A state-of-the-art facility, compared to IMG Academy of Florida, is set to open in the fall of 2026 in Stow, Massachusetts. Master’s Academy International will be a sports-focused, co-ed, boarding and day school open to high school students worldwide.
Founders Chris and Peter Masters have deep experience in youth sports, specifically hockey. Peter has been the Head Coach of and General Manager of the Boston Junior Bruins since the 1990s. Since he took over, he has transformed the program into an elite junior hockey program that has stood out in New England ever since.
His younger brother, Chris, had hockey in his blood as well, as he played for the Boston College hockey team in the 90s, and he was even an assistant captain during his four-year tenure. They run the Junior Bruins together and have decided to take on this new project that could change New England high school sports forever.
The campus will sit on 82 acres of land that was purchased for $9.82 million, according to the Worcester Business Journal. The facility will cost an estimated $80+ million to build, and hopefully be transformed into “the IMG Academy of the north,” as stated by Peter Masters when asked by the Boston Globe.
Its campus will follow a strict schedule of five hours of academics throughout each day, followed by four hours of athletic training depending on the sport. It will be open to grades 6-12 and allow for a post-graduate year. This lets it to be a unique way for younger students to prepare for high school sports.
According to Relocate Magazine, the former Head of School at IMG Academy, Rich Odell, as well as educators at the Newman School in Boston, are guiding the program to guarantee full NCAA credentials also preparing students for college.
On top of this, Cognita, described as a leading global schools group, has announced it will be a founding partner in the opening of MAI.
“We are incredibly proud to be a founding partner in Masters Academy International,” Frank Maassen, group CEO of Cognita, told Relocate Magazine on Friday.
Maassen also stated he believes this facility will embody the Cognita spirit, as it combines real-world preparation, personal ambition, and world-class education all into one program. He emphasized the focus on academics, athletics, life skills, wellbeing, and leadership, and loves the full package that students will have access to.
One of the highlights of the MAI will be the National Fencing Academy’s host, which is a first in United States sports. According to the New England Soccer Journal, fencing is expected to anchor MAI’s reputation both on a regional and global scale. While fencing will be the highlighted sport at MAI, they will also offer ice hockey, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, figure skating, golf, and e-sports, with more sports expected later.
The facility will be anywhere from 300,000-400,000 square feet according to multiple sources, and will be located where the former Bose office building was located, with classrooms, dining halls, strength and conditioning labs and robotics labs. The outdoors will feature baseball diamonds, turf fields for soccer and lacrosse, and a basketball court. It is important to note that the MAI purchased the now former Bose campus for $2.3 million in May of 2024, which is what caught Cognita’s attention.
MAI’s branding has revolved around being the IMG of the north, which is exactly what they seem to be on the path to. The states in New England alone have not had the talent or resources to compete with other big areas like California, Texas or Florida. When the states join together to build a team that has the same goal (MAI) it becomes a lot easier to move forward with this big of a project.
Prep schools in New England, and specifically Massachusetts, have not explored recruiting talent outside of the state, and the MAI should be the gateway to that world. Whether or not this takes over the St. John Preps and Xaverians of the state will be decided.
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