History

The initial thrust to establish a national consortium came from four schools: North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics; Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology; Louisiana School for Mathematics, Science, and the Arts; and the Illinois Mathematics Science Academy. These schools hosted an organizational meeting in the spring of 1988 at Thomas Jefferson High in Alexandria, Virginia, and eleven additional schools responded to their invitation to join the efforts. These fifteen founding member institutions established the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, which is incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a non-profit organization and holds 501(c)(3) status.