Cushing Academy

About Cushing Academy

A co-educational boarding school for Grades 9-12 and a post-graduate year in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, about 50 miles from Boston. Founded in 1865 and co-educational from the start. 385 students, 93% of them boarding, from 31 countries; a 6:1 ratio and an average class of 12. Boarding tuition for 2026-27 is USD 79,980 before a USD 5,510 international enrolment fee.

• Tuition 2026-27 as published: boarding USD 79,980, day USD 54,075 — both already including on-campus activity, technology, athletics and publications fees, which is more than most schools bundle.
• The international lines sit on top of that and are substantial. A USD 5,510 international enrolment fee, plus international health insurance at USD 2,595 for ten months or USD 2,895 for twelve, plus a USD 465 boarding health centre fee. A Vietnamese family should therefore budget from about USD 88,500, not USD 79,980.
• The deposit rule is the single most important number on the page for a family abroad: 31% of net tuition for international students, against 10% for domestic. It is non-refundable and credited to tuition, so it is not lost money — but it is a large sum committed early, and it is the kind of term worth understanding before an offer arrives rather than after.
• English and academic support are priced separately and can double the gap between two students at the same school. ESL is USD 8,235. Academic Support is USD 10,700 at standard level or USD 19,860 for one-to-one coaching. ESL and standard Academic Support together are USD 16,730 — less than buying them separately, which tells you the school expects the combination to be common.
• Tuition insurance at 4.85% of net tuition and fees is compulsory unless the whole bill is paid by 1 June. On a boarding place that is roughly USD 3,900, so paying in full by that date is worth about four thousand dollars.
• Rather than set a minimum test score, the school tests every international student on arrival — listening, speaking, reading and writing during orientation — and places them into Advanced Intermediate or Advanced ESL on the result. That means the entry decision does not hinge on a single test result taken in Vietnam, but it also means the ESL fee is not known until after placement.
• Applicants from mainland China must complete a Vericant interview by 1 December; students who have previously attended a US school are exempt. The requirement is not stated for Vietnam, which is worth confirming rather than assuming either way.
• The school arranges airport transport for international students travelling without parents, and runs a separate international orientation with a dedicated international advisor.

Tuition & scholarships

Cushing Academy sits in the High tuition band. Tuition and scholarships change every year and by program, so VNIS provides the exact up-to-date figures for the program you choose during consultation. The school states it offers financial aid to qualifying students but publishes no percentage, no average award and no separate statement about whether international students are eligible — a gap worth closing in writing before you plan around it. What the school does publish precisely is the deposit, and the deposit is where an international family meets a different rule: 10% of net tuition for domestic students, 25% for domestic students living outside the US, and 31% for international students. On the published boarding tuition that is roughly USD 24,800 payable up front, non-refundable, and credited towards tuition..

Frequently asked questions

Other schools in United States

Amherst CollegeArizona State UniversityArkansas State UniversityBoston CollegeBoston UniversityBowdoin College

See all schools in United States →