Presentation of Mary Academy, commonly abbreviated PMA was a private Roman Catholic co-ed high school, grades 9–12 in Methuen, Massachusetts.

Additionally, all students arriving to school on October 5 were required to walk through a metal detector and to have their bags scanned by a computerized program.

In the late evening hours of October 5, police reported that a student had confessed to writing the threatening messages on the school wall.

Financial concerns were the primary cause for this decision – enrollment at the school had significantly declined over the past several years and the number of students attending while unable to afford full tuition was increasing.

As a private school that did not receive any state or federal tax dollars, all revenue was financed through donations, fundraisers, tuition, and the Sisters of the Presentation.