Bard Academy at Simon's Rock

To give our students the right building blocks for a full, meaningful experience, Bard Academy shares both faculty and campus resources with Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Bard Academy is one of very few private high schools with college-quality facilities dedicated to arts, science and technology, and research and scholarship, as well as health, community, and athletics.

Campus is just a few minutes from the lively downtown of Great Barrington, MA, named the "Best Small Town in America" by Smithsonian Magazine. It’s in the heart of the Berkshires, an area known for its natural beauty and rich cultural life. There is plenty to explore and there is regular shuttle service between downtown and campus during late afternoon and early evening hours.

Tuition:$46,450, Residence Fees: $17,200. Please visit: https://bardacademy.simons-rock.edu/admission/tuition-financial-aid.php for detailed information

Nearly 80% of our students at Bard Academy receive some form of financial aid. Please visit https://bardacademy.simons-rock.edu/admission/tuition-financial-aid.php for additional information.

Bard Academy courses are designed and taught by the faculty of Bard College at Simon’s Rock. The Academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Independent Schools (NEASC-CIS).

Courses are taught in the following disciplines: Humanities, Mathematics and the Sciences, World Languages and the Arts.

Please visit https://bardacademy.simons-rock.edu/academic-program/index.php for more information on our Academic program.

At Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock, we have a different philosophy about high school. We keep the focus on deep learning and intellectual discovery by ensuring that all students in good academic and social standing are accepted into Bard College at Simon’s Rock after the 10th grade. Our enriched curriculum and student-centered teaching style enable students to earn an associate degree when most of their peers are just finishing high school.

Twelve Simon’s Rock graduates have been named Fulbright Scholars since 2010, two have earned prestigious Rhodes Scholarships, and 78 percent of our alumni continue on to advanced study. We’re proud to share stories of Simon’s Rock graduates, a community over 50 years in the making.

Yes

At Bard Academy and Bard College at Simon's Rock, age doesn't define intellect: our mission is to inspire the curiosity and creativity of motivated younger scholars with a challenging, empowering, and inclusive education in the liberal arts and sciences.

At Bard Academy, we want you to ask the questions that intrigue you, and pursue the interests that inspire you. We care about intellectual exploration as well as contributing to the world around us.

As a student at Bard Academy, you’ll notice your confidence growing. It's something that happens naturally in an environment where you’re encouraged to share your opinions, engage in dialogue, and just be yourself. You’ll learn that you don’t have to be “right” to express your ideas because the conversation is ongoing. We’re always learning more.

In the Fall of 2015 Bard College at Simon's Rock opened Bard Academy at Simon's Rock, allowing Simon's Rock
to continue and expand our mission to redefine not only college, but high school as well.

Bard Academy's two-year high school program, encompassing the 9th and 10th grades, allows Simon's Rock to
provide the complete arc from the beginning of high school to the completion of a Baccalaureate degree, and
thus represents an evolution in Simon's Rock's tradition of educational innovation.

The Academy is an independent boarding and day school that prepares bright, motivated 9th and 10th grade
students to enter college two years early at Bard College at Simon's Rock. The Academy program and pedagogy
are modeled after those in the successful high-school-to-college programs at the Bard High School Early
Colleges (BHSEC) in New York, which have expanded into several other cities including Newark, Cleveland,
Baltimore, and Washington DC. It is noteworthy that while Simon's Rock provided the initial curricular and
pedagogical model for the college programs at the BHSECs, the BHSECs have--in return--provided the model for
much of the curriculum and pedagogies at Bard Academy.