Acera School

5 Lowell Avenue

Winchester, MA 01890

39 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 26, 2025

There are certain things you should know before applying: 1) there is no school nurse, 2) all K-8 students have recess together with minimal supervision on a playground that is more like a junk yard so kids can build “resilience,” and even when temperatures are below 20, kids are out there without jackets, boots, or proper gear, 3) there is no school lunch or snack provided, 4) if your child is 2E you will pay an extra $10,000 for a “support plan,” 5) they will ask you to donate to their annual fund at a minimum of $1000, plus there is a 4-5K “facilities fee” for new families, 6) there is no art, music, PE, or world language; instead there is a “creativity day” once a week where kids choose something to do instead of their academics, but these are more like crafts or tech choices, 7) kids come from all over the greater Boston area making it challenging to arrange play dates, 8) teachers have complete autonomy and there is not a visible curriculum, which is partially because they change it every year, 9) a lot of Acera kids are advanced in math but behind in writing, 10) some of the most attractive things such as the woodshop or the baking class are really only available to about 8 kids per term, and there’s no guarantee your child will have those opportunities, 11) upper school has electives such as “metaphysics” but there’s no guarantee that your child will learn the basics of American History or Civics, 12) the school frequently refers to their “strong” beliefs that this is how gifted education should be, but the school is not accredited so there’s no oversight ensuring that they are fulfilling their own mission, and 13) the school predominantly serves white boys, many of whom have multiple exceptionalities. The great thing about Acera is the warm community (with some exceptions on the staff). Many people love it here, but you do need to understand the quirks to make an informed decision because it’s just as expensive as an independent school with better facilities, extracurricular programs and transparent curriculum. To each their own!
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2024

We entered Acera in 2021-2022; our gifted son in 4th-7th grade (so far), and our gifted, autistic (2E) daughter K-3rd. Our overarching thought, after four years, is - for the type of learner that fits within the learner profile Acera can serve - there is no better school for developing students into inquiry-based learners. This review is about our son. He is a math, history, ethics, reading, D&D/LARP/Minecraft, comedy, etc kid by nature. The Acera Upper School curriculum is Core (4 times/week), Math (4 times/week), Two electives (2x/week each), two Creativities (1x/week), and Passion Project (2 times/week). Classes are taught in large learning blocks of 1-2 hours, for deep learning. In math, my son has no ceiling, and took Algebra 1 class in 6th grade, is now in a Math Concepts class (7th grade - graph theory, continued fractions) before Geometry in 8th. His core teachers have been fantastic with creating their yearly class themes and having fascinating and rigorous science, writing, and art work around those. For example, in his "Preserved" theme in 7th grade, his class went on a 3-day/2-night camping trip to Old Sturbridge Village, making their own food and sleeping in tents, and wrote essays on the ethics of preservation (what is preserved, what isn't, how ethical is the preservation?), and made an art model of one focus object to display. They also read Station Eleven and Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, really diving into deep books with book groups, guided questions, and writing.. Some electives to highlight have been Revolt, Rebel, Resist: Indigenous Resistance to Colonial Powers, Astronomy, and Language of Prints. Acera has allowed my son to go as deep as he would like, without a ceiling, and to think and analyze holistically. Now, not every elective or teacher has been perfect. But, four years in, I am amazed what Acera has taught him about inquiry, thinking, ethics, rigor, research, and following his own interests to complete high-level work. He is well prepared as a learner and thinker. Acera has also shored up his relative weaknesses (handwriting, art) and provides amazing socio-emotional support. Reflecting on his time at Acera, we feel it has been successful because: he is interested, engaged, and motivated in learning; we are unconcerned with "did he learn Standard 3.4.1 in 6th grade?"; and his Core Classroom Teachers have been unparalleled, amazing teachers. We feel lucky our son fits into the learner profile that Acera can serve.
Submitted by parent on November 03, 2024

Acera has been an amazing place for our child, who is currently in lower school. When we attended Math Festival, an open house event, our child fell in love with the school, prompting us to move here from overseas. We did plenty of research and attended several open houses but did not come across a school like Acera. Over the years, our child’s classes have been 11-13 students per class, with one main teacher and various specialists coming in throughout the day. They learn through projects/hands-on activities and everyday, our child tells us about the fun activities they did at school. For example, in second grade literacy, they responded to a fictional NASA Mission in 2044 where they are astronauts completing a mission to the Tharsis Volcanic Region of Mars. They then created an infographic display comparing volcanos on Mars and Earth, studied different lava flows, and delved into the chemistry of volcanic soil and its effects on ecosystems. Another highlight is Creativity Wednesdays where students split up into groups across grade levels to learn through creative outlets such as Textile Arts, Woodblock Printing, Dance, Cooking, Stop Motion, Creative Computing, Digital Modeling, Physic Simulation, etc. Our child enjoys learning with students in other grade levels and many of the activities have a collaboration aspect. Every student I have talked to loves Creativity Wednesdays.As someone currently pursuing a Master's in Education, I've shared my experiences with classmates who teach at K-12 schools, and they are amazed by what Acera offers. One of my professors even uses Acera as an example in our discussions! When we talk about "ideal" schools in class, many characteristics align closely with Acera’s philosophy, such as the absence of traditional grading. Instead of grades, teachers provide detailed feedback on students' learning styles and their academic and social-emotional goals. Acera’s scheduling is also a very impressive point for my classmates. Math is taught at the same time across the whole school to have flexibility of switching in and out of different math levels as necessary. Acera can accommodate all students, even if they are multiple years ahead. Overall, our child, who was previously bored at her old school, now loves and enjoys school every day. As a parent, I appreciate how responsive the administration and staff are to any concerns I raise.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2024

We’ve had children at Acera for ten years now, and I love the range of their interests, accomplishments, and capacity for rich friendships. Choosing a school for a child too curious and intellectually energized to learn and thrive in a traditional classroom is a challenge. Bright, gifted children can easily become isolated or bored in one-size-fits-all settings. I am grateful we stuck with Acera. Our daughter met number theory at Acera in 7th grade after several years of compliant boredom, caught the bug, and is now about to graduate from college as a double major in math and computer science. Our twelve-year-old is perpetually exuberant about school, is fascinated by Model UN, reads voraciously, gets up a 6 to play Bach, and is an omnivore for knowledge. He loves his kind and creative friends. He has never been bored.I appreciate that no school is going to seem perfect. When we first joined Acera was a fairly new institution, setting out to reinvent education for gifted children, and refreshingly willing to experiment. There were times when it seemed over-ambitious in taking on a few children for whom the school was not a good fit, resulting in disappointment all around. Course corrections have addressed this as the school has matured, and the school seems to us to be in a very good place now. Sometimes schools for bright kids focus on acceleration. It’s true that Acera is a school where some 6th graders take AP Physics and Calculus, while other children write novels. But it’s also a school that leaves space and time for normal development, where homework leaves room for outside interests; where friendships transcend age boundaries; where children learn to wrestle with ideas, to think with hands as well as heads, to figure out the elements of a strong community. This is not a competitive school, and the passion to learn grows from within.Acera is in a small industrial park, close to woods and fields. There’s a fun adventure playground, generous classrooms, gathering spaces, large maker space, and a wet lab, connected by a lively commons. The school gets international visitors, and shares its vision with educators across the spectrum of public and private education. Teachers tend to be really interesting people, great with smart, thoughtful, inventive children who want a chance to discover stuff. Parents are a diverse friendly group with a shared view of education that’s more than just a steppingstone to financial success. It’s worked for us.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2024

Acera is an amazing school for the right child. The teachers are each stars and they are allowed the freedom to build wonderfully creative curricula that keep both the teachers and the kids engaged. The interdisciplinary work is admirable. Math classes are assigned by level vs grade. Grammar is actually taught at the elementary level. We have seen our child's writing go from meh to wow in a couple of years! Highly recommend for curious and high level learners!
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2024

We're so lucky we found the Acera School for our middle schooler. We came to Acera because of COVID and the challenges at our excellent public school, but we stayed because we found it was truly a magical place. Our child was often bored and not always challenged, even at our excellent public school. But at Acera, they are always engaged deeply in the hands-on classroom experience. The teachers are amazing at immersing the kids into the learning process and do everything they can to follow the children's needs, interests, and passions. The community has been incredibly welcoming and our child has found a group of classmates that have fostered their intellectual pursuits and are a ton of fun every day. Now almost 5 years into Acera, our child is sad to graduate. They LOVE going to school every day. We are struggling to find a high school that would match up to Acera. Overall, we believe Acera prepares the kids extremely well for even the most challenging high schools.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2024

We recently moved our son from public school and have been thrilled with Acera. After years of him feeling bored and disengaged in school, he now comes home so enthusiastic. He loves the small class sizes (there are 3 kids in his math class!), the range of interesting electives, the hands-on approach, and the whole environment. As parents, we have been really happy. There is a vibrant community.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2024

Acera is a rare gem of a school with the great purpose of helping bright kids be engaged and able to reach their truer potentials. It's also a non-religious and co-ed private school which in itself seems a rare find near Boston. The level of choice and tailoring to students' interests is pretty astounding and they have attracted great and passionate teachers who are excited to teach Acera kids. I've also been surprised on how much the teachers and administration cares that parents and students are happy.
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2024

Our bright daughter was slipping away in public schools, and Acera brought her back to us. It is more than a school; it is a dynamic and nurturing community for kids who LOVE to learn. The small classes at Acera are led by exceptional educators emboldened by the passionate administration and teach HOW to learn about the world around us. I wish I could have gone to Acera myself. Highly recommend.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2023

I highly recommend Acera school without any reservations! I wish I could have gone to a school like that when I was a kid.Our kids are very happy at Acera. It is truly an exceptional school. Acera is a private school that is small and geared towards gifted children. The teachers at Acera are great: enthusiastic, experienced, energetic and love teaching. Many have advanced degrees such as PhDs. Our kids love going to school so much that they always miss it while on vacation (how often do you hear that from kids)! Acera school has highly individualized learning plans and small classes. Math class placement is based on ability, so no one is held back because of age. Our kids study math several grades above their age level. Learning is project-based. There are no formal grades, but the kids get plenty of individualized feedback. Acera education is based on best practices. It incorporates growth mindset and deliberate practice principles. Students learn math not only in regular math classes, but also in the woodworking elective class. In such a class, one of my kids made a wooden boat and a knife, and both of these projects required applied math to complete. Students learn science not only in regular science classes, but also in the context of real-world applications, such as neighborhood ecology. The school is small and kids and teachers know each other well. All the teachers (not just the core classroom teachers) know our kids by name. The kids are given opportunities to study with many teachers. The kids are developing long-lasting friendships with other kids at school, friendships that often cross class and age boundaries.The school is nimble and adapts quickly to change. As the school was making a switch to remote education during Covid, our child's teacher prepared individualized textbooks for the entire class over a few days, and the students used these for remote learning. During the remote learning time, the teacher met with our child daily for one-on-one conversations. No wonder that during the pandemic, the school thrived and enjoyed an influx of students who fled public schools, which often could not adapt quickly enough to remote education. Students go off from Acera to become successful in other, more conventional, public schools, and get admitted to the best universities. In short, Acera is a model of what great education should be!
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2023

The experience my children had at Acera school was unimaginably bad. My daughter and two other children were told they couldn't come to school for two days with no reason given, and after two days we were told it was because they were at the center of a "campaign" against a teacher (which seemed to mean they complained, including to the school, about things that a teacher had done). My daughter, for example, had a month before this asked a counselor to ask the teacher to stop saying things to my daughter like “You should go after [boy] now that [girl] is gone.” There was a private online chat in which a large number of students had shared incidents of behavior of this teacher that had made them uncomfortable and upset. Many of these incidents had been shared with the school already, both by students and by parents. Next, the three children were all told they couldn't come back to school for what ended up being 7 more days because “kids were feeling bullied.” The school made a big deal of this, had classroom conversations and sent an all-school newsletter about this "bullying" that they said had occurred, ostracizing these children by labeling them as bullies. However, over many months, the school refused to answer any of our questions about what they claimed my daughter did, whom she had bullied, or how. Six months later, we finally learned, unofficially from a staff member who had been at the center of this, that no child had ever even suggested they were bullied by my daughter or the other two kids who were kept from school, but the school administration refused to ever admit that children were wrongly kept from school.I could never have imagined that school administrators could act so unprofessionally. While teachers at the school told us that what the school did to the children was “appalling” and “shameful,” they seemed unable to take any real steps to repair the harm that was done by the administration, and their acquiescence sent strong, dangerous messages to the children. I know plenty of children make it through this school without terrible things happening to them at the hands of the school administrators. But as we shared what happened to us with others, many parents and some teachers told us they were not surprised by this sort of thing happening at the school, and told us about many similarly bad things that had occurred over the past several years. What happened to our family is part of a definite pattern.
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2023

Acera wants to be a lot of things--a STEM school. A school for kids who are "gifted." A school where kids can be creative and experiment. But the school just doesn't live up to the hype. The STEM component is pretty weak. It's actually more of an artsy-craftsy school. Some kids are very bright, but many, many of the kids in this group also have emotional or behavioral problems and disrupt classes. I tend to think their parents sent them here because the public schools couldn't deal with their extreme needs and thought, correctly, that a private school would be more responsive. Overall, I also found the curriculum to be lax. Also note--I am a liberal person, but some things here are ridiculous. I referred to my child in an email by gender (my child uses pronouns that correspond with the birth sex). The person who emailed me back referred to my child as "they" and kept doing so, although I was using gendered pronouns. And, no, my child does not have "secret" pronouns that only the school knows about--this email episode was before we had even enrolled and the only contact had been by email with me and no one had met my child. In other words, Acera made my child a "they" by default. The location is also depressing. It's in a former office building in an office park in an industrial part of Winchester. The building is surrounded by concrete and parking spaces, except for a very small play area in back. I think the top administrators are responsive but some of the young/new teachers and camp counselors seem very entitled. When I mentioned one time that my child felt isolated, they tried to blame him and said something like, "I don't think he's interested in what we're doing. If he doesn't want to be here, there's not much we can do.") The person with whom I had that exchange quit shortly after. There are some good teachers but definitely some who are just phoning it in because they're planning to move on. Teacher turnover is pretty high. We did one session of camp then a year of school then left.
Submitted by parent on October 18, 2023

Our daughter attended Acera for 5th, 6th, and 7th grade. The teachers and staff are exceptional and committed, including navigating COVID better than any other school I've heard about from friends or elsewhere. Our daughter is now in 9th and is excelling (straight As) in a very competitive High School. As a result of Acera's approach to math (small classes based on aptitude, not age), she's several years ahead of her grade level in math. She's taking 2 AP courses as a 9th grader and will likely take even more next year. While at Acera she was able to explore topics she was interested in (learning almost as a side-effect) including building an invention using Arduino, creating 3D interactive computer models, and programming a complex animated simulation of pollution and water flow between the Great Lakes. More important than the content, Acera taught her how to deeply explore concepts, how to manage her own time, how to take good notes, and how to study - the skills to be an effective student and life-long learner. These skills have allowed her to be a top student in all of her classes.
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2023

Our daughter transferred to Acera midyear from public school, in an effort to find a better academic fit for a gifted student. She loved Acera from her first day there. She loved her teacher, felt welcome by the other students, and the potentially difficult mid-year transition to a new school was very smooth. She started coming home from school telling us about all the things she's learned rather than telling us she's bored, as in the past. Now in her second year at Acera, our daughter feels academically challenged and emotionally supported. She reports that class discussions are interesting and engaging. She does not have much homework, but often feels inspired to look more into something she's learned at school on her own at home. The homework she does have is thoughtful and not just busy work. She loves her teachers ad has great friends. Acera provides a wonderful balance of challenging academics and creative learning, where the kids learn while having fun. The small class sizes enable the teachers to attend to each student's individual needs. Math instruction is uniquely set up to fit each student's needs and ability. Kids are encouraged to explore their interests and teachers will sometimes actually shift lessons to include a new topic that a group of students may be interested in. As parents, we find the Acera community to be welcoming and engaging. School administrators encourage parents' input and listen to their opinions in planing for the future. Overall, we could not be happier with Acera for our daughter. She is thriving and enjoying learning.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2023

My son graduated from this school after 7 years there, and now is a very successful high schooler! He still brings up his time at Acera as so formative for his love of learning, his ability to advocate for himself, his desire to be challenged, and his creativity. One thing that drew us to this school was they prioritize "safeguarding the spirit and curiosity of each child" and that was so true for my son. Thank you Acera - see you at Alumni night!
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2023

The school bills itself as a STEM school, but that is false advertising. They say your child will be in a small math class, perfectly tailed to their ability, but the math classes are larger than they say, and there aren't nearly as many levels as they say. I would guess roughly half the students are in an appropriate math class, but the other half are not. There is very little real science. "Core" class is language arts and social studies, and then there are "electives" and "creativity classes" which in theory could be on science topics, but in practice are most of the time are art classes. What is billed as "science" often has very little science content. The reality is that this is an arts focused school, largely for kids who haven't done well in other schools and have learning and behavioral challenges. That may be what some kids need, but they should be more honest in their advertising.
Submitted by other on September 27, 2022

I attended Acera for 8th grade several years ago. While there are some big projects and essays, they are ungraded and require minimal effort. There is also almost no homework, and when there is there was no way for the teachers to verify that the students did the homework. Many of the classes are completely unnecessary and teach absolutely nothing. The teachers are very nice but average at communicating concepts. (Except for Michael and Ruma, you were both great!)While the academics of Acera are below average, the main gripe I have with Acera is the culture. While on the surface the students are welcoming, a significant portion of the students and teachers (not all, but most) have extremely far-left views which the teachers insert into the education creating a toxic echo chamber. (For the record, my political views are center-left.) There is absolutely no room for disagreement. If anyone says something that could possibly be interpreted as racist, classist, or homophobic then they will be shut down and ostracized by most of the people in the room. Everyone who doesn't fully agree with the narrative has to keep their mouth shut, even when the class is supposedly engaging in open discourse. This is also contradictory to Acera's student demographic - there were no black students in my grade at Acera and only two or three in the entire middle school. The one positive is that Acera allows your students to advance above grade level in math, so if your child is intelligent enough then Acera can provide a stepping stone to college mathematics. Acera also has very good mental health support systems and sex education.I really wish I could have visited Acera before going, but I couldn't because of Covid. If I had visited I would have almost immediately crossed it off as an option.
Submitted by student on May 09, 2022

I have been a middle school studenet at acera for 3 years and am leaving to go to public school. I found that some of the classes were unessesary and dint contribute to my education, and their was not mandatory science or history classes. the teachers are avarage. The students use very explicit language and most students being at acera their whole schooling can not take on more then an hour of homwork a night. Their is no P.E and very little grass and greenery, mostly all concrete. Students are not very athletic. If you want to go their please visit first.
Submitted by parent on January 12, 2022

Our daughter has attended Acera for 3 years. The school has been an incredible catalyst for her approach to learning and confidence in the learning environment. She is thriving in math, inspired by science and her writing skills have improved beyond our expectations. The project based learning is excellent and what she truly enjoys about Acera. Topics ranging from ocular engineering to ecology, digital animation and wood turning are some examples of the electives. They also take on current topics such as social justice and climate change, which fills a void when the news is impossible to avoid, (especially for older kids) and the kids can talk about difficult subjects in the classroom with peers and teacher-led discussions.
Submitted by other on January 07, 2020

I went to this school from grades 4-9 and it was a great school. While it wasn't perfect, I liked how I was able to drive my own learning experience and create my own projects for IMP a ASTEAMS.