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A good boarding school excels in many aspects. It provides high-quality teaching. It offers all-encompassing support. It has an environment protected from any possible harm or danger. Houghton Academy checks all three boxes. Established in 1883, it is an American boarding school that is home to a diverse range of international and local students. Over the past decade, 50% of them have come from 40 countries across five to six continents — creating a 1:1 ratio of international students to American students. The school’s staff are just as cosmopolitan, with many certified, bilingual and bringing extensive global experience.
A Houghton Academy education prepares students in grades six to 12 to become leaders and critical thinkers, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and experience for what is to come at university and beyond. At this school accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Middle States Association of Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), the goal is to produce graduates with integrity, character, and high competency levels in their fields of interest. To this end, 250 courses — including over 150 free university dual-credit courses — are available, with the average class size ranging between eight to 10 students per class.
These small class (and chapel) sizes paired with a small student population and 12-to-1 full-time-teachers-to-student ratio, let teachers give more keen attention. Whether your child needs help transitioning to a new learning system or with English as a second language, there are volunteers and staff ready to lend a hand. The Academy welcomes and has a range of support services for students of all English language proficiency levels.
“I appreciate that teachers really know my kids! When I get the comments on the report cards, I can tell that they don’t just see my child as a number but really understand their personalities and generally enjoy them,” says parent Kerrie Davidson, an alumna herself.
Teachers give their full attention and help children strive to excel in education. Source: Houghton Academy
Davidson has seen how faculty and staff go above and beyond for students. “The faculty and staff are always available for questions. I would say this is particularly true of the staff who seem ready at a moment’s notice to be helpful,” she says. “They all give freely of their time and are willing to help individual students who might be struggling.”
Outside of class, Residence Life’s Student Support Group acts as a second family. This group consists of the Boarding Director and Assistants, Dorm Parents, Nurse, School Counsellor, and English Language Learner Instructor. Knowing each and every student well, they have just the right words to say and actions to take in their encouragement and supervision.
Though parents are apart from their children, they can still be involved in their lives and apply rules they have back at home here. This goes through the Enhanced Support Programmewhere parents and the Residence Life team work together to build an individualised strategy to meet their children’s needs, be they physical, emotional, social, or spiritual.
Parents need not worry about their children’s well-being, though, as the faculty and staff at Houghton Academy are always available at a moment’s notice. The Academy’s Boarding Programme Director, Jon Keith, even publicises his email, WeChat and other contact details and remains accessible to meet students’s needs 24/7 all year round. The academy has a 24-hour emergency line to check in anytime and from anywhere in the world as well.
Source: Houghton Academy
For parent Connie, these features assure her that her daughter Candy has all the care she needs. Although she’s based in China, she’s not left in the dark about Candy’s progress. There is constant communication about how Candy is gradually becoming an independent lifelong learner.
Not being a local, Connie appreciates the safety and security of the academy and its location guarantee. “First of all, the location of Houghton Academy is far away from the big city. Secondly, Houghton Academy is in the Houghton University community. Third, because of the Christian faith, the entire community environment and people are pure — it is far away from the complexity and chaos of the busy city,” she says.
Houghton Academy is located in one of the safest communities in the US where crime is basically non-existent. Buildings have security cameras and students have adult supervision at all times, with its sister university providing an extra security team. If there is an emergency, local police are accessible within minutes.
Because of the size of the school, participation in sports, activities and clubs is easily accessible to all who are interested. Most activities have equal participation between local and international students alike.
The Houghton approach works. All university applicants are accepted, with the school recording 26.5 ACT and 1225 SAT recent average scores, beating the US averages of 20.5 ACT and 1051 SAT. Graduates are guaranteed acceptance into award-winning Houghton University, and have also been accepted into many top-ranked universities such as Princeton, Cornell and UC Berkeley.
