Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, or IMSA, is a three-year public high school of six hundred fifty students located in Aurora, Illinois. It is modeled on the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and has a focus on mathematics and science, although other subjects are studied as well. Some of its early staff members had previously worked at the North Carolina school. It is a member of the NCSSSMST.
It is a boarding school which accepts students from across the state. It is also a public school, and students are not charged tuition. It is funded out of the State of Illinois budget for higher education. Although a facilities fee of a few hundred dollars is charged, this can be waived for students from lower-income families. It does have a policy to accept students from other states and from abroad, but they must pay tuition.
Prospective students, who are either eighth graders or freshman in high school, must take the SAT, complete an application, and obtain recommendations from two of their math or science teachers. As such, IMSA has a strong academic reputation. Since it draws the best students from across the state, it is sometimes considered a magnet school.
Nobel laureate Leon Lederman, director of nearby Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, was among those to first propose the school in 1982 - 1983, and together with governor Jim Thompson led the effort for its creation. The school was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1985, and first opened to students in 1986. Lederman gave its first commencement address in 1989.