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Thayer Academy students thrive in an environment distinguished by rigorous academics, a supportive culture, and a vibrant community. Thayer’s unique schedule allows students to participate in a balanced program of academics, athletics, arts, and service.
This independent, coeducational day school for students in grades 5-12 is located in the historic district of Braintree, Massachusetts. The school was established by the bequest of Sylvanus Thayer, “Father of the U.S. Military Academy” at West Point and founder of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Thayer is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Association of Independent Schools in New England, is accredited by the New EnglandAssociation of Schools and Colleges, and has had a chapter of the Cum LaudeSociety since 1930. Easily accessible from the Red Line, the commuter rail, and five Thayer buses, Thayer draws students from 76 communities, three countries, and a wide range of backgrounds—which further enriches and differentiates the student experience.
Thayer’s mission “to inspire a diverse community of students to moral, intellectual, aesthetic and physical excellence” is evident in Thayer students pursuing a rigorous academic schedule while also participating in the school’s rich arts offerings and athletic tradition. The Thayer Middle School program includes experiential learning, outdoor education, visual arts, coding, and robotics as it prepares students for a demanding Upper School curriculum. Thayer Academy offers students numerous opportunities to challenge themselves academically and personally with 15 AP classes, 85 electives, 26 varsity-level sports with 85teams, 10 different arts subject offerings, and over 30 activities, including five academic teams. A large percentage of students participate in Thayer’s musicals, plays, bands, chorus, and dance performances each year.
Thayer Academy’s Middle and Upper Schools occupy 10 buildings and a 34-acre campus. Over the past decade, the Academy has invested $46+M in facilities enhancements designed to serve all areas of school life. In the academic realm, the Academy has fully renovated both the Middle and Upper School Libraries; established four important student support areas—the Hale Learning Center, the Benelli WritingCenter, the Pulsifer College Counseling Center, and the Hanflig TechnologyCenter; updated all science labs; and, most recently, established aCollaborative Design Lab for creative, student-directed projects in both divisions and added a new Computer Science & Robotics Center. The Academy has a Center for the Arts which includes a 550-seat theater, as well as dance, visual arts, choral, and instrumental studios; in addition, the Middle School theater was recently renovated. Thayer also completely renovated its art gallery and its videography and pottery studios. The athletics program has been enhanced by the newly opened Thayer Sports Center and Arthur T. Valicenti Rink, Hospitality Pavilion, three turf fields, the full renovation of two gymnasiums, and the addition of the Fish Center for Physical Fitness. The Academy also significantly improved important community areas through the completion of anew Student Commons, Senior Lounge, and Admissions Office.
Students live the Thayer mission to “contribute to the common good” through various all-school community service activities, such as volunteering at local shelters, food banks, and other nonprofit agencies. Students run many on-campus service clubs. They work with special needs children and adults from St. Coletta’s School, CardinalCushing, Friendship Home, and Special Olympics. Other clubs work with children and adults at Father Bill’s Homeless Shelter, Cradles to Crayons, Habitat forHumanity, and Birthday Wishes. In the SALSA Club, students speak with students at local elementary schools about living substance-free. Students also tutor children from Boston schools through Project RISE and Project DEEP. Global citizenship is central to Thayer’s mission. Students have the opportunity to travel to, and have cultural exchanges with, our sister schools in China,France, India, and the Bahamas. Other study-abroad opportunities include trips and programs in Italy, Greece, Spain, Peru, Ecuador, the Bahamas, and theDominican Republic for educational and community service experiences. In addition, students can enter Thayer’s Global Scholars Program, which combines academic learning with real-world international and multicultural experiences.Global Scholars take courses with diverse perspectives, participate in travel opportunities, and complete a capstone project their senior year.
Thayer has made a firm commitment to strengthen the school culture in ways that affirm the value of our Black students and all our students of color. The curriculum now includes anew 9th grade World History course which deepens students’ understanding of the economic, political, social, and intellectual aspects of systemic racism and provides a broader context for what is happening today. And all students take Antiracism & Social Justice, an interdisciplinary seminar designed to provide space for a thorough look at racism and to develop practical antiracist skills.
The Academy has an enrollment of 507 students in grades 9-12 and 190 in grades 5-8 for the 2020–2021
Tuition is $56,780 for grades 5 thru 8 and $59,390 for grades 9 thru 12 per year. Thirty-five percent of Thayer students receive need-based financial aid, which totals $7.7 million.
There are 108 academic faculty members, 68% of whom have master’s degrees or beyond.
The student-faculty ratio is 6:1. The average academic class size is 14 students.
Salaries are competitive with independent schools in our area, and the school is generous in its allocation of funds to support professional development. The Academy provides a significant measure of coverage for individual and family medical and dental coverage and contributes 10% to a TIAA-CREF annuity if a teacher has already been participating in that program.
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Since it first opened its doors in 1877, Thayer Academy has fostered a co-educational environment that affords equal access to students from a broad range of socio-economic circumstances, so they may pursue and develop their talents, interests, and passions.
Thayer Academy remains committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and inspiring environment for every student in our community. We value the commonalities that unite us and celebrate the diversity which makes this community stronger and more vibrant -- a diversity that embraces, but is not limited to: race, religion, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, learning style, physical ability, family makeup, and socioeconomic status.
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