Hi there,
I’ve searched on the internet for a week and I found out that Worcester Academy is the best choice for me, I love its urban setting too 
But has any of you been a student there? What do you think of the school? I look forward to your answers.
If I remember correctly,
Worcester Academy is either K-12 or has both middle and high school.
http://www.worcesteracademy.org/Page/Admission/Overview
It is primarily a day school but with some (around 25%, mostly international) boarding students.
An international student wanted to visit/interview there, but they would not do interviews for someone with lower than 90 TOEFL score so it did not work out for the student.
In my experience they have good athletics. We follow basketball closely and a number of kids recruited to colleges are from there.
There are a lot of good things about Worcester Academy, but I would not have listed its “urban” location as one of them! I hope I don’t offend anyone on this forum by saying that Worcester is not a particularly lovely city and isn’t exactly though of as a destination in its own right. It’s not a terrible place if there’s some reason you have to be in Worcester, but no one wakes up on a weekend and says, “hey, I know what I want to do today, let’s go visit Worcester!”
Agreed @soxmom but there are a fair number of colleges and universities in the city which may make it a bit more appealing. I love the campus of WPI but Worcester itself definitely not a destination.
Parent of two WA grads and worked at the school for 10 years. Both my kiddos got a terrific education at WA, but more important, they benefitted from several of what I consider to be the school’s unique strengths.
The urban setting is a definite plus in my book. Worcester is one of those hidden gem cities, with so much to offer because of many top colleges, a very diverse city population, wonderful museums and cultural organizations, etc. WA Students go to school, and volunteer in a “real world” neighborhood that definitely broadened my kids’ personal and intellectual perspectives. WA kids don’t go to school in a rural or leafy suburban bubble–they are provided many opportunities to interact with their neighborhood and neighbors. Its main campus, with 6 national Historic register buildings, is beautiful. The school recently acquired property a block from the main campus and added a gorgeous turf field and state-of -the-art black box theater/performance center. Gaskill Fields are a short walk away and the new Balance Athletic fields (lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, cross country) are a 10-minute bus-ride away. WA has built three habitat homes in the neighborhood, dozens of students volunteer at the public elementary school across the street, and at many other neighborhood organizations.
WA is also a place with a very diverse student body. The boarding population comes from all over the nation and world and we loved that our kids were able to interact with a truly global group of cohorts. More important, WA has a diversity of types of students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds from kids from a refugee camp in Africa to CEO’s kids and everything in between. About 41% of the student body receives financial aid. The school draws very talented athletes, but also talented writers, artists, musicians, and academic stars. What is cool is that students genuinely appreciate the unique talents and personalities of all students, and support each other in challenging themselves. I am constantly surprised to learn of the success stories and career paths of students from, say, the middle of the class academically.
The faculty and staff have as their goal to create independent, creative, passionate learners who can advocate for themselves, take intellectual and personal risks to grow, and to be truly ready for college and careers. This process starts with a strong advisor system, is bolstered by “extra help” periods built into the academic day where all teachers are available for questions, reviewing writing, etc., and ends with many opportunities to form strong (lifetime) bonds with teachers.
You will find an exceptionally welcoming student body, plenty of academic challenge and a million extracurricular and social opportunities at WA. Put WA on your list as you check out schools for your children this fall!
1 Like