Falmouth Academy was founded in 1977 as a small and rigorously academic day school. Its first classes were held in the basement of a retirement home; two years later, FA moved to another rental property on the Massachusetts Military Reservation in Bourne, Massachusetts. In 1985, Josiah K. Lilly III gave Falmouth Academy next to prime conservation land, nearer to the town center and between Falmouth centers for medicine and the arts. Four years later, the school moved into the new 16-classroom building in time for the opening of the 1989–1990 school year. Since then, the building has undergone four significant renovations. The first, in 1997, added a gymnasium to accommodate its sports teams. The second was a three-story, addition in 2006 that included science labs, art rooms, offices, a computer lab, and a library named in honor of its fifth headmaster, Bruce E. Buxton, and his wife, Patrice. Mr. Buxton served as headmaster from 1982 through 2005. The third, in 2014-2015, was a 3,600-square-foot meeting hall for school and community events and meetings. It is named in honor of long-time friend and trustee Susan Morse. In July 2017 the school celebrated the grand opening of the Simon Center for the Arts, a 7,200 square foot space comprising a state-of-the-art theater, the Gordon T. Heald Music Room, a Green Room, Set Design Shop, Technical Control Room, and Gallery. The facility is named in honor of Bonnie and Stephen Simon, longtime friends and benefactors of the school. The current head of school at Falmouth Academy is Matt Green, who was appointed in 2018.
Academics
Falmouth Academy defines itself as a reading and writing school, but students also enjoy a diverse curriculum that includes mathematics, science, and the arts. Its core curriculum requires each student to take English, history, science, mathematics, and a foreign language for at least five years out of six. There is also a strong focus on the skills of writing, close reading, research, and effective management of time. Cooperative learning and independent research are also central to the curriculum. Students may take up to four elective courses each year, as well as physical education, in addition to their core academic courses. The average class size is twelve students and a majority of its graduates go on to highly-competitive colleges. Falmouth Academy also enjoys membership in the National Association of Independent Schools and the Association of Independent Schools in New England. It has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Student body
FA students come from a broad area of southeastern Massachusetts that is roughly bordered by Martha’s Vineyard, Mattapoisett, Middleboro, Duxbury, and Brewster. The school has also hosted more than 60 international students from about 24 countries. http://www.falmouthacademy.org/Tuition-and-Affordability
