Campus

The historic White Building, built in 1949 after the original building burned in the Great Fire of 1942, is the signature image of TA and houses the school’s main entrance, library, administrative offices, and humanities classrooms. Located on the east end of campus and perched on a hill, the White Building affords beautiful views of the Connecticut River Valley and New Hampshire mountains.

At the heart of campus is a grassy quad, surrounded by school’s main buildings: Anderson Hall and the Vaughan Alumni Gymnasium on the north side, the Arts and Sciences Building along the west, and the White Building and Annex on the east side.

In 2010, TA completed a major campus development project, which updated and expanded its campus resources, adding new science labs, resources for the physical education and athletics programs, and a performing arts theater. The Vaughan Alumni Gymnasium introduced a larger, modern gym to the campus resources, with bleacher seating for 400, ideal for athletic, school, and community events; along with the Hathorn Engelman Fitness Room for cardio and strength conditioning for PE students and team athletes. The Martha Jane Rich Theater, also new in 2010, gave Thetford Academy’s award-winning drama program a professional venue in which to rehearse and host its performances. The renovations also included an important investment in the sciences, with the addition of state-of-the-art labs and a new greenhouse attached to the science wing.

Thetford Academy’s 295-acre campus includes multiple athletic fields and an extensive trail network for hiking, walking, running, mountain biking, and Nordic skiing. Especially noteworthy is the 5K Dan Grossman Woods Trail, considered one of the best cross-country courses in New England, on which generations of runners have competed in the annual Woods Trail Run and Vermont Cross-Country State Championships, events held every fall at TA.

In 2015 TA purchased the neighboring property to the south and the Barrett Outdoor Campus has been taking shape since that time. The beautiful outdoor classroom was built in 2018 by students in the Timber Framing class, students in the Environmental Studies & Outdoor Education class built a sugar shack for syrup production in 2019 and installed a 12-feature low ropes course in 2020, and the school garden was revitalized in 2021 after a Covid hiatus.

The school’s vast natural resources serve as a living laboratory and are integrated into the curriculum in a variety of academic areas. In addition to its own campus, TA has a 10-year agreement with the State of Vermont’s Department of Forest, Parks & Recreation to manage the 177-acre Thetford Hill State Forest, extending the school’s reach and complementing its focus on experiential, outdoor, and environmental education.