John Dewey Academy
The John Dewey Academy is a therapeutic college preparatory boarding school in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It is housed in Searles Castle.
It is coeducational and enrolls about 25 high school students, ages 15 to 21, typically in grades 10 to postgraduate. The student body is largely made up of "twice exceptional" teens or rather "gifted but struggling" teens who possess:
• High cognitive ability with slow processing or learning difficulties
• Remarkable skills and abilities coupled with social difficulty
• Academically gifted but struggling emotionally or behaviorally
The school provides a structured, safe, nurturing environment and encourages positive peer culture combined with therapy and increasing responsibilities to help students gain control of their lives. Students are supported by a Clinical Model under the leadership of Andrea Lein PhD and Executive Director Andrea Nathans PhD. The therapist to student ratio is 1:5. Program duration is 15 months or longer, with an average duration of two years. John Dewey is a voluntary program and often requires students to interview as part of the enrollment process. Family commitment and involvement is required.
The student-teacher ratio is 3:1 and classes typically average about six students. Academic rigor and excellence is a hallmark of the John Dewey program. All graduates attend college. Students have access to yoga, organic wellness, the arts, music, local cultural events, community events and fitness programs.
The school was founded by Dr. Thomas E. Bratter who died in 2012. The school is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and used to be a member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs.
