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 starting in 9th grade, giving them a head start on higher education. Our inaugural graduating Class of 2026 graduated with 3,000+ college credits, and nearly half earned a general studies associates degree alongside their high school diploma. Our students go on to colleges and universities such as UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management, Bentley University School of Business, Westfield State Pre-Law, and more. 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].
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.
I’m majoring in Nursing and minoring in Psychology at Worcester State University. I was accepted into Elms College, Bentley University, UMass Lowell, Salem State University, Worcester State University, and UCONN. I want to get my masters degree and become a nurse practitioner to work with people of all ages. Being able to take college classes all throughout high school, and eventually more specific classes going towards what I want to do in my future helped me realize that nursing is what I want to do. Outside of classes I have two jobs: I work as a retail associate and a CNA, which I was licensed with the help of Veritas and STCC. I also play volleyball, I’m a part of the National Honors Society, I help my mom take care of my brother, and I’m also on the school’s prom committee. College to me means that I get to discover and grow into who I’m meant to be, while getting to experience many new and different things.
– Mia Erazzo, Veritas Prep Class of 2026
Sample Student Schedule
A day at Veritas prep is a blend of rigorous coursework, real college courses, and small group social spaces.
Sample Schedule: Grade 9 + 10
Period 1: Computer Science (HS Course)
Period 2: Honors Geometry (HS Course)
Period 3: English II (HS Course)
Period 4: US History (HS Course)
Lunch Period
Period 5: STCC Computer Basics (College Course)
Period 6: Crew (HS Course)
Period 7: Physical Education OR Spanish 1 (College Course)
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 Schedule: Grade 11 + 12
Period 1: Crew (HS Course)
Period 2: Study Hall
Period 3: English 102 (College Course)
Lunch/Physical Education
Period 4: Biology 115 (College Course)
Period 5: Philosophy 201 (College Course)
Period 6: Algebra II (HS Course)
All numbered courses take place on the STCC campus, and are taught by STCC professors. A student might come back to the high school campus 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, honor roll celebrations, to prom, weekly academic decathalon competitions, to week-long project weeks called “Intensives”, students are seen and celebrated across the school year. See an example of 2026 Spring Intensives here.
- 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.”
