Thornton Academy is a traditional American school in New England

From my experience of working with schools in the USA I know that American schools rarely accept students from our region under the age of 15. At the conference in Berlin I met a representative of a private school in Maine, which accepts students from the age of 13 and offers 24 Advanced Placement courses. The only thing that confused me was the size of the school. Knowing how parents feel about schools with over 1000 students I asked how they can provide safity at school and guaranty personalized approach to each student from teachers and schol staff. The answers convinced me that boarding school Thornton Academy worth of my recommendation.

L: Tell us about Thornton Academy?

R: In the coastal town of SACO, in Maine, is one of the oldest schools in the United States – Thornton Academy founded in 1811. Thanks to its centuries-old history, the school is very traditional, with distinctive traditions in the formation of New England.

L: is Sufficient attention for each student in Thornton Academy?

R: the School is large – more than 1,000 students representing 35 nationalities. I would compare it with the University as the school has about 300 teachers. This a large number of teachers, not even including school staff, so you should not be concerned about the lack of a personal approach which is the sin of many large schools. At Thornton Academy, the ratio of teachers to students 1:15. Moreover, the school offers 24 subject on Advanced Placement. in a small school the number may be limited to ten.

L: That's impressive! Wich extra-curricular activities you offer school?

R: the Main advantage of the school is the number of extra-curricular activities. With such a faculty the school can afford it. We have ballet, figure skating, horse riding, hockey, basketball, football. By the way, all sports at the school have its own infrastructure: hockey – has its own ice arena, basketball – a basketball court. None of the 1,000 students is left without a place in the sports section.

For creative children and those who are interested in programming are electives for design, art, fashion, robotics, etc. this is the advantage of such a great school as Thornton Academy.

L: Children should be comfortable not only to learn but also to live in the school. What are the options of accommodation you offer?

R: In school you can choose the option to stay in the residence or the local host family. Family is either the family of the teacher or school staff, who live five minutes from campus. Close enough and the family must take the kids to school every day.

L: Do you offer day rooms on campus for children who live in families?

R: No, but they can always visit their friends in the residences on campus and comfortably do homework at home. Around 100 students from Thornton Academy chose the option of homestay.

As for residences, it is a home for majority of students. 400 students are placed in houses which fit 55 boys or girls and 5 teachers live with them. So we don't have to worry about childcare.

Tell us about admission to the school? Do students need to take the SSAT test?

R: I Can say that admission to our school is easier then to many of other US schools: Thornton Academy does not require the SSAT test, which is quite problematic to take for foreign students. Besides, the school has support in English language, so when students entering secondary school we do not require high English. Package of documents – school records for the last three years and recommendations from teachers. Applicants also need to pass a Skype interview. We can accept student even in the last year, the 12th grade. When selecting students the school looks at the grades, motivation and personality of the child. If the child knows why he wants to go to this school, then it will be easier to do well in Thornton Academy.

My opinion: Thornton Academy is a good choice for children who do a lot of sports and have different hobbies. Yes, the school can control security and monitor the children. Especially if the child resides in the residence. To be in large school gives students more opportunities. But if your child tends to get lost in big schools then I would advise you to look for a school with fewer students. In this case, you should align your desires with the possibilities that the school  can provide for your child.