Cheshire Academy


Cheshire Academy is a selective, co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is currently the tenth oldest boarding school in the United States. In 1917, the school was renamed The Roxbury School, and trained young men exclusively for the purpose of attending nearby Yale University. Later known as Cheshire Academy, the school was the first private academic institution to accept international students dating back to the 1850s, and it is currently the only independent school to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the state of Connecticut.
The Academy currently enrolls 344 students from approximately 31 countries and 19 states in grades 9 through 12 plus a postgraduate year.

Campus

The town of Cheshire, established in 1780, was originally known for its lighting industry, copper mining, and agricultural productivity. Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal Bishop of Connecticut, established the Episcopal Academy in 1794, which would later endure several incarnations as The Cheshire School, The Roxbury School in 1917, and finally, Cheshire Academy in 1937.
Under the first headmaster, Rev. John Bowden, the school became renowned not only for training young men for the clergy, but also for educating students in the fields of English, Latin and Greek, philosophy, mathematics, and the sciences taught by leading colleges in the country at the time. Erected in 1796, Bowden Hall, the oldest schoolhouse still in continuous use in the state of Connecticut and tenth oldest schoolhouse in the United States, became an all-Cheshire community project, with funds to build the school donated by both churches and local proprietors.
In 1806, Dr. Tillotson Bronson was elected as headmaster. During his twenty-year term at the school, Bronson deemed that young women would be admitted to this once all-male institution, a rare allowance for women at the time. For this reason, many young women were sent to attend the school from distant townships in order to take advantage of such a unique educational opportunity.
Another liberal tenet of the school at this time, as drafted in the school's constitution, was that students were allowed the freedom to practice the religion of their family's choice, regardless of the school's Episcopal affiliation. As stated in the ninth article of the constitution of the Episcopal Academy, "No Bye Laws of the Academy shall compel the Students to attend Public worship, but at such place or places as their respective Parents or Guardians shall direct."
In 1917 the school was purchased by the Roxbury Training Center, and the institution was no longer open to both men and women. The Roxbury School operated with the sole purpose of training young men to enter Yale University. An existing military aspect of the school was abolished, and the school focused now on rigorous academic preparation.
Under long-standing headmaster Arthur Sheriff, the school became Cheshire Academy in 1937. It was not until 1969 that the school returned to its co-ed beginnings, allowing both young men and women to attend classes together.

Recent awards and achievements

Roxbury Academic Support Program - An optional, fee-based program for students in need of additional academic assistance with a trained member of the faculty.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - Cheshire Academy began to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme during the 2011-2012 academic year.
Arts Major Program - Advanced art students may take a year-long art major class. The class is designed to develop an artist’s passion in their chosen medium while providing a personal studio space to create their portfolios.

Scholarships

The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund, created by Roberto Goizueta '49, provides an annual scholarship for a student of Hispanic background.
The Town Scholar Program, established in 1937, provides a full, four-year scholarship to a resident of Cheshire entering the ninth grade.

Accreditation and memberships

The school is accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and The Association of Boarding Schools. Additionally it holds memberships in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Secondary School Admission Test Board. and the IB Diploma Programme

Notable alumni