Covenant Christian Academy, Covenant Academy

• Location: Peabody, Massachusetts, USA,
• Year of foundation: 1991,
• Number of students: approximately 441,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of studying: mixed.

Covenant Christian Academy (ССА) is one of the best private schools in Massachusetts, offering all stages of secondary education: from preschool to high school.

Founded in 1991, the institution has been b a rigorous academic system for several decades, based on modern trends in education and focusing on the full, comprehensive development of each student. Today, about 440 students study at CCA, including representatives from abroad. The educational staff includes more than 50% highly qualified teachers who not only teach core subjects but also provide extracurricular support in the form of consultations, help students find their strengths and talents, and build their future academic path.

Despite its religious foundation, Covenant Christian Academy does not focus on faith as the main element of education — religion supports learning at the educational institution, but does not limit it. Each student is perceived as an individual with their own views and beliefs, everyone finds the support and opportunities they need.

Programs are taught at all stages of school education:

• Kindergarten — preschool department with a preparatory group,
• Grammar — elementary school, from 1st to 6th grade,
• Upper — secondary academic department, including two stages: middle grades 7-8 and high school grades 9-12.

Covenant Christian Academy does not have its own residence, so its campus is open only for the day format. International students are placed with host families whose homes are located near the school grounds: thanks to daily communication with the host family, students immerse themselves in learning the history and culture of the country, quickly improving their English skills. Families provide students with a comfortable and caring atmosphere, providing them with separate furnished bedrooms and access to common areas of the house: kitchen, bathroom, living room and others.

Every day students are offered balanced meals, including breakfast and dinner on weekdays, three times a day — on weekends. At school, students receive hot lunches from several dishes to choose from.

Extracurricular development of students is conducted in four main directions: fine arts, theater, music and sports. They are not only included in the curriculum of all classes, but also taught in the format of electives, clubs and sections, providing students with the opportunity to pay more attention to their hobbies and talent development.

Art is represented by painting, graphics, ceramics, photography circles and others. Classes are held in specialized studios using various materials. Gradually, students collect an individual portfolio of works, during the year they can participate in exhibitions both on campus and beyond.

In music classes, students will learn to play a variety of musical instruments, study iconic works from different countries and time periods, learn to listen to each other in choral singing and orchestra, ensemble. Electives include "History of American Pop Music", "Music and Media", "Theory, Composition" and other areas. Musical groups often become participants in festive and thematic events, whether it's Christmas, Alumni Reunion Evening, Graduation Ball.

Theatrical art will help students acquire teamwork skills, improve abilities in discipline, develop memory and social qualities. A student can choose the most interesting profile for himself: "General theatrical art", "Acting", "Creating your own performances". During the year, regular theater productions are organized on campus, involving pupils from all academic departments.

Sports sections, represented in a dozen areas, divide girls and boys into different teams and organize seasonal training: autumn, winter, spring. Popular sports include:

• Football,
• Volleyball,
• Cross-country running,
• Basketball,
• Athletics,
• Frisbee,
• Softball.

Students train according to the seasonal schedule, teams participate in interschool and regional competitions, earning awards and external scholarships.

Interest clubs are available in extracurricular time, including:

• Baking,
• Book community,
• Mathematics,
• Robotics,
• Outdoor activities,
• Skiing, snowboarding,
• Journalism,
• STEM,
• Surfing,
• Entrepreneurship,
• Creative writing,
• Debates,
• Board games.

• Rating A according to Niche,
• Small educational classes, not more than 15 students, allowing each student to receive individual attention from the teacher,
• Overall teacher-to-student ratio is 9:1, all teachers know the pupils personally by name,
• More than 50% of the teaching staff have higher academic qualifications,
• SAT scores are above the world average, placing the school in the TOP 25% of institutions,
• Graduates continue their education at leading universities around the world.

The CCA campus is located just a 30-minute drive from Boston, in the small town of Peabody, Massachusetts. The extensive grounds feature dozens of academic buildings and sports facilities, each boasting modern equipment and a wealth of materials for practical learning. The infrastructure of the campus includes:

• Classrooms with interactive whiteboards, projectors,
• Two large computer labs with MacBooks, access to electronic resources,
• Specialized laboratories,
• A multifunctional sports hall,
• Outdoor areas for team and pair sports,
• A large dining hall, cafeteria,
• Medical center.

The outdoor area features playgrounds for the youngest students, recreation areas and event spaces. Among the academic buildings is a chapel where services are held almost daily.

The school year starts from September to the beginning of June, with classes held on weekdays: from Monday to Friday. The schedule will vary depending on the academic stage: preschool and elementary students study until 12:30 p.m or 02:55 p.m. (optional after-school activities), while middle and high school students — until 02:45 p.m.. Breaks are organized on weekends and holidays, during seasonal vacations.

The tuition fee includes:

• Technology fee,
• Participation in the visual arts program,
• Participation in CCA sports teams for students in grades 7-12,
• Textbooks and required literary works,
• Full-day excursions,
• All campus events.

Additional expenses include:

• Registration and administrative fees, deposit,
• After-school childcare,
• Some off-site activities,
• Individual lessons,
• Lunches,
• Homestay accommodation,
• School uniform,
• Personal expenses.

Applicants will have to go through several admission stages:

• Submitting an application and documents,
• Paying registration fees,
• Passing an interview, entrance tests in core subjects and English language,
• Receiving an official invitation to enroll,
• Arriving on campus to start studying.

Before submitting an application, applicants can optionally visit the campus to inspect the infrastructure, meet teachers and ask their questions. Communication with school representatives is available online.

Students of Covenant Christian Academy receive competitive, in-depth knowledge in core subjects and elective disciplines, have excellent English language skills, and successfully pass graduation exams, which allows them to enter leading universities and colleges around the world — for example:

• Auburn University,
• Boston University,
• Brown University,
• Dickinson College,
• Fordham University,
• George Washington University,
• Georgia Institute of Technology,
• Northeastern University,
• Michigan State University,
• Ohio State University,
• Pennsylvania State University,
• Pepperdine University,
• Rochester Institute of Technology,
• Tufts University,
• University of California.

Foreign applicants must provide:

• Personal documents: foreign passport, medical insurance, visa or residence permit. Candidates applying to preschool and primary departments must live with their parents or guardians; for other applicants, host families are available,
• Academic transcripts for the last two academic years and a transcript for the current year,
• Results of one of the international language tests: Duolingo, TOEFL or another.

Admission is based on the results of two interviews and entrance tests.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision