Boston University Academy

Boston University Academy is an academically rigorous independent day school located on the Boston University campus. BUA is the only high school in New England that is part of a major research university, offering a distinctive curriculum to 193 students in grades nine through twelve. Boston University Academy provides students with an unparalleled college preparatory program that combines liberal arts coursework with classes at Boston University. At BUA, students’ zeal for learning takes them as far as they are capable. Small class sizes and close relationships with faculty allow students to pursue their passions and nurture their talents.

In eleventh and twelfth grade, students regularly complete up to 12 courses (equivalent to approximately 48 college credits) from the University’s undergraduate curriculum. Boston University Academy students in good academic and disciplinary standing gain automatic admission to Boston University. Bright, curious students will find a community of like-minded peers unabashedly pursuing their intellectual interests within a small, close-knit, and vibrant high school.

The mission of Boston University Academy is to educate talented students who are passionate about learning and who share the joy of inquiry. Within a small and caring community, students engage with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum and continue to explore and expand their intellectual interests at Boston University. We foster a community that educates young people through intense and joyful inquiry. Inspired by the classical tradition, we value honesty, integrity, and kindness as we strive to learn what it means to live life well. Our goal is for each BUA student to embrace:

• A spirit of inquiry and constructive critical thinking
• The integrity of the classroom
• A tie with Boston University – its world class resources, opportunities, professors, and students
• A rigorous work ethic required for any significant achievement
• A foundation in the Western academic tradition
• A community life based upon kindness, fairness, respect, and tolerance
• A sense of gratitude and responsibility that should accompany a privileged education

Schools have long since known that having a diverse student body and faculty benefits the entire community in tangible and intangible ways. At Boston University Academy, we value diversity in all its dimensions, from racial and socio-economic diversity, to diversity of religions, backgrounds, and sexual orientations, to linguistic and geographic diversity. BUA students speak 25 different languages at home, come from 60 cities and towns, and bring with them 193 different life experiences.

Through our All-School Learning Experiences, All-School Meetings, class meetings, and work conducted in student clubs like the Social Justice Alliance, we are grappling with some of the big issues facing our society and country. These conversations are a valued part of the Boston University Academy experience within and beyond the classroom. We will continue to pair discussion with action in order to ensure that our school community reflects our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Our approach to teaching the classical tradition in the humanities prompts students to understand historical perspectives, to think critically, to delve deeply, to master the use of primary texts, and to hone interpretive powers. Boston University Academy students learn how to question what they read; how to craft a well-reasoned argument; and how to appreciate the connections of literature, political theory, philosophy, religion, science, and history. Classes focus on the debate of the why and how questions.

Boston University Academy is a high school embedded in a major urban research university. As a school we’re distinctive, and our students are as well. Our students come from 60 cities and towns and bring with them 193 different life experiences. BUA students are excited to use their intellects and the tools of scholarship to tackle any challenge, whether it’s reciting the opening lines of The Canterbury Tales in Middle English or taking Differential Equations with undergraduates at BU. We invite you to learn more, and hope you’ll visit our campus to experience BUA for yourself.