New England Innovation Academy Preps For New Year, Plans Open Houses

The following was submitted by the New England Innovation Academy

MARLBOROUGH, MA — On Aug. 26 students in grades 7-12 will return to the New England Innovation Academy’s Marlborough campus, flooding the space that feels more like the campus of Apple or Google than a middle and high school 20 minutes outside of Boston.

The school, which graduated its inaugural class last spring, is welcoming international boarding students for the first time while also continuing to develop a new model for education that emphasizes the skills future innovators will need to make an impact.

NEIA will welcome potential new students in open houses this fall: an Upper School Open House on October 24 and a Middle School Open House on November 5. More details on those open houses, when available, will be at www.neiacademy.org.

A New Model for Education

NEIA opened its doors in Fall 2021 with the promise of an educational experience that is anything but conventional. Reimagining traditional education, NEIA’s founding team has developed a curriculum focused on human-centered design, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning. By engaging students in work that is meaningful to them and applicable to the real world, NEIA develops skills to help them become critical thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs, and prepare them to face the challenges of their generation.

Innovation Studio: The Heart of NEIA’s Curriculum

NEIA’s Innovation Studio curriculum is a cornerstone of its educational model, challenging students to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, prototype their ideas, and test their innovations—often in collaborative teams. Through hands-on, project- based learning, students develop essential cross-disciplinary skills in collaboration, communication, and creative problem-solving.

In Middle School, Innovation Studio empowers students to be creative, design responsibly, and drive positive change. By cultivating innovator mindsets, technical skills, and interpersonal understanding, NEIA offers a practical learning environment that actively engages students in multidisciplinary studio courses. The program stands out for its applied learning approach, incorporating client interactions and project-based teaching methods that emphasize innovation, contextual awareness, and value creation.

As students advance to the Upper School, Innovation Studio encourages them to develop their design and technology capabilities by leveraging creativity, inventiveness, and initiative. Rooted in human-centered design principles, NEIA’s program offers an experiential learning environment where innovation meets responsibility. With a 12th- grade capstone course and project presentations, students refine their design skills and contribute to meaningful change in individuals, communities, and society. Innovation Studio is more than just a classroom—it's a dynamic space where students are encouraged to take risks, embrace failure as part of the learning process, and iterate on their ideas. Equipped with the latest technology, the studio fosters a mindset that is resilient, adaptive, and ready for the rapidly changing world, enabling students to explore limitless possibilities, from sustainable solutions to new technologies that enhance daily life.

Entrepreneurship as a Core Value

NEIA’s team places a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship, integrating it into their curriculum to help students understand and apply entrepreneurial principles in their lives. Whether they aim to start a business, launch a social enterprise, or creatively approach their future careers, students receive guidance and encouragement from staff across all disciplines.

The school takes an interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship, encouraging students to think like entrepreneurs in every subject area, not just in specialized classes. This approach helps students see the connections between different fields and understand how to leverage their knowledge to create real-world value.

Beginning in seventh and eighth grade with the Life Design course, students develop an entrepreneurial mindset, which is further nurtured in the required ninth-grade Entrepreneurship Foundations course. As they progress through grades 10 through 12, students can choose from various entrepreneurship electives, which emphasize that entrepreneurship is about more than starting a business—it's about innovation, embracing failure, seeking opportunities, and fostering a passion for one’s work. NEIA’s program equips students with the mindset and skills needed to solve problems and create greater social and economic value.

A Diverse and Inclusive Community

NEIA prides itself on being a diverse and inclusive community that welcomes students from all backgrounds. The school is committed to creating an environment where every student feels valued, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential. This commitment to diversity is reflected in the school’s student body, which includes students from across the United States and around the world.

NEIA is now able to issue I-20 forms, which helps aid students in applying for a Visa. NEIA has welcomed students from countries including Germany, China, and South America among many others. The international students will join day students and boarding students from across the United States and American citizens whose families reside overseas to build the most diverse class in NEIA’s history. The students’ varied backgrounds and experiences enrich the learning experience, helping them develop a global mindset.

New for 2024-25

NEIA graduated its inaugural class last spring and is looking forward to a capstone year for its second class of graduates. New this year is an elective system that allows students to align visual arts and Innovation Studio classes with their passions and interests. NEIA’s philosophy focuses on providing a curated educational experience for students that results in cross-disciplinary competencies that can carry them into the real world as innovators.

For more information about New England Innovation Academy and its programs, please visit NEIA’s website.