Register for our October 20th and December 8th Open Houses here. 

The Academy is located in the Deerfield River Valley along the historic Mohawk Trail. Our forty acre campus includes two classroom buildings, playing fields, and wide open spaces with great views of the river and surrounding hills.

A visit day is the best way to experience Academy life. For local applicants, the visit day is a required component of our application process. While visit days vary depending on each day’s offerings, visiting students often have the opportunity to attend:

• Our all-school Morning Meeting (where visiting students are introduced to our community by their host student)
• Academic classes with one or multiple grades
• (On Tuesdays and Thursdays) Studio Block classes
• Lunch (visitors can have school lunch free of charge, or bring their own!)
• An interview with our Director of Admissions or other staff member

After submitting an inquiry, schedule your visit by emailing or calling our Admissions Office at 413-339-4912 ext.119.

Visit Day FAQs

• What time should I arrive, and what time is pickup? Please plan to arrive around 8:30am to meet your host, drop your belongings at your host’s locker or first class, and find a seat at Morning Meeting. Most visitors are picked up when our academic day ends at 3:20pm. However, we are also happy to schedule a partial day visit (pickup around 12:30 or 1pm) if you prefer.
• Do parents participate in visit days? While visitors attend classes and other activities only with their student host and other Academy students, parents are invited to join us for our daily Morning Meeting (8:40-9am), followed by a tour of campus with our Director of Admissions and a parent interview with our Co-Head of School for Community. If scheduled in advance, a tour and parent interview can be arranged immediately following Morning Meeting (wrapping up by 10:30am), or for another time entirely.
• Do visitors participate in classes? You are welcome to and will likely enjoy participating in the discussions and activities in classes you visit with your host. That being said, you may visit classes where students are working independently (tests, quizzes, and work periods are all parts of Academy academic life, and students are trusted to work on their own regularly). For this reason, we recommend bringing some independent reading or work for these occasions. Visitors are expected to be respectful of all classroom environments, and our faculty do share feedback with Admissions staff on their experience hosting each visitor in class. 
• Do I get to pick the classes I attend? Our Director of Admissions will create a visitor itinerary based on classes available and the host student’s schedule. That being said, families are encouraged to let our admissions staff know of any particular interests in the art, music, or academic realms so that we can create a schedule best catered to each visitor! Families will receive an email with their visitor’s schedule for the day and information on their student host a day or two before their scheduled visit.
• Who will be my student host? Visitors typically shadow a student in their same grade, or a grade level above (for example, a current 5th/rising 6th grader will shadow an Academy 6th grader, while a current 7th/rising 8th grader may shadow an Academy 7th or 8th grader). Visitors spend most, if not all, of their day with their host student, though they may visit classes with other students throughout the day as well. Families who know students at The Academy already are encouraged to request a host student, and otherwise, we may choose student hosts based on similar geographic location, interests, and/or sending school. Either way, visitors always receive an email the night before their visit from their host student.
• What do I need to bring? On the day of your visit, please bring along with you a lunch (unless you’d like to have school lunch free of charge), some independent reading or school work, a water bottle, and anything else you need to have a comfortable and enjoyable day (snacks, medications, etc.). We also recommend a coat and boots during the colder months, as Academy students love to spend their 10-minute passing periods outside!
• Do I need to prepare for my interview? Our admissions interview is a laid-back opportunity for conversation between an applicant and one of our staff members. That being said, visitors should come ready with any questions they have about The Academy, and be prepared to talk about themselves, why they feel The Academy is the right school for them, and how they see themselves getting involved in and contributing to our community (students may not have a strong sense of this ahead of time, but usually have a pretty good idea after spending a few hours on campus!).
• What if there’s a snow day on the day of my visit? Our students travel to campus from a wide range of geographic locations, and we sometimes have school cancellations or delays due to weather in the winter months. In the event of a weather-related scheduling change on the day of your visit, we will contact you by 6:30am to let you know; please make sure we have the best phone number and email address to reach you, if necessary.
• Can I ride the bus to or from campus? It may be possible to arrange a ride to or from campus on one of our buses. Arrangements should be made for this well in advance, ideally when you schedule your visit.