A student sits at their desk stuck on an assignment, embarrassed, overwhelmed, and starting to shut down. 

At New Summit Academy, that exact moment is where our integrated academic and therapeutic framework steps in.

Here is how our team transforms classroom frustration into a moment of skill-building.

Immediate In-Class Support

In our classes of 3 to 7 students, no one slips through the cracks:

• Connect First: Aiding the student to practice self-regulation is step one.
• Process-Based Scaffolding: We meet students where they are, implementing whatever accommodation is needed to re-engage the student in learning, and then slowly remove structures and empowering autonomy as confidence grows.
• Alternative Access: Audiobooks, paired reading, and structured notes lower initial frustration thresholds.
• Experiential Learning: We anchor abstract concepts in real-world challenges like immersive language experiences, town scavenger hunts, gamified missions, and collaborative projects, building confidence through trial and error.

Academic and Therapeutic Alignment

Learning support extends beyond the school day through a continuous wraparound model:

• Targeted Interventions: Our Learning Specialist creates tailored accommodations for dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD and ASD1.
• Seamless Transitions: Our Student Support Coordinator aligns morning academic tools with evening residential routines to provide consistent opportunities to practice skills in different environments.
• Integrated Advising: Every student is supported by a dedicated team that includes therapists, academic advisors, and student life staff working toward unified growth goals.

Differentiating Avoidance from Ability

When a student claims they "don't care" or "can't do it," we look deeper to address the underlying root cause:

• Community Council: Advising teams and trusted peers gather to explore the underlying roots, brainstorm creative re-engagement solutions, often incorporating increased physical movement or social connection.
• Predictable Boundaries: Predictable structures and systems provide clear motivational pathways and empower autonomy and choice without turning work completion into a power struggle.
• Credit Recovery: Transcripts are repaired through personalized progression plans featuring face-to-face instruction, not passive online modules.

By combining specialized learning support and caring teachers with clinical depth, New Summit Academy empowers students to regain confidence, rebuild momentum, and discover their true capability.

As another academic term came to a close at New Summit Academy last week, we celebrated the departure of our newest program graduate! 

During their time in Costa Rica, students build academic skills, develop greater independence, strengthen social confidence, and take on new challenges both in and out of the classroom.

We're thrilled for our October 2026 graduate, who has now transitioned home to carry that growth into his next chapter! Students come to New Summit to reset, recharge, and prepare for the next phase of their academic journey.

After their time here, some return to their home schools, some transition to traditional boarding schools, and others graduate from New Summit and continue on to university.

Each pathway reflects the progress, resilience, and confidence students develop during their time in Costa Rica. Congratulations to our graduate, his family, and all of our students as we close another academic term!