Since its opening in 2004, Bradford Christian Academy has boosted its number of students to more than 200, but these numbers are beginning to put a strain on the school. (File photograph.)
An excess number of students at Bradford Christian Academy has led administrators to explore the possibility of creating a third school on Broadway.
According to President and Head of School Victoria Kennedy, the academy’s 215 students, split between the lower school at 97 Oxford Ave. for grades one through eight and the high school on 514 Main St., has led to it “growing beyond capacity.” The academy’s board of directors has hired Steve Sawyer, a civil engineer with Christiansen and Sergi, Inc., and Tom Hughes, a wetland scientist with Hughes Environmental Consulting in Newburyport, to determine whether a plot of land on 1104 Broadway would be suitable for building a third school.
1104 Broadway currently stands as the only property under agreement for the school to explore. Kennedy says the board is in the midst of a six-month exploratory phase for the proposed project, saying “We are in a due diligence period.” If a third school were to be built, Kennedy says it would focus on more classroom space, as well as additional room for their athletic and arts programs.
Hughes spoke with Haverhill’s Conservation Commission Thursday on behalf of the academy to discuss the state of the property. During the discussion, Hughes mentioned the lot currently contains several abandoned houses, part of a dirt path used by ATVs, a perennial stream and various vegetative wetlands.
Bradford Christian Academy has been in operation in Haverhill since 2004, serving students from 35 communities across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It began its elementary program in 2013 and even serves international students from Europe, China, South Korea and Vietnam. The academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges and identifies as a non-denominational Christian organization.