Foxcroft Academy (FA) is a co-educational private boarding and day high school in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, founded in 1823 and one of the oldest secondary schools in the state. The school describes its motto as “Forward, Always,” sits on a 125-acre campus, and says its student body represents more than 20 countries. For an international family, the practical questions are usually the same: what can my child study, what does the school expect at entry, what does it cost, and what support exists around the application itself. This guide answers those questions from Foxcroft Academy’s official website, checked on August 5, 2026. The school’s own claims are reported as the school’s claims.
Foxcroft Academy: The Programs on Offer
Foxcroft Academy’s curriculum is built around college and career readiness. The school states that it offers 8 IB courses, 21 AP courses and 32 Honors courses, and has dual-enrollment agreements with several Maine colleges so students can earn college credit before graduation. The course list includes distinctive electives such as Stagecraft, Coding, Welding, Forensics and Culinary Arts, alongside Latin, Spanish, German and English as a Second Language (ESL). Students take a minimum of four core academic courses per semester; the academic year runs in two semesters, fall (August to January) and spring (January to June).
Foxcroft Academy also runs the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, one of the few IB offerings among Maine high schools. The school describes the IB as a rigorous course of study that develops critical thinking, intercultural understanding and self-directed learning, with a strong community engagement component. Average class size at Foxcroft Academy is 14 students. Academic support includes a daily Academic Support Period for students below a B- average, teacher help before and after the school day, peer tutoring, and structured study sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings; ESL instruction is built into the curriculum for international students. College counselling sits within the school’s Counseling Services: Career & College Readiness team, and Foxcroft Academy publishes a list of college acceptances for recent graduating classes.
Foxcroft Academy: Entry Requirements for International Students
Foxcroft Academy uses rolling admissions: as long as places remain, the school says it is happy to consider an application as soon as the student is ready, and recommends applying early for a priority decision. The application has three steps: submit an inquiry form; apply through the SchoolAdmin online portal with transcripts from the last two years and recommendations from the current math and English teachers; and complete an admissions interview, in person or online via Zoom. A campus visit is not required, but the school strongly suggests one when possible; students who cannot visit must complete an online interview.
English requirements for international boarding students are published by grade on the FAQ page: grade 9 entry needs TOEFL iBT 55+, IELTS 3.0+ or SSAT 1600+; grade 10 needs TOEFL iBT 63+, IELTS 4.0+ or SSAT 1650+; grade 11 needs TOEFL iBT 74+, IELTS 5.0+ or SSAT 1800+; grade 12 entry requires excellent academic performance and TOEFL iBT 85+, IELTS 6.0+ or SSAT 1950+. The school notes that the SSAT requirements apply to all applicants, not only international boarders. Testing is otherwise optional — TOEFL, PSAT, SSAT or ACT scores may be shared if they help the school understand the applicant. Foxcroft Academy says it looks for students with a strong desire to learn whose records indicate they can sustain a solid B average in a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, with co-curricular involvement also weighed. The website does not publish a fixed application deadline beyond the rolling policy; families should start materials early.
Foxcroft Academy: Costs and Financial Aid
Foxcroft Academy publishes a single annual figure on its FAQ page: US$54,000, covering tuition, room and board, meals, student health insurance, ESL courses, laundry, bedding, technology fees, a school iPad for the year, transportation to and from Bangor International Airport, one SAT exam, AP exam fees and activities. The school states that families will face no other required fees. Foxcroft Academy describes its tuition as competitive among New England boarding schools, a school claim that this guide does not use for cross-school comparison.
Financial aid is limited and need-based. Families apply by submitting a letter of request to the admissions office explaining the reason for and amount of aid requested; the Scholarship and Financial Aid Committee reviews it, and if parents live in separate households, both must complete forms. February 1 is the deadline for all financial aid paperwork, and returning students must renew by March 15 to guarantee awards for the following year. Academic achievement and civic engagement scholarships are determined by the admissions committee. All awards are contingent on the student making progress toward Foxcroft Academy’s graduation standards, engaging in the school community and maintaining good standing.
Foxcroft Academy: Boarding and Campus Life
Foxcroft Academy’s boarding provision is described in detail on the website. Two on-campus dormitories house the boarders: Herd Hall accommodates 60 boarding students plus six faculty families, and The Lodge houses 36 students plus four faculty families. Each dorm has male and female wings, a large common area, kitchen facilities, study rooms and wireless internet. Most rooms are doubles, furnished with a bed, chair, desk, bureau, large closet and a safe per student, plus a shared refrigerator and microwave; laundry is free on site. Quiet hours begin at 8:00 pm on school nights, dorm study sessions run 8:30–10:00 pm Sunday through Thursday, and there is a curfew on weekend nights. There is no uniform; the dress code is business casual.
Beyond the dorms, campus life at Foxcroft Academy includes a wide range of clubs and organizations, arts programs in music, theater and visual arts, varsity sports (baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, wrestling, cheerleading), recreational activities, a Student Support & Wellness team and a Peer Mediation program. The school says its International Club sponsors at least one trip abroad each year open to all students, with recent destinations including France, Spain, Greece, England, Italy and Costa Rica, and scholarships available for these trips. Dover-Foxcroft, about four hours by car from Boston, is a small town in rural Piscataquis County with a regional hospital and local shopping and dining; the school highlights the surrounding Maine Highlands — Mt. Katahdin, the Penobscot River and Moosehead Lake — as part of the area’s appeal.
Application Support and Planning for Overseas Families
For an international applicant, the practical sequence at Foxcroft Academy is: check the English requirement for the target grade; gather transcripts from the last two years and arrange math and English teacher recommendations; submit the inquiry and SchoolAdmin application early under the rolling policy; book the interview (online if travel is not possible); and budget from the US$54,000 all-inclusive figure, adding a financial aid application before February 1 if needed. Once admitted, the school issues the paperwork international students need for an F-1 visa, and the visa process itself follows U.S. immigration rules. On arrival, ESL, academic support periods, peer tutoring and college counselling are all built into the program rather than treated as extras. Every figure and requirement above comes from Foxcroft Academy’s official website as of August 5, 2026, and the live website remains the authoritative source. If you would like to map Foxcroft Academy’s programs, entry requirements and costs against your child’s age, current grade and family situation, the advisers on this site can work through the details with you.