We believe in the power young men have to change their lives. We work exclusively with 18- and 19-year olds during the year between high school and college. Experience has taught us that this is the year that makes the difference for achieving more in college, athletics, and life beyond school.

Our academic program prepares students to succeed in college and to do so at schools that might otherwise have felt out of reach. Our athletics program prepares student-athletes to compete at the college level while successfully balancing academics. Our student life program couples independence with mentorship and provides opportunities for outdoor programs, weekend activities, and service to local organizations. Our work with young men between high school and college builds character and cultivates maturity that lasts a lifetime.

CURIOSITY, which is characterized by learning, creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking.
COMMUNITY, which is characterized by a culture that is ethical, diverse, and collaborative, and which practices empathy, fairness, trust, and civility.
SPORTSMANSHIP, which is characterized by fair play, hard work, and mutual respect.
Individual and institutional ACCOUNTABILITY, which is characterized by honesty, openness, clarity, and shared ethical standards.
EXCELLENCE, which is characterized by a continuous, unending pursuit of quality.

Founded in 1808 as a four-year school, Bridgton Academy was chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, when Maine was still a part of Massachusetts. In “A Brief History of Bridgton Academy,” Ernest N. Stevens of the Bridgton Class of 1899 writes that Bridgton’s founders were “largely of Puritan stock, of fair education themselves, and genuinely concerned about the education of their children.” In 1806 three Bridgton citizens””Samuel Adams, Dr. Samuel Farnsworth and Enoch Perley””raised the necessary funds to open a school and put the question of where to locate it to town members. During a “stormy session,” they landed on North Bridgton because “the natural beauty of the scenery was so great that it seemed that nature itself had designed that there should be a school in North Bridgton.

Bridgton Academy has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASAC) since 1934, making it one of the oldest accredited schools in the country. We are also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.