About
Our Vision
To provide a catalyst for the development of the mind and body, which prepares student-athletes to excel in the mental and physical challenges of high school, as well as throughout their lives.
Our Mission
Given the responsibility and trust of our parents with their most valuable asset, we will improve the mental and athletic capabilities of our student-athletes through unique educational experiences, physical training, and opportunities for intellectual growth through exposure to the world around them.
Our Program
The Parisi Academy provides a structured year, which we refer to as an “enhancement year” prior to entering high school, which prepares student-athletes for the academic, personal and athletic challenges they will face. Think of our program as a bridge between seventh and ninth grade that addresses the total preparation needs of our student-athletes. Some student-athletes choose to “reclass” or repeat their eighth-grade year with us as a “gap year” between middle and high school. Other student-athletes choose to spend their actual 8th grade year at the Parisi Academy to enhance their preparation for high school. We also have student-athletes who choose to spend both their eighth-grade year and then reclass year with us before going to high school. Our training and curriculum is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate any of these options to ensure maximum value and preparation for a successful high school experience.
Friday Life
Enhancement Experiences
The benefits of the Parisi Academy are not just limited to the classroom and training room. Parisi Academy student-athletes expand their horizons through a variety of different experiences that include:
- Prominent local guest speakers who introduce a wide variety of professions, careers, and life experiences
- Volunteer opportunities to learn the importance of giving back
- Nature and environmental education
- Learning experience field trips to local venues, such as Thomas Edison Museum, Ellis Island, and One World Trade Center
- …and many others!
Small Class Size & Individualized Instruction
Unlike our competitors, the Parisi Academy has a proven track record with an established methodology for putting student-athletes in the best position to succeed in the classroom, on the field or court, and in their communities. Student-athletes benefit from small class sizes with an average class size of 12:1 student-teacher ratios in core subjects and training. Additionally, we offer individualized teacher instruction during daily learning lab.
Mentoring Program
No one sits the bench at Parisi Academy. We take this seriously
and this saying is the basis of our mentoring program. Each student-athlete is assigned two faculty members early in first quarter to ensure that needs are being met, they are feeling comfortable and included, and are having a great overall experience.
History of the Parisi Academy
It has always been Parisi’s vision and mission to empower young athletes to reach their goals while playing our part in increasing their confidence and self-esteem. These ideals started three decades ago with Bill Parisi founding the Parisi Speed School. Bill knew there was a better way for youth to train, which was safer and more effective than what was currently available. Therefore, he set out to create a system and a business that would greatly benefit young athletes of all ages and skill levels. Thirty years later, Parisi has trained tens of thousands of athletes, and Parisi has become an industry leader in youth sports performance.
It is with that same enthusiasm and passion that we are excited to carry the Parisi vision and mission into the classroom. Coincidentally, this academic vision started much the same way as Parisi Speed School. Bill saw a huge void when his oldest son Will was transitioning from middle school to high school. In some ways, his son was ready for the next step. However, Bill felt that he would benefit from a pre-high school enhancement year. The same held true for some of Will’s friends. Physically, mentally and emotionally these young men were all at different stages developmentally.
It was at this moment that Bill had a paradigm shift and saw that there was a need for a program, solely focused on preparing young athletes for high school. This focus would not only rely on academic and athletic development but emotional development, as well. His vision was to provide a catalyst for the development of the mind and body, which would prepare student-athletes to excel in the mental and physical challenges of high school, which would then continue throughout each of their lives.
Over the course of the next two years, Bill spoke with professors, PhD’s, teachers, coaches and principals in order to turn his vision into something tangible. He looked inward to his current organization to see how an infrastructure and system could be implemented in order to achieve short-term growth, as well as long-term success. By the time his son Dan was ready to enter the 8th grade, the Parisi Academy was a reality.
The Journey of Will and Dan
In 2016, Bill Parisi’s oldest son William, had the courage to decide to reclass. He made this decision in order to have another year to mature and better his chances to accomplish his lifelong dream of playing high level high school and then, eventually college basketball. William attended a private school to repeat his 8th grade year. Unfortunately, this school did not live up to the academic standards of the Parisi family. Although William trained at the Parisi Speed School during this time and had great success with his athletic endeavors, the lack of serious academics during his reclass 8th grade year was an important, missing component.
Two years later when his younger son Daniel set a goal to play high school football at the highest level and follow his older brother’s footsteps to reclass, Bill Parisi decided to start his own 8th grade program with the highest academic standards and ideals. The name Parisi does not just stand for advanced athletic training, it stands for advanced academic development. Bill Parisi developed the Parisi Academy for student-athletes that are serious about their academic and athletic goals and aspirations to succeed in the classroom and on the athletic field or court. We hope these two stories of William and Daniel Parisi show you what can happen when you put in the work at a school that knows how to help best prepare student athletes on and off the field. Bill Parisi took his oldest son William’s dream and created an opportunity for other student athletes to take advantage.