The international boarding school in Braintree – part of CATS Global Schools – will offer places to students aged 13+ in its Arts and Hockey Academies from January 2022, with a STEAM Academy set to launch in Sept 2022.

The offering of several Academies of Excellence makes CATS Boston truly unique, the provider noted. Students enrolled in each Academy will spend 3.5 hours each day focusing on their specialism.

“I am delighted that students can now benefit from our new Academies of Excellence,” CATS Global Schools CEO Chris Stacey said.

“These academies encourage our students to go beyond the curriculum and follow their passions”

“These academies encourage our students to go beyond the curriculum and follow their passions – all whilst developing the skills they need to thrive in tomorrow’s world.”

The academies will attract students from all countries, CATS noted. The CSVPA Arts Academy will be particularly attractive to students in China where the provider also opened a dedicated CSVPA campus in Shanghai earlier this year.

Located in Boston – the US “hub for hockey” – CATS Academy Boston hopes the American Hockey Academy will attract students from “Scandinavia and Russia as they have some of the best hockey players in the world”.

“Canada is also a strong market. In truth, all countries, including Asian countries now have hockey programs. Present day hockey academies in America offer online courses, so the combination of great hockey and great academics make us unique,” a spokesperson told The PIE.

“Students will get a rigorous academic course load, including AP classes and the opportunity to enrol in college classes while at CATS, and still follow their passion in the desired academy,” they added.

It is also looking to develop further specialised programs, including basketball, entrepreneurship and tennis.

As part of CSVPA Boston Arts Academy, CATS partnered with universities such as Savannah College of Art and Design and Full Sail to offer dual enrolments and achieve transferable university credits, in addition to accessing prestigious scholarships and build employability skills through capstone projects.

The STEAM Academy also allows students to dual-enrol with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. From next year, students will have the option to choose between two courses – Medical Terminology and Introduction to United States Healthcare.

“Our partnerships with universities such as SCAD and Full Sail provide our students with access to fantastic opportunities such as scholarships and collaborative projects, along with the option to start their university journey early through dual enrolment,” Stacey added.