From Head of School and Founder, Courtney Dickinson

Welcome!

Acera is a school where students learn at their own pace, free from age-based limits, in a community filled with curiosity and creativity. Students thrive here, surrounded by peers who share their love of learning and deep inquiry.

Our Core School Program serves students who need to learn beyond grade level. Our Enrichment Programs (after school, summer, vacation weeks) engage 500+ families annually. AceraEI, our outreach initiative, models innovative, evidence-based education for broader impact.

What makes Acera special? Visitors from around the world see students fully engaged—soldering circuits, woodworking, building roller coasters for physics labs, coding environmental games, and creating literature and art. Our ability-based math block places students according to skill, not age, with options up to calculus and beyond. Families have relocated to access this program, which evolves annually to meet students’ needs.

Our electives rival those of top institutions: geopolitics, philosophy, metaphysics, history of math, gene editing with CRISPR, astronomy, physics, engineering, and more. Writing skills grow from reluctant beginnings to advanced analytical, research, and fiction writing by eighth grade.

The impact of an Acera education? Alumni consistently report that their critical thinking, self-advocacy, and collaboration skills prepare them to thrive in high school, college, and beyond. They remain deeply motivated, with a lasting commitment to real-world problem-solving.

Founded in 2010 with 37 students, Acera quickly expanded, purchasing a 20,000-square-foot building in Winchester, transforming it into an Innovation Lab, and creating an outdoor space for hands-on exploration. In 2023, we opened Phase 1 of our new Arts & Sciences building at 1 Lowell Ave, with further lab expansion planned through an upcoming capital campaign.

We believe all schools should inspire students to become their best selves, fostering inquiry-driven, interdisciplinary learning. Through AceraEI, launched in 2016, we collaborate with public schools to bring our innovative approaches into new communities, thanks to enduring support from the Humani Foundation. Our educators drive this work, leading both in our classrooms and in broader school change.

Acera is intentionally designed for gifted students, offering personalized pathways from our youngest learners (as young as “fall 5’s”) through an optional ninth-grade year. Older students take increasing ownership of their education, guided by strong teacher and parent partnerships.

I am thrilled to announce that Dr. Heather Pindeo-Burns, an expert in gifted education and former Director of the Lower School at Speyer School in NYC, will become Acera’s next Head of School in July 2025. Her children are Acera students, and she was unanimously elected by our Board. As Founder, I will transition to an Acera Ambassador role, supporting admissions and focusing on outreach and AceraEI.

We invite you to visit! Our monthly Information Sessions are open to families, professionals, and anyone interested in gifted education. We hope to meet you soon!

All the best,
Courtney (Founder & Head of School, 2009-2025)