Austin Preparatory School

Austin Preparatory School, located in Reading, Massachusetts, is an independent Catholic prep school rooted in the Augustinian tradition. Serving students in grades 6 through 12, Austin Prep has cultivated a close-knit learning community since its founding in 1961. Guided by its mission to inspire hearts to unite, minds to inquire, and hands to serve, the school challenges students through a rigorous college preparatory program that includes honors and Advanced Placement courses, personalized instruction, and intentionally small classes.

An Austin Prep education is preparation for the journey of life. Beyond academics, the school’s unwritten curriculum – the lived expression of veritas, unitas, and caritas (truth, unity, and love) – forms the heart of its mission. “At Austin Prep, we are on a journey that is life-changing and important,” says Head of School James Hickey, Ph.D. “Our patron, St. Augustine, embarked on a journey for the truth. At our core is an institution on the same journey, committed to exemplary teaching and learning.”

Serving grades 6–12 under one roof allows this leading prep school to guide students through every stage of development—academic, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Community stands at the center of this experience, nurturing belonging and inspiring students to lead lives of purpose. Austin Prep athletics teams, competing in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), are recognized among the best north of Boston, reflecting the same drive and integrity found in the classroom.

Nearly every graduate continues on to a four-year college, prepared not only for success in higher education but for a meaningful life shaped by faith, friendship, and service.