High School Program
A Transformative Path to College and Career
The high school years at Veritas Prep are transformative. Our innovative early college program provides students with the opportunity to earn college credits, giving them a head start on higher education. Meaningful extracurricular and leadership opportunities ensure they develop into well-rounded, confident individuals ready to take on the world.
To reach our school counseling team contact Sara Neuenschwander at [email protected] and Deidre Cuffee-Gray at [email protected].
Our Students
Located in the heart of Western Massachusetts, Veritas Prep Charter School serves the educational needs of Springfield’s diverse urban community. Veritas Prep currently operates a middle school (grades 5–8) and a high school (grades 9–12), serving over 700 students across both campuses. Our high school opened in 2022 after a year-long design process that included students, staff, and community members, and will graduate its first class of seniors in 2026. Reflecting the demographics of Springfield, more than 70% of Veritas students identify as Hispanic and over 80% come from low-income backgrounds. It is our mission to create a school where all students, regardless of their socio-economic background, are on track for college, career, and to reach their dreams.
The Early College Difference
In addition to meeting all MassCore state graduation requirements, Veritas Prep goes well beyond through our Early College program. Starting in 9th grade, students can begin to take college courses offered through our university partnerships with Worcester State University and Springfield Technical Community College.
These courses count towards high school graduation requirements and earn students up to 60 college credits that transfer to any Massachusetts public 4-year college or university.
All college courses are taught by accredited professors from our university partners, and starting junior year, students enrolled in college courses take some or all of their classes on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College, giving them exposure to a real college campus while retaining the supportive structures of high school.
Students at Veritas can graduate high school with both a high school diploma and a General Studies Associate Degree, at absolutely no cost to them.
(Note that we do not offer AP classes, in which students need to take a final exam to potentially earn college credit.)
Available Early College courses can be found in our Program of Studies.
Career Pathways
At Veritas, students graduate high school with not only a vision for their future, but also with in-demand professional qualifications. Students have the option to enroll in career pathways, meaning they follow a course sequence designed to help them gain skills, knowledge, and credentials in a specific career field. For example, students in the Advanced Manufacturing pathway earn industry-recognized credentials in CAD, AutoDesk, and 3D Printing. Throughout their time at Veritas, students will engage in career fairs, learn from career speakers are mentors, and engage in work-based learning and internships. Current pathways offered are:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Education
- Business and Health (anticipated for school year 26-27)
Sample Student Schedule
A day at Veritas prep is a blend of rigorous coursework, real college courses, and small group social spaces.
* The schedules below reflect the pathway for students who are on track to graduate with both a high school diploma and associates degree.
Sample Carando Campus Schedule
Period 1: Computer Science
Period 2: Honors Geometry
Period 3: English II
Period 4: US History
Lunch Period
Period 5: STCC Computer Basics
Period 6: Crew
Period 7: Physical Education OR elective
WSU and STCC are courses taught by college professors at the high school campus. Note that an individual students’ schedule may look different and include other core courses.
Sample Full-Time at STCC Schedule
Period 1: Crew
Period 2: Study Hall
Period 3: English 102
Lunch/Physical Education
Period 4: Biology 115
Period 5: Philosophy 201
Period 6: Algebra II (Carando Course)
All numbered courses take place on the STCC campus, and are taught by STCC professors. A student might come back to Carando to take a course like Algebra II.
Culture and Climate
Veritas is a small high school, where teachers and administrators know every student by name, and where joy, rigor, and high expectations are at the center of all we do. Our program is designed with a small, tight-knit student experience in mind:
- Crew: based on the model from EL Education, students meet daily in a small group to focus on building discreet skills to support college readiness, to conference individually with their Crew advisor, and to build community with a small group of peers.
- Habits of Success: at Veritas, we know that social-emotional and executive functioning skills are as essential as academic knowledge. We focus on Planning (time management, organization), Active Learning (asking for feedback, challenging themselves, setting goals), and Teamwork (listening, working collaboratively, and contributing ideas).
- Joy: our school is filled with rituals and traditions. From Cultural Heritage nights, to Student & Teacher Basketball games, to week-long project weeks called “Intensives”, students are seen and celebrated across the school year.
- Electives, Athletics, & Extracurriculars: we believe students deserve to explore their interests and passions, and provide electives in the visual and performing arts, STEM, social sciences, and more. With a full-sized gym and two-after school buses, all students have the opportunity to participate in after school sports and extracurriculars. Visit the Athletics & Extracurriculars page to learn more.
Leadership
Dr. Stephen Mahoney comes to Veritas Prep with over 20 years of experience as a school leader. Before joining Veritas in 2025, he served as the Assistant Superintendent for the Holyoke Public Schools. From 2005 to 2015, he founded and led the Springfield Renaissance School, an award-winning urban middle and high school, from which his three sons all graduated. He was previously a school leader at Norwell High School in Norwell, MA, and Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, CA. He also taught history, English, and math and coached boys and girls soccer and basketball. He holds degrees from Brown University (B.A., International Relations), Stanford University (M.A., Curriculum and Instruction), and Boston College (Ed.D., Educational Leadership).
Dr. Mahoney also served as a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Associate Director of the Harvard Teacher Fellows. He is a proud Board of Trustees member at Teach Western Mass. You’ll often hear Dr. Mahoney quote Tom James of Columbia University Teacher’s College: “To start a school is to proclaim what it means to be a human being.”
