New England Academy to open special education school in Marshfield next fall

MARSHFIELD – A new school for middle and high school students with social and emotional disabilities is scheduled to open on Commerce Way in Marshfield by next fall.

New England Academy, a school in Beverly for students in grades 7 to 12, plans to open its  Marshfield campus by the start of the 2023-24 school year. The private, for-profit school serves students with mental health disorders and related diagnoses, including anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, Asperger syndrome and clinical depression.

New England Academy enrolls students from Maine to Cape Cod. School founder and Executive Director Ryan Plosker said the expansion will fill a growing need in the region.

"This isn't, 'if you build that, they will come.' The kids are already here," Plosker said. "They just don't have anywhere to go."

New England Academy opened in 2007 and built its current Beverly facility, almost twice as big as the first, in 2014. There are 93 students enrolled this school year.

Plosker said many of the academy's students struggled to make the transition to public middle or high schools for a number of reasons, including the chaos of a large school and the need for smaller classes or individual attention.

"They find it's too much, it's not a fit, and ask, 'Where do I go from here?' " he said.

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By contrast, the quiet and spacious layout of the Beverly campus allows students to overcome challenges and reach their potential, he said.

"Some kids just can't walk into a large public school building, whether it be they're anxious, they're overwhelmed, they're nervous," Plosker said.

The Marshfield site will replicate the Beverly campus' design but on a smaller scale. In addition to bright classrooms with large windows, it will include a gym, dance and yoga studios, art and music studios, a student lounge and a central courtyard with green space.

Plosker said the school has an 8-to-1 counselor-to-student  ratio, and there are nearly as many counselors and social workers as classroom teachers. Students have access to counselors throughout the day.

He said 90% of the  students are referred by public school districts unable to meet the students' needs.

The tuition is $70,000 a year per student. Referring districts, with state aid, cover the costs.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: New England Academy expands special education to Marshfield