About Us

Located on a unique mountaintop site in Avon, Connecticut, Talcott Mountain Academy is a co-educational, independent day school for students in grades K-8. Since 1983, TMA has offered an exciting, multi-faceted and integrated curriculum which is dedicated to preparing intellectually excited young people for a full and productive life in a technologically oriented world. Our diverse student body is racially and culturally mixed. The ratio of students to teachers is less than 8:1.

The overriding educational goal is to instill in students a love of learning, a curiosity about life, and an understanding of how to learn and a need to inquire and discover. These positive attitudes are enhanced and strengthened by a staff of enthusiastic, well-prepared teachers who are experienced in the “hands-on” approach of student involvement and are excited about sharing an educational experience with their students.

Special emphasis is placed on science, mathematics and technology instruction. The level of complexity achieved in these fields upon graduation is far greater than that in comparable schools. The benefit of an “extended faculty” drawn from neighboring professionals, regional education resources and the Science Center’s staff is that it enhances not only the sciences -- but also the liberal and fine arts. Talcott's unique location allows for the use of sophisticated resources such as telescopes, planetarium, greenhouse, weather station, television studio, observatories and computer laboratories.

Students are grouped in “Suites” of similar age although they may not be working at the same “grade” level. Students’ abilities vary among subject areas and can be grouped differently for each subject.  The “suite” concept allows for greater differentiation to meet an individual student’s needs.

The curriculum is differentiated and individualized to meet the special needs of gifted students with maximum concern for the varying degrees of “giftedness” which exist in such highly qualified students. Using a variety of teaching styles, interdisciplinary and collaborative methods, our teachers encourage the development of problem-solving, creativity and critical thinking skills. Our students are of above average ability, creative and task committed.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Faculty and staff of Talcott Mountain Academy and Talcott Mountain Science Center maintain professional affiliations with the following organizations:

• Connecticut Association for the Gifted
• National Association for Gifted Children
• National Science Teachers Association
• Connecticut Science Supervisors Association
• Connecticut Science Teachers Association
• Connecticut Invention Convention
• Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair
• Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
• National Earth Science Teachers Association
• FIRST® LEGO® League