NAHS FAQ

Participation in the program requires students to be members of an established chapter at their school. If your child is interested in joining, please reach out to your child’s art educator or school administrator to inquire about the existence of an active chapter at their school. Additionally, you can download the Letter of Encouragement  to gain support from your child’s administration.

View a full list of student and sponsor benefits.

Public, charter, private and virtual schools, homeschool networks, and community-based nonprofit art organizations are eligible to apply for charter through the National Art Education Association (NAEA).

Students must be enrolled in middle or high school, have completed at least 1 semester of art in the school, and have a minimum art GPA of “B” (or your school’s equivalent) to be eligible for membership. Membership is based upon art scholarship, service, and character.

A chapter sponsor is an art faculty member designated to supervise and provide guidance for the chapter on a regular basis. The sponsor acts as a liaison between the chapter and NAEA, faculty, administration, students, and community. Any art faculty member employed at the school or organization may act as the NAHS/NJAHS chapter sponsor.

No. The handbook  is only available in digital format.

NAEA Member Services is always ready to answer your questions! Contact them at NAHS@arteducators.org or 800-299-8321 (Monday–Friday, 8:15am–4:30pm ET).

Send ideas and comments to NAHS@arteducators.org.

Yes. Bylaws define the standards that students are held to in order to be active members of the NAHS/NJAHS chapter at your school. Written bylaws clearly communicate expectations to student members and parents and help avoid misunderstandings. All bylaws should be consistent with regulations outlined in the NAHS/NJAHS constitutions. Download NAEA’s suggested bylaws  as a starting point. You can use or adapt the suggested bylaws to fit your school’s needs. Be sure to upload a copy of your bylaws on the NAHS/NJAHS Chapter Documents when registering your new chapter.

Each school must be established as a separate chapter account. School districts cannot register multiple schools under the same chapter.

New chapters receive a welcome letter, chapter charter, and student membership cards for each registered member, along with membership benefits.

Renewing chapters receive an email with a digital welcome letter, chapter charter, and student membership cards for each registered member, along with membership benefits. 

Please note that NAEA has transitioned from physical to digital membership cards to make our process more efficient and environmentally friendly. If you require physical copies of the membership cards, please email nahs@arteducators.org.

It is essential to establish two separate chapters. NAHS chapters are intended for high schools and students in grades 9-12. On the other hand, NJAHS chapters are designed for middle or junior high schools and students in grades 6-8. For junior high schools that include 9th grade students, they should be part of their NJAHS chapter.

A yearly school sponsorship fee is required of each NAHS/NJAHS chapter. This fee is equivalent to the Active Professional NAEA membership dues and ensures that each primary sponsor is an NAEA member in good standing. Membership/chapter fees vary by state (use the membership dues calculator to see dues for your state).

Note: If the chapter sponsor holds a current Active Professional NAEA membership (with an expiration date on or after June 30), then the school sponsorship fee is waived during registration. However, it is the responsibility of the sponsor to keep their membership current to remain eligible to receive chapter benefits such as the ability to order NAHS/NJAHS supplies.

Yes, both the primary sponsor and co-sponsor(s) must hold NAEA memberships that are valid through at least June 30 of the current school year.

Yes. Your chapter’s membership lapses at the end of the school year (June 30). Chapters must be re-registered every school year to be considered active.

The NAHS/NJAHS programs run on an academic calendar of July 1 through June 30. The suggested time frame for completing your registration is between July and January. This time frame allows adequate time for member eligibility and selection, as well as the suggested 4 weeks to place and receive merchandise and/or resource orders for ceremonies. Please note that registrations submitted July 1–June 30 will be applied to the current school year.

Yes. A student roster form is required when registering. If registering online, be sure to upload your student roster through the NAHS/NJAHS Chapter Profile.

Yes! Student dues ($5 per student) are required for every student in your chapter every year that they are a member.

Yes! Online registration is available for new and renewing chapters through the sponsor’s NAEA Profile. Payment can be completed online with a credit card, or you can mail your invoice and payment to: Mailing Address: NAEA, 901 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Fax: 703-860-2960 Email: NAHS@arteducators.org

Please allow up to 3 weeks for processing your NAHS/NJAHS registration, if you are mailing your check payment. Confirmation will be sent to the sponsor’s email address listed on the registration form once the registration has been processed.

Yes. Your school can combine your NAHS/NJAHS resource order and your NAHS/NJAHS registration. Please view NAEA’s Purchase Order (PO) requirements. If you need an invoice in order to pay for your sponsor and/or student dues, please select Bill Me in the checkout process, you will be emailed the invoice or contact NAEA Member Services by calling 800-299-8321 (M–F, 8:15 am–4:30 pm ET).

Yes. Public, charter, private and virtual schools, home school networks, and community based non-profit art organizations are eligible to apply for charter through the National Art Education Association (NAEA). Contact NAEA Member Services for more information.

Yes! Once you’ve registered your students, you can select the Registration button again in your chapter profile, where you will now see the option to Add More Students. Alternatively, you can complete the NAHS/NJAHS Chapter Registration form  in the section labeled “Adding Students.” After filling out the form, simply send it to NAEA via mail along with the payment for the additional student dues.

No. Members of the National Junior Art Honor Society should go through the same selection process as all other candidates to become members of the National Art Honor Society.

Please consult your chapter’s bylaws for guidance. The bylaws should outline the framework for governing your chapter, including procedures for addressing violations of chapter rules and policies. NAEA does not regulate individual chapter activity or participate in discipline/dismissal of students. The governing of the chapter shall remain at the discretion of the chapter sponsor and principal/school administration.

The activities of a chapter are subject to the approval of the sponsor and school/ organization administration. 

For award and scholarship details, check out the student opportunities page.

Remember to check with your state association for additional student opportunities. View state association’s web addresses here.

Send an email request to NAHS@arteducators.org to obtain a chapter list for your state.

NAHS News is a semiannual, full-color, online publication that showcases your school’s NAHS/NJAHS chapter. Submissions are due November 1 for the winter Issue and March 1 for the spring Issue. Chapters may submit one chapter report, two chapter photos, and up to five images of student artwork.

You may place a resource order in three ways (after your chapter has been registered for the current school year):

• Online: Log in with your NAEA login credentials. For assistance with your login credentials, please contact NAHS@arteducators.org. Online payments by credit card only.
• Phone: Contact NAEA Member Services by calling 800-299-8321 (M–F, 8:15am–4:30pm ET). Phone payments accepted by credit card only.
• Purchase Order: NAEA accepts official school purchase orders that follow these purchase order guidelines. If the guidelines are not followed, the purchase order may not be accepted. If your school requires an invoice, after logging into your NAEA account, select Bill Me during the checkout process. The purchase order deadline is March 31, any orders received after this deadline require payment before shipping the items. If you have any questions regarding the process, please contact NAEA Member Services at 800-299-8321 or NAHS@arteducators.org

The chapter sponsor must place all orders and make all inquiries regarding order status. NAEA cannot discuss orders or chapter status with students or parents.

Order early! As soon as your chapter is registered you can place an order! Allow up to 4 weeks for processing and shipment of your NAHS/NJAHS order. A chapter must be registered for the current school year prior to placing an NAHS/NJAHS order. Please review NAEA’s Shipping/Order Policy.

Yes, 2-day and next-day shipping is available for an additional cost. A chapter must be registered for the current school year prior to placing any NAHS/NJAHS order.

Please allow up to 4 weeks for processing and shipping of your order. Delivery times may vary. Orders are shipped via FedEx and USPS; tracking information is provided to the sponsor’s email address upon shipping.

Yes. All orders must be placed by the primary sponsor of a registered chapter. NAEA cannot accept orders from parents or students.

Yes. NAEA accepts official school purchase orders that follow these purchase order guidelines. If the guidelines are not followed, the purchase order may not be accepted. The deadline for purchase orders to be submitted to NAEA is March 31. If you have any questions regarding the process, please contact NAEA Member Services at 800-299-8321 or NAHS@arteducators.org.

Please contact members@arteducators.org within 30 days of delivery to report any errors or damage. NAEA accepts returns within 30 days of delivery and will pay return shipping if your order was incorrectly filled. Contact members@arteducators.org for further instructions. Cancellations/returns for any other reason are subject to a $10 restocking fee.