Boston University Academy (BUA) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

operated by

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. Founded in 1993 and located on the Boston University campus, the academy is geared toward college preparatory work. As part of its integration with the university, students are able to take college courses for credit their junior and senior years. Students are guaranteed acceptance to Boston University if they maintained a 3.0

grade point average Grading in education is the application of standardized Measurement, measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentage ...

in Boston University courses and have no history of major disciplinary actions. BUA's student body is drawn from over 51 communities: 33% come from public schools, 61% from independent schools, 5% from parochial schools and 1% are from home-school or international schools; 53% are students of color and 37% of students come from multilingual households (representing 30 languages). BUA provides need-based tuition assistance to approximately 29% of the students as of the 2024–2025 academic year.

Accreditation

The academy is accredited by the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC ) is an American educational organization that accredits private and public secondary schools (high schools and technical/career institutions), primarily in New England. It also ...

and is a member of the

Association of Independent Schools of New England Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

History

Boston University Academy was proposed and founded in 1993 by Peter Schweich, then the vice president for publications of Boston University, and authorized by

John Silber John Robert Silber (August 15, 1926 – September 27, 2012) was an American academician and candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996, he was President of Boston University (BU) and, from 1996 to 2002, Chancellor. From 2002 to 2003, he again ...

, then the president of Boston University. Peter Schweich was its first headmaster, and served in that role until 1999, when he was succeeded by interim head of school Dr. Jennifer Bond Hickman. Dr. James Tracy replaced Hickman and served until the spring of 2006, when he was replaced by Dr. James Berkman. On August 21, 2014, Berkman announced that he would retire after the 2014–2015

academic year An academic year, or school year, is a period that schools, colleges and university, universities use to measure the duration of studies for a given educational level. Academic years are often divided into academic terms. Students attend classe ...

. On November 14, 2014, Provost Jean Morrison announced the appointment of Dr. Ari Betof to replace Berkman effective July 1, 2015. In July 2018, Boston University announced the removal of Dr. Betof following an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a Boston University undergraduate student. Following his departure, Dr. Rosemary White was appointed interim head of school. Dr. White served as interim head of school until Christos J. Kolovos began his tenure in the summer of 2020. When Boston University Academy was founded, it covered grades 9–12; an 8th grade of approximately 20 students was added in 1999. The 8th grade was dropped in 2005. On October 26, 2021, teacher Jennifer Formichelli was struck by a bus and killed.

Notable faculty

* Philip Gambone, a published author, primarily taught freshman English during his 13-year tenure from 2004 until his retirement in 2017. Gambone returned for the 2018–2019 academic year after which time he again retired. * Brett Abigaña, a noted composer and co-founder and associate director of the Boston Composers' Coalition.

References

{{coord, 42.3510, -71.1098, display=title Academy, Boston University Educational institutions established in 1993 High schools in Boston Gifted education Private high schools in Massachusetts 1993 establishments in Massachusetts University-affiliated schools in the United States