The National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) elevates a school’s commitment to the values of scholarship, responsibility, leadership, and service. Earning and maintaining a chapter of NEHS is a proud accomplishment for a school and its school leaders—particularly the administration led by the principal and the faculty council led by the adviser—in administering a national recognition program that celebrates holistic assessment of student achievement.
The national office provides the following resources to help advisers administer their chapter’s NEHS recognition program:
- Adviser Resource Center with step-by-step guidelines, templates for bylaws and communications, handbooks, and comprehensive policy guidance.
- National Customer Care Center and Programs and Services Team, available 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (ET) at 703-860-0200 and [email protected].
- Access to the NEHS Store
- Principal and adviser quarterly communications
If you are interested in starting a chapter at your school, please review and share the following with the appropriate officials. Note that students and parents cannot apply to establish a chapter.
Step 1: Confirm Eligibility to Apply
As your school begins the process to apply to become an affiliate chapter of the National Elementary Honor Society, make sure that you meet the following criteria:
- The faculty council shall consist of the chapter adviser and at least two (2) voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal (Note: No principal or assistant principal may be included on the faculty council).
- A majority of students must be enrolled full time. Part-time enrichment programs or other supplemental programs may not submit a charter application, nor can school districts on behalf of multiple schools within their district.
Full- or part-time home-school programs or consortiums and individual home-schooled families are not eligible to apply for an Honor Society charter. Recognition is available through a separate organization, the National Home School Honor Society.
Finally, review the National Elementary Honor Society Constitution and make sure your school is willing to comply with these national policies.
*Refer to the NEHS handbook for additional information.
Step 2: Complete a New Charter Application
If your school meets the requirements in step 1, you are ready to complete and submit an application for a chapter either online or by mail.
Complete an application online.
The annual fee is $84. Billing cycle runs July 1 – June 30.
As you await approval, we encourage you to browse this website and become more familiar with this student leadership recognition program that strengthens the lives of our nation’s elementary students and the schools in which they are enrolled.
Step 3: Get Ready to Begin
The national office will notify you by email with your login information once your chapter is approved. You can then access to the NEHS Handbook and member-only portions of this website. These resources will help your chapter to develop:
- Chapter bylaws, including determining membership criteria and an outline for completing service projects. Download a sample here.
- Selection procedures, including choosing an induction date for new members. You’ll need to publish selection procedures and make it available.
- Discipline and dismissal procedures. Begin with Article IX found in the NEHS Constitution.
- Chapter service projects, meetings, and other activities to build and support an active chapter at your school.
Your adviser will also receive a series of emails welcoming them to the NEHS family, with additional information to help them get their chapters set up and ready for induction.
We also suggest that you also follow NEHS on Facebook.
If at any time you have any questions, please contact our Customer Care Center, available 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (ET) at 703-860-0200 and [email protected].