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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.
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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!
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One of our favorite New Summit Academy traditions during Costa Rica's Independence Day celebrations is our Desayuno Campesino, or traditional breakfast!
Each year, our team comes together for this campus tradition, bringing staff and students together to celebrate the country’s food and culture.
Faculty and staff from our Operations, Academics, Administration, and Student Life teams work side by side to prepare traditional food, share music and bombas, dance, and welcome our students to the celebration.
For students, the breakfast offers a chance to participate in a Costa Rican tradition alongside the people who grew up with it.
Cultural immersion is woven into daily life at New Summit Academy, from the classroom and campus to the communities around us. Happy Independence Day, Costa Rica -- Pura Vida!
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For teenagers who struggle in traditional school settings, learning can become associated with anxiety, perfectionism, and fear of failure. At New Summit Academy, we believe these students need opportunities to learn differently. They need to experience success through hands-on challenges, real-world problem-solving, and supportive relationships.
Learning Beyond the Traditional Classroom
This approach addresses what we describe as experiential deprivation: a lack of opportunities for young people to learn through direct, meaningful engagement with the world around them.
For students with learning differences, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, or school avoidance, hands-on experiences can provide valuable opportunities to practice skills that are difficult to develop through traditional classroom instruction alone.
At New Summit Academy, experiential and immersive learning is woven into daily life. When our students learn Spanish, for example, learning extends beyond the classroom through immersive labs, town scavenger hunts, and interactive cultural missions.
Building Confidence Through Trial and Error
Gamified challenges like these give students permission to make mistakes. They communicate with locals, solve problems, navigate unfamiliar situations, and try again when things do not go as planned. With consistent support, these experiences help students develop resilience, independence, executive functioning skills, and confidence.
The goal is not simply to learn Spanish. It is to help students rediscover that they can try something difficult, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward.
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New Summit Academy celebrated another group of students as they completed their journey in Costa Rica, surrounded by their families, teachers, mentors, therapists, friends, and members of our local Costa Rican community.
Every graduation reflects months of personal growth, increased independence, stronger relationships, and the confidence that comes from stepping beyond familiar routines and embracing new challenges.
As they leave Costa Rica, our graduates are taking a variety of paths. Our high school graduates plan to enroll at Western Washington University and Mitchell College, while our program graduates will enroll at a range of boarding schools across the United States.
Each of our July graduates leaves with greater self-awareness, practical life skills, and a stronger foundation for what comes next.
To our graduates and their families, thank you for trusting us to be part of your journey. We are proud of all you have accomplished and look forward to seeing where your next chapter leads.
Congratulations, Class of July 2026!
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As students prepare to graduate from New Summit Academy Costa Rica, they have the opportunity to explore potential career paths through internships, vocational exploration, and experiential learning. For July graduate Jaron, that path led behind the camera.
During his final academic term, Jaron pursued his passion for photography by learning from professionals, developing his technical skills, and building a portfolio that reflects both his creativity and growth. The images featured here capture just a few of the moments from his internship experience.
Through internships and hands-on learning, students at New Summit Academy gain real-world experience, discover new interests, and develop practical skills that help them prepare for college, future careers, and life beyond graduation.
Congratulations, Jaron! We look forward to seeing where your talent and creativity take you next.
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When parents search for a supportive or therapeutic boarding school, they often focus on academics and clinical support. Equally important is the size of the school community.
At New Summit Academy Costa Rica, our intentionally small community allows every student to be known as an individual. Many of our students have struggled with anxiety, depression, executive functioning challenges, learning differences, or finding their place in traditional schools.
Strong relationships help change that.
Students build genuine connections with teachers, mentors, advisors, therapists, and peers who know them well. These relationships foster trust, accountability, healthy communication, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging. Research consistently shows that students in smaller schools report stronger connections to their school community and more positive educational experiences.
Community extends beyond the classroom through shared meals, outdoor adventures, cultural immersion, service learning, and campus life. These experiences help students develop social skills, resilience, independence, and lasting friendships.
When teenagers feel seen, valued, and supported, they become more engaged in learning and more confident in themselves. That's one of the greatest advantages of a small, supportive boarding school.
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We are also proud to recognize our May 2026 high school graduates, who will be attending the University of Denver, Lafayette College, and Sewanee: The University of the South.
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Last Saturday, our student, Wells, took the stage for a live benefit concert, the result of months of rehearsals, planning, and leadership. What began as a personal idea grew into a full-scale production. Wells formed a band, organized practices, and led the group all the way to a live performance in support of a local family he had been working with in Costa Rica.
The concert brought the community together and ultimately raised $5,600, exceeding expectations and creating tangible impact for the family.
Supporting a Family in Costa Rica
Experiences like this are part of what defines our supportive boarding school. Students are supported in taking ownership of their growth while also learning how their actions can positively affect others.
What Is a Landmark Project?
In a small boarding school setting, students receive the structure and support needed to take ideas from concept to completion. Wells’ concert reflected not only his musical ability, but also his capacity for leadership, organization, and follow-through.
These projects are a core part of life at a supportive boarding school like New Summit Academy. They help students build confidence, develop accountability, and strengthen their sense of purpose during their time on campus.
A Lasting Impact
At New Summit Academy, student-led experiences like this are part of a broader commitment to helping young people become capable, engaged, and contributing members of their communities.
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At New Summit Academy, a small boarding school rooted in personalized support, we are always looking for ways to strengthen student growth and community culture.
Last week, our Academic Director, Yannick Pilgrim, and Strategic Enrollment Director, Adam Beeson, joined educators from across the United States at the Small Boarding School Association (SBSA) conference at Wayland Academy.
During the conference, Adam co-facilitated a session on “Strategic Novelty,” exploring how immersive, real-world experiences can serve as powerful developmental accelerators. In a world where students often feel pressure to constantly perform and stay digitally connected, creating space for reflection, curiosity, and authentic engagement is essential.
As a supportive boarding school, New Summit Academy integrates these principles into daily life. Research and experience both show that when students step into new environments, they build resilience, deepen relationships, and return with stronger academic focus and a clearer sense of purpose.
We are grateful to be part of a community of small boarding schools committed to thoughtful, student-centered growth.