Frequently Asked Questions

Our School Couseling Staff is always available to help.  Also refer to our "Who to Contact" list to find the best person to reach out to in other AHS departments. We look forward to working with you!

Your child will be assigned to a school counselor at the beginning of their freshman year based on the first letter in their last name. The counselor name and contact information can be found here.

There are 4 terms and 2 semesters each school year.  The specific dates are set at the start of each school year and included in the Student/Parent handbook. 

All of our grades are reported electronically via iPass.  It is strongly recommended that not only students have their own iPass account to monitor their progress throughout the year, but parents do as well.  At the end of each term, grades are finalized for the term and released on iPass electronically for families to see.  Printed copies of a report card can be requested from the School Counseling secretary if needed.

Updated attendance policies are included in the Student/Parent handbook, and are reviewed on an annual basis.  

AHS offers multiple sports during the fall, winter and spring seasons, available to all students.  Refer to the Athletics website for a complete list of teams and coaches.  Prior to each season, a meeting will be held for all student athletes who intend to try out for a team that season.  The coaches will provide information about tryout dates and other relevant details for the upcoming season.  An athletic form and physical form, along with the appropriate sport fee, must be submitted to the Athletic office prior to a student being allowed to participate in tryouts.

In addition to the required MCAS tests taken during high school, there are several college admission tests recommended by the counseling department including the PSATs, SATs or ACT exams.  Please refer to College Admissions Tests for more detailed information.

Counselors recommend that all students participate in one or more extracurricular activity while in high school to become a well-rounded member of society.  Students who are involved in activities feel more connected to the school.  Also, colleges and scholarship committees frequently request information on extracurricular participation and demonstrated leadership while in high school.

Student Government

Each class at Ashland High School elects a president, vice president, secretary, historian, and treasurer to provide leadership and organization, and establish lines of communication among the student body, student council, school council and the administration. It is the responsibility of the officers to address the needs of the classes and to inform the classes about Student Council activities.

Student Council

The Student Council is the umbrella under which all the other clubs and student organizations at AHS function. Although membership is by election, the council is an "open" council. This means all interested students wishing to participate as council members can join the ranks by attending at least three meetings in a row and volunteering to actively participate in at least three projects of the council (including dances, homecoming, spirit week, community service projects, etc.).  The council participates in statewide conferences and has interest in the national organizations of councils. At AHS, this council is responsible for the student activities calendar and is a support to all clubs and activities. Members are leaders serving as role models to all students and are active participants in meetings and leadership building programs.

Student Advisory Council 
to the
School Committee

Purpose: The members of the Advisory Council to the School Committee consider matters of student interest that come before the School Committee.  They present their collective perspectives as non-voting members to the School Committee. The Advisory Council consists of five elected students.

Yes, community service is a requirement for student graduation from Ashland High School.  Students must complete a minimum of 25 hours of unpaid service to the community by the first day of senior year. All community service must be completed and all paper work submitted to be eligible for senior privileges. For tracking purposes, we'd appreciate it if this requirement were met by the end of the student’s junior year, but it must be completed by the first day of senior year.

An Honor Roll based on three categories of scholastic achievement is published at the end of each marking period. All subjects are treated equally.

• High Honors: 90 or better in all subjects

• Honors: 80 or better in all subjects

• Merit: 80 or better in all subjects, except one grade of 77-79

All students are required to take mid-term exams at the end of the first semester in January and final exams at the end of the year in June. Incomplete grades must be turned into the guidance department no later than two weeks after report cards have been issued. The administration will grant extensions, if needed, due to extenuating circumstances.

• Any senior who attains a grade of 90 or higher in each of the four terms of a yearlong course will be exempt from taking their final exam in that class. Any senior who attains a grade of 90 or higher in Terms I & II of a first semester class will be exempt from taking their final exam in that class.

• ALL SENIORS ARE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SENIOR EXIT WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED IN MAY.

• Students who are absent from school during exam periods must provide a doctor’s note.

• Students must take exams during their assigned class periods.

• No student will be permitted to take exams during the make-up period unless they have provided the office with a doctor’s note.

Students who have achieved an exact cumulative GPA 3.2 or higher over their freshman and sophomore years and who are exemplary in the areas of character, leadership and service are eligible for induction into the Socios Chapter of the National Honor Society in November of their junior year.  If students meet the academic requirement, they are then eligible for consideration on the basis of community service, leadership, and character.  Please see the NHS website for more information.

All placements are designed to provide maximum intellectual challenge for each student. The school makes placement decisions on the basis of aptitude as determined by standardized testing, past academic performance, and teacher recommendations. Placement assumes that ability will allow success, but normal student effort is also assumed; low grades are not automatically a basis for dropping levels. It is also assumed that students and teachers will anticipate upward movements in level placements based on intellectual growth over years of schooling. Placement levels may vary in different subject areas, and trial attempts at upward placement are encouraged. All course levels are designed to challenge students, promote critical thought, and provide opportunities to problem solve. The professional staff at Ashland High School is committed to the following: all students, upon graduation, will be expected to demonstrate they can synthesize, organize, and apply knowledge to complex and real life situations, and are fully prepared for post secondary education and/or work. 

Course levels are designated as follows:

• Level 4 Advanced Placement (AP): A one-year course that ends with a nationally standardized examination that leads to advanced standing and/or credit in college.

• Level 3 Honors (H): An intense course that demands much independent learning as well as critical, creative, and analytical thinking.

• Level 2 College Prep 2 (CP2): Courses require a moderate to extensive intellectual development and outside preparation. These courses are designed to prepare students for college-level work. Students are assumed to be self motivating.

• Level 1 College Prep 1 (CP1): Courses are student-oriented and characterized by lively classroom discussion, group projects, and homework appropriate for high school graduation.  These courses are also designed to prepare students for college.

• Level 0 Unweighted: Represents courses that are not computed into GPA.

Course Level Placement

Students will be placed in core class levels based on their performance the previous year in the same discipline, as recommended by teachers, counselors, and department chairs. As a general principle, a grade of 85 the previous year will determine a student’s eligibility for Honors and Advanced Placement classes. Please speak with your guidance counselor if you have questions regarding a placement decision or wish to discuss an override.

Naviance Family Connection is a web-based guidance resource for students to use to help in making decisions about colleges and careers. Juniors and seniors can research colleges, compare GPA, SAT scores, and other statistics to actual historical data from AHS. All students can build a resume, take a career interest inventory, view the schedule of college rep visits, and much more.

All students will now receive a registration code freshman year.  Once they successfully register for the first time, the user name is an email address and the password is one the students choose themselves.  For more information, refer to our Naviance webpage.