Changing schools for senior year can feel overwhelming. At New Summit Academy Costa Rica, we offer a supportive boarding school and study abroad experience that empowers students to make the most of their final year.

​With a blend of personal growth therapy, academic skill development, adventure travel and executive functioning support, students build the confidence, resilience, and skills they need to thrive in Grade 12 and beyond.

What is New Summit Academy Costa Rica?
New Summit Academy is a supportive boarding school and study abroad experience for adolescent males ages 14-18 in grades 9-12. Enrolling for 6-12 months, our students receive an engaging and integrated academic, experiential and therapeutic education that helps them connect with what is in them to contribute to the world beyond them.

Supportive College Preparatory Academics
Our academic program goes beyond traditional college prep by nurturing well-rounded individuals through small class sizes, personalized advising, and a supportive community. Students engage in a modern curriculum that develops both academic and social-emotional skills, while cultivating diverse perspectives and experiences. With a focus on executive functioning, our teachers help students set goals, build resilience, and master essential skills like organization, time management, and self-advocacy.

Engaging Cultural Immersion and Travel
Our location in Costa Rica is no accident. Costa Rica offers unparalleled opportunities for experiential learning in one of the world’s most biodiverse and culturally rich countries. Our students explore national parks, learn to surf, and practice their Spanish while earning Wilderness First Aid and SCUBA certifications. Even more important, cultural immersion allows students to begin to sort out their own beliefs, values and customs in order to clarify their own identities and what they can take from their experiences into their futures.

Social and Emotional Counseling and Growth
Our students are supported to work on developing a well-rounded self. Good nutrition, sleep habits, and a healthy exercise routine are central components. Experienced counselors and advisors work closely with students to set goals, build resilience, and develop executive functioning, relationship, and problem-solving skills. By truly getting to know each student, advisors create individualized plans that support personal growth through a range of counseling options, including individual, group, and family support.

Holistic Preparation for University and Beyond
New Summit Academy students have gone on to find success at a range of colleges and universities. The impressive resume our students build while studying abroad in Costa Rica is unique, enriching and sets apart their job, internship and college applications.

“The college guidance I received was second to none...After I graduated high school from New Summit Academy, I continued my studies at St. Lawrence University. I am doing well here because of the skills I learned from my time in Costa Rica.”

​Do you know a rising senior who would benefit from a supportive boarding school and study abroad experience at New Summit Academy? Reach out to [email protected].

Some students don’t need to be rescued; they need to be redirected.

They’re bright, curious, and deeply creative. But lately, their spark feels dimmed. Anxiety, depression, executive dysfunction, or social overwhelm may be getting in the way.

They’re not failing. They’re floundering.

At New Summit Academy Costa Rica, we help these students reconnect with who they are and what they’re capable of. We specialize in guiding students who need more than a short-term fix. Our students need space in a supportive school community to reflect, re-engage, and grow while surrounded by breathtaking nature, structure, friends and purpose.

After 20 years of operation, we know that the culture of Costa Rica itself is therapeutic. Students learn to slow down, connect, and rediscover their value, all just a few hours from home. And our school offers everything from SCUBA certifications and documentary filmmaking to international travel, sports, community projects and student-led leadership.

New Summit Academy isn’t about getting students “back on track”. It’s about helping them build a better one. Whether they return home to complete high school, transition to traditional boarding, enroll in college, or take a gap year, our students leave Costa Rica with a toolkit of resilience, self-awareness, and purpose.

​Do you know a student who might benefit from a different pace, a different place, and a truly integrated supportive boarding school? We would love to collaborate.