Grand River Academy, formerly known as the Ashtabula County Institute of Science and Industry and then the Grand River Institute, is a private, nonsectarian, boarding high school for boys located in Austinburg, Ohio. It serves approximately 120 students in grades nine through twelve. The Academy's mission is aimed at helping boys and young men realize their full potential and find success.
The Grand River Institute, originally named the Ashtabula County Institute of Science and Industry, was founded in 1831 by a group of prominent leaders from the Austinburg Congregational Church. The school was originally intended to prepare young men for ministerial vocations, but in 1840, it began to admit female students. Betsy Mix Cowles was appointed as the school's first female principal in charge of the Women's Department, a post she held from 1843-1848. The institution's name and location changed in 1836 at the behest of Joab Austin, a wealthy citizen who pledged a sizeable endowment for the school.
The school admits boys who have had difficulty achieving their potential in a traditional high school environment. It teaches in small classes, typically, of seven students.
In order to graduate, students must obtain 21 units of credit. In addition, all seniors must be accepted by an accredited college prior to graduation. Students have been accepted at 75 different colleges.
Grand River is accredited by the Ohio Department of Education, North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States.
 
Notable alumni
Clarence E. Allen, U.S. Representative from Utah
Julius C. Burrows, U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from Michigan
Theodore Elijah Burton, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator
Edwin Cowles, publisher of The Cleveland Leader, Vice-President of the 1884 Republican National Convention, postmaster of Cleveland
Albert Gallatin Egbert, Democratic U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
Alphonso Hart, U.S. Representative from Ohio
Ralph Hill, U.S. Representative from Indiana and lawyer.