Cushing Academy

My daughter is having the experience of her life. This is not like any other high school. It is a culture of positivity, teamwork. The levels of support to ensure a student is successful are numerous. There is really no student classes like Freshman or Senior they all work together based on academic level and maturity. Excellent for ESL students, can board or be a day student. The sports programs are the best anywhere in the country, as are the art, music and drama. They learn to work with glass, pottery and silver. Cushing is the oldest private school in the country and I don’t want my daughter any where else.

I loved my experiences at Cushing. I am class of 1987. I went for the competitive sports, but came out a well rounded kid. The teachers were interested and hard working. The school is very well organized and thoughtful about meeting the familial needs of their students. The sports aren’t bad either. I would love to go again.

I went to Cushing for my four years of high school (Class of 13′) and I can’t recommend it enough. First off, the connection that I gained with my teachers throughout my time there have been carried on in the years since, and I still feel connected to the school years after graduating. The educational experience is truly second to none. I came from a public school to Cushing — and was reluctant to come in the first place — but I’m very happy I did.
One aspect that Cushing excels in is getting you ready for college. I entered college (at my top choice University), and had no problem keeping up with the work-​load, and even adjusting to campus life (boarding school prepared me well for that). Cushing allows you to learn your independence throughout your time there, and grow as a leader (The leadership growth that Cushing gave me was carried on — I now sit on 3 executive boards in college).
Final reason (in this review — but there are so many more) that really contributed to my positive Cushing experience: I started to become a cyclist during my time at Cushing, but at the time the school didn’t have a club for it (or an afternoon activity — as it’s called). I went up to my advisors office, and asked about the possibility of starting a club. Without much work at all, we got a club off the ground, and was happy to gain lots of support from faculty and other students who took part in the club (we had 15 riders or so by my senior year). This was one of my biggest takeaways from Cushing, and I’ve carried my cycling passion on and now race Division II cycling in college.
I had an absolute blast at Cushing, and I wouldn’t exchange my four years there for anything else. Hands-​down one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

I completely and wholeheartedly DISAGREE with Belito L! Sounds like someone is harboring resentment for ridiculous reasons and slandering an amazing school for unsubstantiated reasons! I went graduated from Cushing (class of ’97) and will say that it’s an awesome institution. I enjoyed my time there and loved my teachers. Funny how people complain about sports teams at schools without realizing that their success and dollars they generate contribute to scholarships and facilities! Cushing thoroughly prepared me for college, in fact I was accepted to Ivy League institutions such as Brown and Yale. I made lifelong friends and happy to call this my alma mater. For anyone interested I suggest you visit campus for a tour or even attend the amazing summer sessions the school offers before you pass judgement. And please by all means don’t listen to Belito L… he probably never attended the institution!

Matt P is spot on with his review. Don’t listen to Scott B. (class of ’74?), a generational line of alumni will obviously be bias (and receive bias treatment) at a corrupt place like this. This place is a disgusting shameless scam-​a $ machine-​not a school. Don’t let the pretty landscape fool you.
Here’s one ironic and sad story I witnessed. A student was expelled for getting caught with a joint. Why was he immediately expelled and sent off, not put in counseling or some sort of attempted solution to the problem? Well because in this $ bureaucracy system, if a student is expelled the family forfeits all paid tuition, leaves the school, and are replaced with a new student who pays a NEW tuition in the same semester. What does that mean? It means it’s in the best interest of the school to expel students over something petty and replace them with new ones, they can exponentially gain hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition (and they do).
This student, a pretty well liked character, had his fellow peers in tears as he said goodbye. Here’s the irony-​GET THIS-​living in the same dorm building was one of the professors, a pothead that smoked weed in the dorm every night! (which everyone from students to staff turned a blind eye.err.nose to). I’m not saying the professor should have been necessarily been reprimanded as well, well probably considering he was living among students (!).but the point is hypocrisy without shame is disgusting. This is the worse kind of hypocrisy.
Again students were being expelled left and right in the interest of receiving additional tuitions from new students in the same school year. I had never witnessed so many expulsions. It was like a recycling program. Another student was expelled for missing 2 classes and being late twice in an entire semester. Really? This is unheard of in the entire country’s school system whether private or public.
Oh and yes, the hockey players are allowed to abuse other students, to the point that the police department should probably get involved. but no, it’s kept quiet, and not even the school disciplines the athletes. Naturally the school benefits from the hockey program financially as well (which was not even doing that well last time I checked). In one incident, a student was physically ASSAULTED by another in an off campus field trip. This was brought to the attention of the staff but nothing, I repeat nothing, was done, citing that their hands were tied since it was an off campus field trip. Bullshit. Any assault could be reported to the police. Oh you don’t want the bad publicity so we will let the victim suffer with no justice? How thoughtful of you.
The staff here are mostly incompetent, it’s obvious many of them take the job because it includes room and board at the school (a la pothead professor and others), as oppose to their qualifications or passion. The rest are hired through a bureaucracy, many of which have unusual mannerisms.
Send your child here, or enroll here, if you are ok with all of the above. If you’re not let the person next to you know, reach out, do something, these kinds of disgusting institutions are good at hiding their illegal, immoral, DISGUSTING behavior.

Wow. Read the negative review and wanted to provide some balance. My grandfather went to Cushing with Bette Davis. My mom went there and graduated top of her class in the 50’s. I graduated from Cushing in 1974 and on to work on-​air in network radio in New York and on Madison Avenue. My nephews graduated in the past few years and both of them are achieving and growing in the arts — one’s a professional photographer and the other a musician.
Without Cushing Academy, some of the high points of our lives could never have occurred. I highly recommend the school for its low teacher/​student ratio and even individual attention that bring out the positive aspects of those with mild learning differences.
Cushing is located in the bucolic little town of Ashburnham not far from Boston. The location is very convenient, yet far enough out to be in touch with nature and a slightly slower pace of life.

School is hyper focused on hockey program, rampant bullying and hazing, out of date dorms, and staff turn their heads to poor behavior of their so called athletes.