What is an Independent School?
Founded
in 1811,
Thornton
Academy is
one of the
nation’s
oldest
independent
schools.
Throughout its
history, Thornton
Academy has
welcomed and
educated students
from near and
far - through
public contract
and private
admission.
Thornton Academy is a historic
independent school educating students
in grades six through twelve. We are
co-educational and non-sectarian. The
majority of our students are day students
from the towns of Saco, Dayton, Arundel,
and a dozen other towns in southern
Maine. They are joined by students from
over 20 different countries who live in
dormitories on campus or in the homes
of local families.
Founded in 1811, Thornton Academy is
one of the nation’s oldest independent
schools. Originally named Saco
Academy, the name was soon changed
to Thornton Academy by the Board of
Trustees in honor of Thomas Thornton,
one of the Academy’s earliest and most
generous benefactors.
In the early days of the Academy,
students attended from nearby towns
and from around New England. When
publicly-funded, mandatory education
became law in the late 1800s, Thornton
Academy’s Board of Trustees contracted
with local communities – those that
lacked schools beyond grade eight – to
provide high school education for their
children. Much later, in 2006, Thornton
Academy expanded and built a middle
school for grades six, seven, and eight.
Throughout its history, Thornton
Academy has welcomed and educated
students from near and far – through
public contract and private admission.
As an independent school, Thornton
Academy is governed by a selfperpetuating Board of Trustees and
6
operates independently of local school
boards and municipalities.
Thornton Academy is accredited by the
New England Association of Schools
& Colleges (NEASC), and adheres to
the rigorous standards of NEASC’s
Commission on Independent Schools,
considered the gold standard of quality
assurance.
The Academy is independently financed
through tuition (both private & public)
and through fund raising.
As an independent school, Thornton
receives no state or local tax funds to
build or maintain the campus. All capital
projects at Thornton Academy are
supported by the generosity of our parents,
alumni, and friends. For example, from
2013-2014, Thornton Academy renovated
and relocated the library and dance studio,
built a new media center and engineering
lab, as well as refurbished three classrooms
-- all with private funding. The 2015-16
school year opened with a new STEM
Center expansion of the Scammon
Building, featuring state-of-the-art AP
Biology and AP Chemistry classrooms.
Thornton Academy’s independence
provides the autonomy to innovate, while
remaining true to our traditions, values,
and mission of preparing students for a
changing world.
[Top photo of 1902 dedication plaque above
the fireplace in Thornton Hall. Thornton Hall
is named after Charles Thornton, grandson
of Thomas Thornton, after whom Thornton
Academy was named.]