Academy at Swift River

Academy at Swift River
Address
151 South St Cummington , Hampshire , Massachusetts 01026 United States
Information
Established	1997
Founder	Tim Brace
Closed	2013
Headmaster	Rudy Bentz [1]
Age range	14 to 18
Enrollment	65
Tuition	$5000 (2005) [2] : 3
Academy at Swift River in 2016

The Academy at Swift River, also known as ASR, was a coeducational therapeutic boarding school for teenagers, located in Plainfield and Cummington, Massachusetts. Established in 1997 and closed in 2013, it was a part of the Aspen Education Group, which in turn is owned by Bain Capital's CRC health group.

The school's student population was described as "bright but underachieving kids" with a variety of behavioral problems. The majority of students used prescribed psychiatric medications. ASR was in session year-round and offered a college preparatory curriculum for high school grades 9 to 12. ^[3] Total enrollment was about 55 students. ^[4]

The school was the focus of the 2005 book What It Takes To Pull Me Through: Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four of Them Got Out by journalist David Marcus. ^[2]

History

In July 2013, Aspen Education Group announced that it would close the school later that summer. ^[5]

Staff

Rudy Bentz was headmaster of Academy at Swift River from 1998 to 2003. He had formerly worked at CEDU high school in running springs for 13 years and had been headmaster of Hidden Lake Academy for four years. ^{[6] [2] : 28}

In 2000, the headmaster was John T. Powers. ^{[7] [ relevant? ]}

References

1. Rimer, Sara (September 10, 2001). "DESPERATE MEASURES -- A special report.; Embattled Parents Seek Help, at Any Cost" . The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 5, 2025.
2. Marcus, David L. (2006). What It Takes to Pull Me Through: Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four of Them Got Out (Paperback). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN   9780618772025. OCLC   1036921615.
3. "Academy at Swift River | Curriculum". Archived from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
4. "Academy at Swift River | Program Facts". Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
5. Ryan, Fran (July 24, 2013). "Academy at Swift River, therapeutic school for teens, to close at summer's end". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
6. "The Academy at Swift River -- Staff". December 5, 1998. Archived from the original on December 5, 1998. Retrieved December 19, 2024. [T]hirteen years at Cedu (emotional growth) School in Running Springs, California; four years as Headmaster at Hidden Lake Academy (emotional growth school) in Dahlonega, Georgia.
7. Peterson's private secondary schools, 2000-2001. Peterson's. 2000. p. 1324. OCLC   1036819072.

Further reading

• Marcus, David L. (2006). What It Takes to Pull Me Through: Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four of Them Got Out (Paperback). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN   9780618772025. OCLC   1036921615.

42°28′52″N72°53′3″W / 42.48111°N 72.88417°W / 42.48111; -72.88417