Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective,

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered starting in 9th grade. It is a highly

selective school A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems and is the opposite of a comprehensive school, which accepts all s ...

, accepting only 14% of applicants in the 2020–21 school year. Historically, it has been an unofficial feeder school for

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Milton is a member of the

Independent School League Independent School League or ISL may refer to: * Independent School League (Illinois), a group of nine Chicago-area preparatory schools * Independent School League (New England), a group of 16 New England preparatory schools * Independent School Le ...

(ISL). Milton's historic athletic rival is

Noble and Greenough The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is near Boston on a campus that borders the Charles River in Dedham, Massa ...

History

The original Milton Academy was founded by a Massachusetts bill granting a charter in 1798, but operations ceased in 1866 with the opening of the public Milton High School. The academy, however, was re-established in 1884 on a new 125-acre site by John Murray Forbes, with the approval of the old board of trustees.

Athletics

Milton offers 15 interscholastic sports for both boys and girls each, as well as nine intramural teams. It is a member of both the

and the New England Schools Sailing Association division of the

Interscholastic Sailing Association The Interscholastic Sailing Association also known as ISSA is the organization that serves as the governing authority for all sailing competition between both public and private secondary schools throughout the United States. The organization's he ...

. Since 1886, Milton's traditional rival has been the

Noble and Greenough School The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is near Boston on a campus that borders the Charles River in Dedham, Massa ...

of Dedham. Recently, the ultimate team was ranked seventh in the nation and the varsity football team "entered the 2005 season with the best ten-year record of all ISL prep programs". Between 1998 - 2004 and led by coach Herb Chennel, The Boys' Tennis Team won the ISL Championship 6 times, and The New England Intercollegiate Tennis Championship 6 times. During that time Milton amassed a record of 74 wins and 1 loss. More than 10 players from those teams went on to Division I tennis careers. The coed sailing team has won two national championships—one in team racing and one in fleet racing. They have also won team racing worlds in 2015. Milton's boys' hockey team has had several players go on to successful professional careers, most notably 12-year NHLer

Marty McInnis Martin Edward McInnis (born June 5, 1970) is an American former ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Boston Bruins. An eighth round selectio ...

and current Boston Bruin

Josh Hennessy Joshua Hennessy (born February 7, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He most recently played for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL). Hennessy previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) fo ...

. In 2011, Milton's boys hockey team won the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council ( NEPSAC) championship. The team featured two NHL draft picks: Patrick McNally and

Rob O'Gara Robert Dominick O'Gara (born July 6, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who retired following the 2021 season. He is currently an Assistant Coach for the men's Yale Hockey team. O'Gara was selected by the Boston Bruins in the ...

. In 2012, the Girls' Cross Country team placed 1st and the Boys' Cross Country team placed 2nd in the ISL, earning the team's highest finish in 25 years. In 2013 the Girls

Track & Field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

team clinched the ISL title while the Boys did the same in 2015. The Boys' Varsity Soccer team earned a first-round bid in the playoffs for the NEPSC in 2013. In 2014 they went undefeated until a semi-final elimination in the playoffs but returned to a perfect untied and unbeaten 22–0 season the following year, earning the ISL title, the New England Class A championship and the ISL Sportsmanship award.

Controversies

In February 2017, the academy announced the results of a nine-month

sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, se ...

investigation by T&M Protection Resources. The firm interviewed 60 alumni, parents, current and former staff and came to the conclusion that four former employees had engaged in illegal sexual conduct with students in the 1970s and 80s. The most egregious abuse came from a drama teacher named Reynold Buono who had abused at least 12 male students before being terminated by the school in 1987. On June 27, 2018, Buono was arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court on three counts of rape of a child and three counts of rape of a child with force. Six of those counts were reversed in 2019 and four were reinstated in 2020 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The original District Attorney alleged the rapes happened while Buono was teaching at the school between 1975 and 1987. Buono was terminated in 1987 after admitting to molesting a student and had been living in southeast Asia. In 2005, the school expelled five members of the boys varsity ice hockey team for rape/sexual assault of a female student. Following the county criminal investigation and prosecution by the state of Massachusetts, the three defendants over the age of 18 were found guilty of rape in adult court, and the two who were 16 at the time of the incident were found guilty in juvenile court. This incident was used for fictional accounts in both print and a Lifetime movie.

Notable alumni

References

External links

Official website

Milton Academy on Instagram
Archived fro
the original
on ghostarchive.org * {{authority control 1798 establishments in Massachusetts Boarding schools in Massachusetts Co-educational boarding schools Educational institutions established in 1798 Independent School League Milton, Massachusetts Private high schools in Massachusetts Private preparatory schools in Massachusetts Private middle schools in Massachusetts Private elementary schools in Massachusetts Schools in Norfolk County, Massachusetts