New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Every ten years the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, also known as NEASC, visits private and public schools throughout the New England region to assess every aspect of the schools.

The first of two visits to Newtown High School is planned for October 2026 and the second for October 2028.

Preparations for these visits include extensive meetings, discussions, and planning in order to ensure NHS is ready for the assessment. 

“We are currently writing a detailed self reflection based on 5 standards provided by NEASC and providing evidence for each. Additionally, we are planning for our visiting team, including hotels, food, workspace, and groups of people they will need to meet while they are here,” NHS principal Dr. Kimberly Longobucco said.

There are five standards that NEASC uses to evaluate public schools. The five are learning culture, student learning, professional practices, learning support, and learning resources. Schools accredited by NEASC are required to meet each of these standards, and if a school is not yet meeting these, they are expected to prioritize work to ensure these areas are improved. 

NEASC’s last visit to NHS was in 2015, and NHS was fully accredited during that assessment. 

“We did not score poorly on anything, rather areas for improvement were identified and we have made progress in all areas,” Longobucco said. 

For students at NHS the school climate is a big part of everyday life. School climate is something administrators, teachers, and staff put a lot of effort into improving or making it the best it can be. 

“So I’ve been working here for 21 years and when I first got here, I didn’t think our climate was that great. I feel like it steadily improved, and when I walk around the hallways students are, for the most part, respectful and kind to each other. They really see each other.” NHS English teacher Michelle Toby said. “I also think our unified program has really helped students practice perspective talking and seeing things from other perspectives.”

The majority of the time the environment at the NHS is seen as helpful, high quality, and an overall good climate, but there are some things needed to be improved. 

“I feel like something bad about the climate is the bathrooms and all the vaping. I think smartpass was trying to help that but I think there is more that could be done about it,” NHS sophomore Fiona Mackessy said.

“I think one thing I’d love to see is just more intellectual curiosity. I feel like our students get very grade conscious. They want to be successful and they want to get into certain schools and make their parents proud. But they don’t often, as much as I would like, they don't often want to really have an engaged discussion,” Toby said.

Another important aspect for students at NHS is that they are able to get help in whatever area they need. Whether it be academically, emotionally, or physically, NHS aims to have support in any way. 

“The school is very good at helping students. If a student is struggling there are a lot of teachers that notice and will contact the counselors to get the student help,” NHS sophomore Morgan Kenny said.

When NEASC visits the school they will assess all of these areas, and through preparation and attention to detail the staff at NHS has made sure that the school is ready for this assessment.  Additionally, all of the time put into preparing is not only for the assessment, but also for the general experience and well being of students at NHS.