Thornton Academy

Thornton Academy is a historic independent town academy educating 6-12th graders in beautiful, coastal Saco, Maine. We are co-educational and non-sectarian. The majority of our students are day students from the towns of Saco, Dayton, Arundel, and other towns in the Greater Portland area. They are joined by students from over 20 different countries who live in dormitories on campus or in the homes of local families. Thornton Academy is a historic independent school educating 6-12th graders. The majority of our students are day students from the towns of Saco, Dayton, Arundel, and other towns in the Greater Portland area. They are joined by students from over 20 different countries who live in dormitories on campus or in the homes of local families.

Founded in 1811, Thornton Academy is one of the nation’s oldest independent schools. Thirty-seven citizens in the town of Saco petitioned the Massachusetts Legislature for the financial assistance and legal authority to open an academy in the community (Maine was not yet its own state). Although a nearby town had earlier been denied a similar request, the group successfully acquired permission and chose a site. The new academy opened in January of 1813, welcoming fifty boys and girls. Students included day students from nearby communities, like Saco and Biddeford, as well as tuition students from around New England. After offering a traditional classical education for many years, the students’ education came abruptly and sadly to a halt when their wooden schoolhouse burned to the ground. 
When Thornton Academy reopened in 1889, the school’s Board of Trustees contracted with local communities -- those that lacked schools beyond grade eight -- to provide high school education for their children. From then until today, Thornton Academy has educated students from near and far, through both public contract and independent admission.
Unlike public schools, Thornton receives no tax funds from sending municipalities to finance capital projects. As a town academy, Thornton Academy cannot issue bonds for school capital projects like most surrounding communities and instead must find private funding for nearly 40% of the annual budget in order to provide up-to-date facilities for students. From 2013-2014, Thornton renovated and relocated the library and dance studio, built a new media center and engineering lab, as well as refurbished three classrooms -- all with private funding. The 2015-16 school year will open with a new STEM Center expansion of the Scammon Building, featuring state-of-the-art AP Biology and AP Chemistry classrooms.

Required materials include:
Three years of transcripts from your school are required for application review. Originals are required upon admission.
Three letters of reference. Reference letters may be in paragraph form, or may be submitted by using the forms below.

Letters of reference for Boarding or High School Day applicants may be sent via mail, or via email to the Admissions Office at admissions@thorntonacademy.org.
Interview: Skype interviews will be scheduled for candidates who are unable to visit in person

For non-native English language speakers we require submission of either the TOEFL, TOEFL Jr., SSAT or IELTS. SLEP test results may be submitted, along with one of the other test scores listed above.
Note: Thornton Academy's TOEFL code is 5719 and our SSAT code is 7665. 

Application fee
$100 for boarding student applicants
$50 for high school day student applicants