Cushing Academy’s  Mission Statement, Vision, and Core Values support the founding vision Thomas Parkman Cushing established over 150 years ago. Together these principles guide everything we do today.

Cushing Academy Mission Statement

Cushing Academy exists for students and develops curious, creative, and confident learners and leaders.

Vision

Cushing Academy is recognized as a unique educational setting whose faculty, staff, and facilities nurture the optimal growth of students with a range of talents, abilities, and interests. Our community-oriented environment is supportive and diverse, promoting and valuing intellectual challenges and emphasizing the arts, athletics, and cultural competence.

Core Values

Cushing Academy believes that:

• An education that sparks curiosity, provides intellectual challenge, offers adequate support, and hones analytical thinking not only fosters independence but also establishes the foundation for a lifetime of learning and the pursuit of excellence.  
• Creativity must be encouraged and nurtured in all aspects of school life.
• Working with peers with a variety of learning styles, as well as with a range of academic, athletic, and artistic strengths and interests, enriches the educational experience for all students.
• A strong sense of self-esteem, self-discipline, and self-confidence allows students to persevere and, thus, to grow through challenges into optimistic, active, and “useful” and “leading” citizens of the world.
• Through athletics, community service, group activities, and collaboration across disciplines, students develop valuable social habits and interpersonal skills that will help them become successful, fair-minded, and leading members of society.
• Learning to make informed choices and to advocate for oneself is fundamental to achieving a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
• Seeking to understand others, as well as respecting and valuing differences, is essential for a judicious, meaningful, and fulfilling life.

A sense of social responsibility, moral courage, gratitude, integrity, and humility, modeled by trusted mentors and peers, paves the way for becoming an active and contributing member of one’s school, community, society, and the world at large.

Portrait of a Graduate

Our Portrait of a Graduate details and supports Cushing’s mission to educate the mind, shape the character, nurture the creativity, and foster the well-being of each student. As a lens through which we examine ourselves and our work, this portrait guides and informs all aspects of school life.

A Cushing graduate learns, lives, and leads by these ideals: