer enrichment programs at Northwestern University's Evanston campus for high school students. The institute offers immersive instruction across four divisions: Theatre Arts, Film & Video, Debate, and Playwriting. Supplementary offerings include In-School Residencies that bring playwriting instruction directly to Chicagoland and Los Angeles high schools, plus shorter virtual boot camps and workshops delivered online during the school year.

Product overview

National High School Institute (NHSI), known as 'The Cherubs,' operates as a comprehensive pre-college summer program portfolio at Northwestern University. The core offerings consist of four divisions: Theatre Arts Division (Performance, Stage Management & Design/Tech, Musical Theatre), Film & Video Division (Acting on Camera, Screenwriting, Production), Debate Division (Policy Debate in multiple formats), and the Playwriting Intensive. Supplementary programs include Virtual Writing Workshops, Winter Boot Camps in Acting and TV Pilot Writing, and In-School Residencies that bring playwriting instruction to partner high schools. The program has operated since 1931 and is the oldest and largest university-based program of its kind.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatre Arts Division Residential summer program offering high school students immersive theatre arts training with three tracks: Performance, Stage Management & Design/Tech, and Musical Theatre extension. Students train with industry professionals using Northwestern's Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts.
• Film & Video Division Residential summer program providing high school students with film and video production instruction across three concentrations: Acting on Camera, Screenwriting, and Production.
• Debate Division Policy debate program for high school students offered in 6-week, 4-week, and 1-week formats across residential, commuter, and online delivery modes.
• Playwriting Intensive 3-week intensive residential program where students craft plays in a professional educational environment with master classes led by professional playwrights.
• In-School Residencies (Playwriting+) Playwriting program delivered in partnership with Chicagoland and Los Angeles high schools, offering 10-12 sessions of workshops and writing exercises delivered directly within partner schools.
• Virtual Writing Workshops Online writing workshops during the school year covering playwriting, comedy writing, and TV pilot screenwriting, taught by working professionals.
• Winter Teen Acting Boot Camp 10-week online acting workshop teaching craft fundamentals including character building, making strong choices, monologue selection, and mock auditions.
• Playwriting Boot Camp 5-day intensive online playwriting boot camp where students complete a draft of a 10-minute play, with daily group Zoom sessions and email correspondence.
• TV Pilot Boot Camp 6-session online boot camp teaching students to develop TV series ideas into scripts, with analysis of pilot scripts from popular shows and writing of teasers and first acts.

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Pre-college and college-level theatre training program offering immersive semester/summer intensives in acting, directing, and playwriting. Direct competitor to NHSI Theatre Arts and Playwriting divisions for serious high school theatre students.
• American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) High School Summer Conservatory: Conservatory-style summer programs for high school students in acting, musical theatre, and performing arts. Direct competitor to NHSI Theatre Arts Division, particularly for Musical Theatre track applicants.
• Interlochen Arts Camp: Premier pre-college residential summer arts program offering intensive training in theatre, film, music, and creative writing for high school students. Closest direct competitor to NHSI's Theatre Arts, Film & Video, and Playwriting divisions, competing for the same applicant pool on similar multi-week residential formats.
• NYU Tisch High School Summer Program: Tisch School of the Arts offers pre-college summer intensives in film, acting, and dramatic writing for high school students. Directly overlaps with NHSI's Film & Video Division (Acting on Camera, Screenwriting) and Playwriting Intensive in both curriculum and target audience.
• Juilliard Summer Programs: Pre-college summer programs in drama, dance, and music for high school students hosted at a top conservatory. Directly comparable to NHSI's Theatre Arts Division and competes for elite performing-arts-bound high schoolers willing to pay premium tuition.
• Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program: Intensive summer music and performing arts program for high school students held on a college campus. Comparable residential, multi-week format to NHSI and targets similarly elite, college-bound performing arts students.
• Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Drama Program: Summer pre-college program in drama at a top-tier university conservatory, targeting high school students serious about BFA-level theatre training. Overlaps with NHSI Theatre Arts Division on applicant demographics and curriculum.
• USC School of Cinematic Arts Summer Programs: Pre-college summer programs in film production, screenwriting, and animation for high school students at a top-tier film school. Closely comparable to NHSI Film & Video Division, competing for the same aspiring student filmmakers.

Broad incumbents

• Emerson Pre-College Summer Programs: Pre-college summer programs in writing, film, theatre, and communication at Emerson College. Comparable in subject-matter mix (writing, film, theatre) and B2C/D2C summer format to NHSI, though operating as a standalone conservatory rather than part of a broader R1 university.
• Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: University-hosted summer programs for high school students across multiple disciplines (humanities, sciences, arts). Comparable as a brand-name university summer enrichment option but offers arts as one of many tracks rather than specializing in performing arts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NuNHSI
• YouTubevimeo.com/user15687430
• Facebookfacebook.com/NuNHSI
• Instagraminstagram.com/nhsicherubs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-high-school-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National High School Institute