FAQs

General Information

Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

The Call for Proposals for conference sessions opens Monday, August 25, 2025, and closes Friday, October 3, 2025.

All selected presenters must be registered to attend the conference in order to present. Student presenters must be registered as part of a school group and cannot present or attend individually.

Registration will open on Monday, September 22 and will remain open until we reach capacity. Please note that the LEAD Conference has sold out in recent years, so please plan ahead.

Schedule

LEAD 2026 will take place Friday, February 27 to Sunday, March 1, 2026. The itinerary will be live on the website in September.

The opening general session begins at 3 p.m. on Friday and concludes at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Registration

The registration fee covers all programming, as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday, February 28 and breakfast on Sunday, March 1.

There is no limit on the number of students you can bring. However, we require one adviser or school leader for every 12 students.

No, you do not have to be a member to attend. The rate is $474 per person for nonmember schools.

The rate for member schools is $299 per person.

To learn more about NHS, NJHS, or NASC membership, please contact Jordana Taylor at [email protected].

All registrations must be coordinated through the student’s official school chapter or council. Students cannot register on their own or attend independently—even with a parent.

The chapter or council adviser is responsible for submitting the registration. For every 12 students attending, one adviser, school leader, or approved chaperone is required.

Once you register yourself, you will see where to add additional advisers, administrators, and parents or chaperones.

Students cannot register themselves for the conference or attend individually. All registrations must be coordinated through the chapter or council’s adviser.

When you start your registration for a group, you receive a confirmation email marked “NHS and NASC Registration Confirmation” with a group number. From that email you will be able to log back in to your registration to update the information, add a student name, adviser names, etc. Any incomplete registrations will result in a cancelled record within 10 days.

You may email us at [email protected] or call 800-253-7746, option 8.

No. All registrations must be completed online prior to the conference.

No. Registration is only available online.

A confirmation email will be sent to the adviser’s email address immediately upon registration. You will also receive additional details via email prior to the conference with detailed instructions.

If you do not receive a confirmation email, please reach out to Customer Care immediately at [email protected] or 800-253-7746, option 8. You must be able to receive communications from NASSP.

Registrations cancelled are not eligible for a refund. If a registrant is unable to attend the conference for any reason, they may substitute another student or adviser to attend in their place by logging in to their registration before February 6, 2026. After this date, substitutions may be made on-site or by emailing [email protected].

Hotel Information

Each school is responsible for booking its own hotel accommodation. The link to book hotel rooms can be found in your registration confirmation email once you have completed registration or on the conference homepage.

Making hotel reservations does NOT guarantee your attendance at the conference; you must have a confirmed registration. The link to book hotels rooms will be included in your registration confirmation email. We strongly encourage everyone to complete and pay all registration fees prior to confirming your hotel accommodation.

Any additional questions not covered here? Feel free to contact us at [email protected] or call 800-253-7746, option 8.

Transportation Information

The Washington Hilton is 5.8 miles (22 minutes travel time) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and 29 miles (42 minutes travel time) from Dulles International Airport (IAD).

An Uber or taxi from DCA is approximately $48.

An Uber or taxi from IAD is approximately $108.

Washington Hilton is also accessible via the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro). You can plan your route ahead of time using the online trip planner. The average cost per rider is $3–5. Travel time can take up to an hour or more from DCA.

Conference Dress Attire

School attire is appropriate. This includes casual pants, jeans, sweatshirts, and T-shirts.

Advisers should ensure that students’ attire represents their school in a positive and appropriate way.

No clothing that is suggestive, obscene, or promotes illegal substances—such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, profanity, sexual pictures, or an inference to these items will be allowed.

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap