Profiles.html

# Asheville School

Location: The town of Asheville  is a small, vibrant city surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 300-acre campus is idyllic – it is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the chapel is frequently used for wedding during the summer. A regional airport provides easy access to Asheville – Charlotte is two hours’ drive and Atlanta is three hours away.

Community: Asheville is a relatively small boarding school with a strong sense of community and values. It’s also a non-denominational Christian school - the entire student body meets several times a week for chapel services and chapel talks. The head of school, Arch Montgomery, is known for being very accessible to students and parents.

Student body: Asheville has alumni in 50 states and 35 countries, but the majority of students come from the south-east. Roughly half stay in the south-east for College - the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alone admits a quarter of Asheville’s graduates.

Activities: Asheville is perfect for those who love the outdoors. All students go on at least one overnight camping trip in the first year. The school has an equestrian program and a mountaineering program Riding lessons at all levels are available – either on school-owned or student-owned horses. The mountaineering program includes mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, ice climbing, skiing and caving. According to one student - “The Mountaineering Program is something everyone should do”.

Academics: The curriculum is rigorous – 18 AP courses are offered and a handful of students take as many as 10 APs. The school has a distinctive approach to humanities. The four year sequence of courses comprises Ancient Studies, World Studies, European Studies, and American Studies. Each course integrates literature, history, religion, art, and music. For example, when learning about the Jazz Age, students read the Great Gatsby, study 1920s art, history, and music, and visit the Grove Park Inn, where the Fitzgeralds frequently stayed.

Admission: Despite being less well known than many schools, Asheville is hard to get into – the acceptance rate is only 40%.

# Avon Old Farms School

All-boys: Avon is an all-boys school. There are a number of activities with Avon’s sisters schools - Miss Porter’s and Ethel Walker. Thiese includes theatre productions, social events and community services activities.

Athletics: Avon has an excellent athletics program - many would rate it the best boarding school for athletics. Although it counts NHL, NFL and MLB players among its alumni, it is best known for hockey. John Gardner - associate headmaster, math teacher, and hockey coach – has built up a phenomenal track record with the Avon team. He has set a record for the most wins in prep school history (over 700), has coached the team to 8 New England Championship wins, and has helped two players achieve Olympic success.

Service: The school believes strongly in community service. Students are involved with organizations like the Special Olympics, American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Students who perform more than 20 hours of service in a given year are awarded a community service rosette. As a member of faculty, a former U.S. Marine, explained - “Avon does a great job of promoting the concept of service without forcing it upon our students. Giving really is better than receiving and the sooner our students realize that, the happier and more fulfilled they will be.” Every year, several Avonians go on to attend one of the military academies.

Curriculum: Between the first and second semesters, students focus on one topic for two weeks. These “intersession” courses typically include excursions, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary work. At the end of the program, each class presents what they have learned to the wider community. Courses have included aviation, songwriting, genomics, and the business of sports.

Post-grads: Avons accepts 15-20 post graduates every year, who take an extra year between high school graduation and college matriculation. Often, the reason for the extra year is to experience an extra year of athletics before moving on to college sports.

# Baylor School
    
Athletics: Baylor has an impressive track record in Tennessee sports. Over the past decade, they have won close to 100 state championships, including state championships in tennis, golf, soccer, softball, baseball, fencing, track & field, swimming, wrestling, and cross country. In 2005, Baylor was picked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top twenty-five athletics programs out of the 50,000 high schools in the country.

Arts: For a school with a big reputation in sports, Baylor has a surprisingly strong arts program. Drawing, printmaking, pottery, sculpture, photography, computer graphics and painting are offered, and dedicated students can take AP Studio Art. Three levels of theatre can be taken, culminating in an advanced acting and directing class that allows each student to direct a one-act play. The school has an impressive fine arts complex. Alumni have gone on to pursue careers as musicians, artists, dancers and actors.

Outdoor Program: Baylor’s Walkabout program gives students the opportunity to rock climb, kayak, or trail run, and offers a variety of outdoor trips during weekends and breaks. One of the trips is the annual Senior Trip to the mountains of South Carolina. Seniors spend seven days rafting, hiking, and camping. The program also provides an opportunity for leadership through opportunities to teach other students.

Golf: Baylor’s golf team has an outstanding track record – the number of state championship wins since 2000 have reached double digits for both boys and girls teams. The school has its own short-game practice center, featuring seven stations for hitting shots from inside 145 yards; a chipping green; and a putting green. Their home course is Black Creek Gold Club, which has hosted three PGA Nationwide Tour events and was named to Golfweek’s “Top 100 Modern Courses”.

Leadership: Baylor’s weekly “colloquium” classes cover a variety of leadership topics; including ethics, conflict management and communication skills. The leadership program culminates with the Senior Capstone project, many of which have involved organizing large charity and community service events. An evaluation of participation in the leadership program is included on students’ final transcripts.

# Berkshire School

Mountain Program: Berkshire School is located at the base of Mount Everett, in the heart of the Berkshire Hills. Berkshire allows students to make the most of the outdoors through the Ritt Kellogg Mountain Program (RKMP). Students can participate in activities such as rock climbing, canoeing, camping, mountain biking, boat building, ice climbing, and mountaineering.

Science: The Advanced Math/Science Research (AMSR) program allows students to conduct real-world research, for four to eight hours each week under the mentorship of professional research scientists. There are three tracks: Laboratory Science, Economics, and Engineering. The course culminates with a research paper and presentation. Student projects have ranged from better understanding cancer immunology to creating a new type of LED lighting. In the prestigious Science Talent Search (STS), more Berkshire students have been named semifinalists in the past five years than any other boarding school except Andover.

Soccer: Berkshire won the boys’ New England Soccer Championship Trophy in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016.

MORE

Electives: During ‘Pro Vita’ (meaning ‘Learn for Life’) week, Berkshire students take a break from the traditional curriculum to participate in two intensive electives. More than 80 courses are offered each year – examples include Entrepreneurial Studies, Chaos Theory, Fine Furniture Making, Designing Android Apps and Intellectual Property Law. "Pro Vita is all about pursuing a passion. Some students come to Berkshire knowing what they love and what they're already good at but Pro Vita gives kids a chance to try something new."

Sustainability: Berkshire has a commitment to sustainability that goes way beyond composting and recycling bins. The school encourages use of reusable water bottles, provides an electric car charging station, and is powered by an eight-acre solar field.

# Blair Academy
    
Religion: Blair Academy has been associated with the Presbytarian church since its founding. Every Thursday at Chapel, a student or faculty member addresses the school on a topic related to morality or faith. Students also have to take one course in religion or philosophy before graduation, and are required to attend Sunday-night vespers six times per year. However, the inclusive community includes atheists, agnostics, and non-Christians.

Athletics: Blair Academy has an outstanding wrestling program – no other school comes close to their tally of 35 national prep team championships. In other sports, The Peddie School is a long-standing rival – they have competed in football since 1903. Athletics facilities include a ten-court tennis center and a beautiful nine-hole golf course. The school has an annual golf exchange program with Wellington College in England. When the Blair visits England, they spend three weeks playing on some England’s finest courses.

Curriculum: Students can choose from a diverse range of electives – choices include design-thinking, robotics, negotiation, theatre, video studies, biomechanics, architecture and constitutional law. There is also a four-year leadership program (LEADS) that emphasizes leadership communications, global engagement, self-awareness, ethical decision-making and service.

Lecture Series: The Society of Skeptics is a weekly lecture series that invites speakers from political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas. Recent speakers have included a cybersecurity specialist on closing the gender gap in technology-related career, a retired army major on Islam and ISIS, and a Justice Department lawyer on immigration issues.

Global Perspective: Blair has an international student body with 26 countries represented. Inside the classroom, all ninth graders take a course on Global Issues that focuses on developing countries - in additional to traditional texts, students follow current affairs in the region of study and read historical novels. Outside the classroom, Blair has a global service program and an annual International Weekend that celebrates cultural heritage and diversity.

# Brewster Academy
    
Location: Brewster is located in Wolfeboro, next to Lake Winnipesaukee and close to New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Taking advantage of the lake and the mountains, the school offers crew, sailing, skiing, and snowboarding. The campus is just over an hour from Manchester airport and two hours from Boston’s Logan airport.

Basketball: Brewster has won five National Prep Basketball Championships since 2010, ten Brewster alumni have played in the NBA, and more than fifty have had professional careers in leagues around the world. Since 2001, more than 100 students have gone on to play basketball at Division I schools. Brewster also has strong programs in lacrosse, ice hockey and soccer.

Academic Support: Brewster has a student population with a range of abilities – some take AP classes, while others need significant academic support. So that each student can be challenged appropriately, there are three leveled groups within each class – foundational, standard, and accelerated. In addition, three levels of academic support are available: Transition Assistance Plan, Instructional Assistance Plan, and Comprehensive Skill Plan. Within the Transition Assistance Plan, students and teachers meet weekly to review progress and provide the student with feedback. At the next level, the Instructional Assistance Plan, there are two sessions per week, focused on accelerating development of a core skill which is critical to success. The Comprehensive Skill Plan includes three sessions per week to provide frequent, ongoing, intensive assistance to develop multiple skill sets.

Emotional Intelligence: Brewster has a number of skills-based programs that promote emotional and social development. The curriculum was developed in partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. By demonstrating respect, integrity, and service, students can achieve Citizenship or John Brewster Scholar recognition.

Arts: Brewster offers visual arts, dance, music, and theatre. Music ensembles include an all-student chorus, a community chorus, chamber orchestra, and jazz band. Several theatre productions take place each year in the recently-renovated Anderson Hall

# Brooks School
    
Academics: Brooks aims to “providing the most meaningful educational experiences Brooks students will have”. A distinctive feature of the curriculum is Winter Term, when students take an intense, three-week, one-topic course. Recent options have included Genetics & Genealogy, Architectural Design. Learn to Play Guitar, and Lego Engineering. The curriculum during the rest of the year also includes some interesting electives, such as Playwriting, Digital Design, Forensic Science, and The Making of the Muslim World.

Study Aboard: Brooks has an impressive range of study abroad options – four to five weeks exchange programs, and year-long opportunities through the School Year Abroad program. Exchange program destinations include Botswana, France, Hungary, Peru, Scotland, and Spain. Students attend day or boarding schools and live with the families of partner-school families.

Crew: Rowing on Lake Cochichewick is a popular spring sport, and the rowing center has two eight-person, still-water rowing tanks for indoor crew practice. Several alumni have goo one to row on the national team and in the Olympics. The head coach, Chis Smith, moved to Brooks from Salisbury in 2016, having coached Salisbury to victory in the boy’s eights at the 2016 New England Championships. The coaching team also includes two-time Olympian Elliot Hovey and former Hungarian national champion Csilla Clark.

Basketball: The boys’ and girls’ teams have won New England Championships and ISL titles in the past. In the past two years, the boys’ team won the championship and was undefeated in the ISL league.

Science: The Students on the Forefront of Science Program provides research opportunities in prestigious scientific institutions. Recent internships include positions at the New England Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. A student had this to say about the experience: “When I met patients, listened to their stories and watched Dr. Cassidy [an orthopedic surgeon and Brooks alum] in surgery. I couldn't help but see myself eventually doing the same thing. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.”

# Cate School
    
Location: Cate’s location is hard to beat – the campus sits between the mountains and the beach, and the town of Carpinteria has a charming main street. Some dorms even have a balcony and a view of the ocean. Santa Barbara is only fifteen minutes to the North, and LA is ninety minutes to the South.

Outdoor activities: Students have the opportunity to go surfing, kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, stand-up paddle boarding, and hiking. On campus, there’s a ropes course in a grove of eucalyptus trees and a climbing tower so you can practice your climbing skills.Each fall, each class goes on a week-long hiking trip – ninth graders go to the Sequoia National Forest, sophomores to Yosemite National Park, juniors to Kern River, and seniors to nearby Santa Cruz Island.

Athletics: Students participate in a wide variety of athletic activities - traditional sports like soccer and football, and options like Surfing, Ultimate Frisbee, Tae Kwon Do, and Water Polo. The boys’ soccer program is especially strong – the team won the California Interscholastic (CIF) Championships twice since 2010, ten players have earned First Team All-CIF status, and three alumni play professionally.

Academics: In 2011, Cate ditched its AP courses - in their place, they have a interesting and rigorous set of advanced courses which include Hispanic Cinema, Molecular Genetics, Neuroscience, and Oceanography. In music, students can take a series of electives in Musicianship, Songwriting, or Music Production.

Flexibility: Cate is flexible in letting students pursue their passions –certain service or arts activities can be taken in place of the athletic requirement. Students can participate in Learning Center, a daily visit to local after-school programs to help young students with homework and reading. Students can also focus on studio art or participate in a theatre production in the fall.

Admissions: Despite being less well known than some of the big name East Coast schools, Cate is in the same league – academics are rigorous, acceptance rates are below 20% and average SSAT scores are above 80%.

# Cheshire Academy

History: Founded as the Episcopal Academy in 1794, the school became the Episcopal Academy Military School in 1862, and the Roxbury School in 1917, before being renamed Cheshire Academy in 1937. Since 2014, the new head, John Nozell, has brought stability to Cheshire after a decade of declining enrollment and financial struggles. The small middle school has been phased out, total enrollment is up by 100 students, and school life has been reinvigorated.

Art major: The Art Major program was created more than a decade ago to support a group of up to a dozen dedicated artists. Although generally reserved for seniors, juniors who show advanced artistic ability may enroll. In the first semester, students create a college art portfolio for National Portfolio Day (a college fair for art schools); the second semester concentrates on preparing pieces for the school’s Art Major show. Several students each year go on to prestigious art schools like the Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Institute of Chicago.

International Curriculum: Cheshire was among the first schools to enroll international boarding students, beginning in the 1850s. Today over 35 different countries are represented and, to maintain diversity, the new head has capped representation from any single foreign country at 10% of the total student body. The school introduced the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in 2011 and expanded the number of IB courses in 2015.

Academic Support: The Roxbury Academic Support Program helps a small number of students improve their performance through one-on-one coaching. Students develop techniques to help with organization, attention, memory, or self-confidence. Different levels of support are available depending on student needs.

Football: Over the past seven season, the foorball team has chalked up an impressive 61-10 record, two Colonial League titles, and four New England Bowl Championships. A number of alumni have gone to compete at the collegiate level, including D1 schools like Penn State, Boston College, Duke, UConn, UNC, and Navy.

# Choate Rosemary Hall
    
Arts Concentration: Choate has an excellent arts program that attracts talented musicians, dancers, actors, and artists. For two out of three terms, students can practice instead of participating in athletics. For example, the music concentration requires courses in music theory, music harmony, and at least two terms of music history. Students are also required to take weekly instrumental or voice lessons. In addition, during terms when students are not involved in athletics, students are expected to practice for two hours every day at least four days per week. Note that interested applicants need to audition or share their portfolio as part of the application process.

Science: Choate’s diverse curriculum includes a Science Research Program and an Environmental Immersion Program.

Global Perspective: Choate Rosemary Hall’s Global Studies program began in 1959 with a tour to Russia.  Study abroad programs now include academic terms in China, France, Italy, Jordan, and Spain. Choate also has an interdisciplinary program in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.

Economics: Choate has an extensive economics curriculum. In addition to AP-level macroeconomics and microeconomics courses, electives include development economics, environmental economics, and monetary theory. Choate participates in the National Economics Challenge and has been a finalist (placing in the top four) in 14 out of the last 16 years.

Alumni: Choate’s alumni include John F. Kennedy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Glen Close, and Ivanka Trump. In 2006 and 2010, three members of the Women’s ice hockey team were Choate alumni. In 2016, two Choate alumni were among the thirty-two recipients of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships.

New Buildings: Choate is building a new student center and a new auditorium. The auditorium will seat over 1,000 people, accommodating the entire student body, faculty, and staff. The building will include a music wing with a recital hall and music classrooms, and a large dance studio.

# Concord Academy

Performing Arts: Concord Academy has excellent dance and theatre programs. They offer several levels of instruction and a Dance and Theater Company. The dance program focuses on formal training in ballet and contemporary dance in a 2,500-square-foot, professional-level dance studio. In addition, there are opportunities to explore jazz, hip-hop, social dance, and African dance forms. The Dance Company has collaborated with Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, the Royal College of London, and Eton College in England. In addition to acting, the theatre program offers opportunities to write plays, direct full-scale productions, and design sets, costumes, lighting, and sound.

Athletics: Varsity teams are competitive, and a number of students go on to compete at the college level, but the school doesn’t revolve around sporting events or around student athletes. Concord has a ‘co-curricular requirement’ instead of the typical ‘athletic requirement’ - dance, community service or theatre. Concord offers a wide variety of interscholastic athletic opportunities, but does not have a football team.

Electives: Concord has fewer required courses and a vast array of electives to choose from. For example, history has distributional requirements, but no required classes. Students can take history electives such as Native American History, Islam in South Asia, Early Modern European Revolutions, Gender in Modern America, and Modern American Environmental History. Science & Innovation: In addition to traditional science courses, a number of applied science electives are offered, such as evolutionary biology, applied environmental science, the chemistry of cooking, engineering design, and meteorology. The InSPIRE (Interested Students Pursuing Internship Research Experiences) program helps students find meaningful summer research experiences through alumni and friends of CA. Recently, the new CA Labs doubled the size of the science building.

Student Life: There are three well-integrated groups of students at Concord: boarders, local day students, and students who arrive by train from Boston. Concord had to temporarily close the dorms several years ago during the day and discovered that students became much closer. As a result it became a permanent policy.

# Cranbrook Kingswood School
    


Stanford University

Emory University

Tulane University

The George Washington University

Vanderbilt University

Georgetown University

Washington University in St. Louis

Michigan State University

Williams College

University of Michigan

  

  

  

Campus: The beautiful 300-acre campus has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and includes the Cranbrook schools, the Cranbrook Institute of Science, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art. George Booth founded Cranbrook, and commissioned Eero Sarrinen, world-renowned architect and industrial designer, to design the campus. In 1931, the New York Architectural League awarded two gold medals: one to the architects of the Empire State Building, and one to Saarinen for Cranbrook.

Arts: The arts have been an integral part of the Cranbrook experience since the school’s founding. (George Booth believed that “a life without beauty is only half lived”). Especially in the visual arts, the curriculum offers impressive breadth and depth, including courses in sculpture, metalsmithing, weaving, and digital fabrication & design. Students can also take courses in “Aethetics: The Philosohpy of Art” and “The Artists’ Journey: Capturing the Creative Process.”

Athletics: Cranbrook has a rich athletics tradition. In the past five years alone, the school has won 18 State Championships and 32 Regional Championships. Recent state championship winning teams include ice hockey, swimming, lacrosse, diving, tennis, and golf.

Clubs: Cranbrook has over fifty clubs. Popular clubs include the student newspapers, the robotics club and the model UN team. The student newspaper, “The Crane-Clarion” and the student literary arts magazine, “Gallimaufry”, have received awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. Robotics teams regularly qualify for state and world championships.

Traditions: Cranbrook has a number of long-held traditions. Since 1970, sophomores have gone on the Wilderness Expedition, an 11-day backpacking and wilderness camping trip in the Smoky Mountains on the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The Junior Ring Ceremony for girls and the Passage of Leadership for boys, which recognize the transition as juniors become seniors, and become leaders of the school. These traditions pre-date the merger of the Cranbrook boys’ school and the Kingswood girls’ school in 1985.

# Culver Academies

Overview: Culver Academies is a coeducational, college-preparatory school that is home to the Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys and the Culver Girls Academy (CGA). Unlike some other military schools, Culver flourished by going co-ed early and focusing on academics.

Leadership: The boys have a military leadership program and the girls have a prefect leadership program, but the principles are similar. Students start by learning to follow, which means learning about the traditions, history and leadership at Culver. Following successful completion of the orientation course, a ceremony marks the transition from new student to official members of the school. Over time, students assume  greater levels of responsibility, and rotate through a number of leadership positions throughout each school year. As in the military, the day begins with Reveille and ends with TAPS. For the boys, military drills and inspections are a standard part of the school day.

Equestrian: Culver’s equestrian program, the Black Horse Troop, includes jumping, polo, and western horsemanship. In polo, they have won more National Championships than any other scholastic program. In 2017, eight riders from the boys’ Black Horse Troop and girls’ Equestriennes appeared in the Presidential inaugural parade. This was the 17th time that Culver was invited to ride in the inaugural parade. The riding hall in the equestrian center is one of the largest indoor heated arenas in the country.

Aviation and Naval Concentrations: During the summer, students can develop aviation and naval skills. Students who enroll in the aviation school can earn a private pilot’s certificate by graduation. In the naval school, students can earn US Sailing certification in Small Boats and Keelboats, and completion certificates from the Department of the Navy.

International Affairs: Culver aims to develop knowledgeable and conscientious global citizens through the Global Studies Institute. As part of the seminar series, scholars and policymakers from around the world visit campus to lecture and engage in small group discussions. Culver students who undertake a global studies project are able to spend several days at the UN in New York.

11.  ## Cushing Academy
    

Location:

Ashburnham, Massachusetts

Motto:

By Grit and Grace

Founded:

1865

Website:

www.cushing.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

83%

  

Ninth

55

  

Asian

25%

  

Day

17%

  

Tenth

104

  

Black

6%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

134

  

Hispanic

6%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

113

  

White

60%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

406

  

Other

3%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Syracuse University

U. of Massachusetts - Amherst

Northeastern University

University of New Hampshire

Boston University

Bentley University

Suffolk University

Connecticut College

New York University

Endicott College

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Ithaca College

Saint Anselm College

Purdue University

American University

Salve Regina University

Bryant University

Skidmore College

Michigan State University

U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Maine

  

English as a Second Language (ESL): Forty-five per cent of Cushing’s students are international, and one-third of these students participate in ESL. Cushing requires five major courses each year. Cushing is unusual is offering two levels of ESL. Students with advanced English skills take standard Math, Science, and History classes, and two ESL classes. Students with intermediate English skills take standard math and science classes, and three ESL classes.

Athletics: Sports are taken seriously at Cushing. Ice hockey, football and basketball teams are have won New England championships and over fifty Cushing alumni have turned professional. The newest athletics facility is a the 30,000 square foot Watkins Field House, housing three courts for basketball and volleyball, a fitness studio, and an athletic training center.

Hockey: Cushing has some particularly successful hockey alumni. Meghan Duggan and Erika Lawler played in the 2010 Olympics, winning silver medals. Conor Sheary played with the Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins team in 2016. Girls and boys teams have produced hundreds of high-level college athletes.

STEM: Cushing offers a broad range of math and science classes. Electives include Human Anatomy and Physiology, Ecological Studies, Genetics, Conservation and Field Biology, Organic Chemistry and Introduction to Sports Medicine. AP classes are offered in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Calculus. Advanced math students have the opportunity to take two courses beyond the AP level: Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra.

Visual Arts: More than 200 Cushing visual arts alumni are pursuing successful careers as architects, art educators, designers, graphic designers, and studio artists. The visual arts center includes studios for pottery & sculpture, photography, art, silversmithing, and glass work. Cushing graduates have attended Fashion Institute of Technology, The New School for Design, Rhode Island School of Design, Savannah College of Art and Design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

12.  ## Dana Hall School
    

Location:

Wellesley, Massachusetts

Motto:

Love and Caring

Founded:

1881

Website:

www.danahall.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

35%

  

Ninth

84

  

Asian

17%

  

Day

65%

  

Tenth

96

  

Black

7%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

82

  

Hispanic

7%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

92

  

White

65%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

354

  

Other

4%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Boston University

Suffolk University

Syracuse University

St. Lawrence University

New York University

Babson College

Tulane University

Bucknell University

Connecticut College

Tufts University

Colby College

U. of Massachusetts-Amherst

Georgetown University

Fordham University

Elon University

University of Richmond

Boston College

Wake Forest University

Wellesley College

Bates College

Southern Methodist University

University of Pennsylvania

Location: Dana Hall is located in Wellesley, a leafy suburb of Boston, with a wide selection of shops and restaurants within a five-minute walk from campus. On weekends, Dana students can take a thirty-minute train ride into Boston.

Global Education: Dana Hall encourages students to take a global perspective. All students are required to take one of the social studies electives that cover a non-Western region of the world: African Area Studies, East Asian Area Studies, Middle Eastern Area Studies, or Russian Area Studies. By taking a program of global coursework and involvement in a number of cultural activities, students can earn a Global Scholars’ Certificate. Dana also provides exchange opportunities with Spain, Australia, and Japan, and study abroad opportunities in China, France, Italy, and Spain.

Partnerships: Qualified seniors can take college-level classes at nearby Wellesley College for credit. There are also a number of activities with local boys’ schools. The Spring Musical is produced in conjunction with Belmont Hill School – recent productions have included Guys and Dolls, Footloose, and Chicago. In addition, Dana Hall joins force with St. Sebastian’s School to make a very competitive coed swim team.

Athletics: In addition to the standard sports, Dana offers volleyball, fencing, squash, and riding. The athletic center includes a 25-yard six-lane pool, a 34-foot high climbing well, two basketball courts, an indoor track, four squash courts, a fencing studio, a dance center, and a fitness / weights room. The equestrian center is named after a Dana alumnus who won an equestrian gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympic games in 1984. The excellent dance program includes ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop & tap.

Leadership: Dana Hall encourages students to consider taking on a variety of leadership positions at the school. Five times a year, student leaders participate in Leadership Workshops, which provide ongoing training, coaching and support. The workshops focus on goal-setting, creating action plans, best practices, intentional leadership, developing a vocabulary for leadership and empowering student leaders to examine school issues.

13.  ## Deerfield Academy
    

Location:

Deerfield, Massachusetts

Motto:

Be Worthy of Your Heritage

Founded:

1797

Website:

www.deerfield.edu

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

88%

  

Ninth

115

  

Asian

  

  

Day

12%

  

Tenth

155

  

Black

  

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

184

  

Hispanic

  

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

191

  

White

  

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

645

  

Other

  

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Georgetown University

Stanford University

University of Virginia

Williams College

Yale University

Bowdoin College

Cornell University

Middlebury College

Harvard University

Boston College

Princeton University

Bucknell University

Dartmouth College

Trinity College

Brown University

University of Pennsylvania

New York University

Columbia University

Duke University

Davidson College

  

Traditions: Deerfield is proud of its traditions. Each fall the Head of School brings the freshmen up to Pocumtuck Ridge (known as ‘The Rock’), which provides a view of the entire Deerfield valley. On a clear day, the view extends into New York and Vermont. Seven times a week the entire community gathers for a family-style meal. Nine students and one faculty member eat at each round table. On Sunday, Everyone sings the ‘Deerfield Evensong’ after dinner. Every year, Deerfield competes against their chief rival, Choate Rosemary Hall. The night before Choate Day, cheerleaders lead a pep rally, and students gather for a bonfire.

Humanities: Deerfield is especially strong in humanities. Offerings include ‘American Studies’, a double-period interdisciplinary course that examines the social, economic, political, and cultural heritage of the United States. In addition to more traditional courses, electives include Global Soccer, History of Opium, Global Food Systems, Virginia Woolf, and Hemingway’s Short Fiction.

Swimming and Water Polo: Deerfield has a long history of swimming success. Girls and boys teams have won the New England Championship multiple times. The boys’ team has won the title more than 20 times and currently holds several New England records. In boys’ water polo, success is a more recent phenomenon, but the team has been making up for lost time over the past decade. After winning the New England Championship for the first time in 2007, they went on to win in 2008, 2010, and 2011, and they’ve made the semi-finals several times in the past few years.

King’s Academy: The King of Jordan is an alumnus of Deerfield Academy. He thought so highly of the school that he founded King’s Academy in Jordan based on the Deerfield model, and asked the headmaster of Deerfield at the time to become the founding headmaster of King’s Academy. Deerfield offers Arabic, semester and year-abroad opportunities at King’s Academy, and annual trips to Jordan.

14.  ## Emma Willard School
    

Location:

Troy, New York

Motto:

Patience Rejoices in Adversity

Founded:

1814

Website:

www.emmawillard.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

61%

  

Ninth

75

  

Asian

27%

  

Day

39%

  

Tenth

87

  

Black

6%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

81

  

Hispanic

6%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

93

  

White

60%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

336

  

Other

1%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

New York University

Syracuse University

Northeastern University

University of Chicago

Boston University

Dickinson College

Cornell University

Johns Hopkins University

Wellesley College

University of Vermont

Skidmore College

Boston College

Brown University

Columbia University

The George Washington University

Dartmouth College

Smith College

Lafayette College

American University

Mount Holyoke College

  

  

Campus: The gothic-style, stone-walled campus at Emma Willard is stunning. It has played a starring role in several movies: The Emperor’s Club, Scent of a Woman, The Age of Innocence, and Ironweed.

Global Opportunities: International students have been welcomed since the school’s founding more than two hundred years ago. International students currently represent approximately 25% of the student boy. As a member of the Round Square network, Emma students can participate in international conferences and exchanges with other schools in the network. Exchange opportunities currently exist with schools in Australia, South Africa, Germany, Argentina, and England.

Traditions: Emma Willard is rich in tradition. Eventide, May Day, Senior Triangle Takeover, Ring Week, Baccalaureate…. Among the many traditions, Revels stands out as perhaps the most cherished. Each year, every member of the senior class takes part in a medieval Christmas performance – a play-within-a-play with singing, dancing, and traditional costumes. Each class makes it their own by adding new characters, but the core of the play was written by the head of English in 1915. The roles are a closely-guarded until the first performance.

Science: Students with interest in scientific research can begin hands-on research projects in ninth grade. In tenth grade, students can work on research projects for a full academic year, guided by faculty members. In junior and senior years, students are matched with mentors at local scientific institutions, such as the Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). One recent student was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search and secured a patent for her ground-breaking research.

Performing Arts: There are a number of accomplished performing arts ensembles - .Dance Company, Theatre Company, and advanced choral and instrumental ensembles. A handful of dedicated musicians also audition for the Empire State Youth Orchestra, a talented regional youth orchestra. The school can count a number of artists among its alumnae – although Jane Fonda is arguably the most famous, alumnae also include a playwright, professional dancer, documentary filmmaker and Emmy-nominated costume designer.

15.  ## Episcopal High School
    

Location:

Alexandria, Virginia

Motto:

Strongly, faithfully, joyfully

Founded:

1839

Website:

www.episcopalhighschool.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

100%

  

Ninth

78

  

Asian

10%

  

Day

0%

  

Tenth

124

  

Black

10%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

131

  

Hispanic

4%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

119

  

White

73%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

452

  

Other

3%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

University of Virginia

The University of Georgia

U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of South Carolina

Southern Methodist University

Texas Christian University

Sewanee: The U. of the South

Wofford College

College of William and Mary

The University of Alabama

Wake Forest University

College of Charleston

Trinity College

Clemson University

Davidson College

Denison University

Elon University

The George Washington University

Washington and Lee University

New York University

  

  

Overview: Episcopal High School (EHS) is one of a handful of schools that are 100% boarding (others includes St. Paul’s, St. Andrew’s and Woodberry Forest). It is also, as the name suggests, a Christian school, but one that welcomes students from all backgrounds. Students attend Chapel three time per week and all students take a course in Biblical Theology.

DC Location: EHS is less than 10 miles from the White House, and makes the most of its DC location. For example, for the elective course “9/11 to now”, primary research has included visits to the Pentagon to discuss foreign policy decisions with an Army General who commanded forces in Iraq. All students take the 4-year “Washington Program”, which helps students to understand and appreciate Washington’s political structures, geography, economy, and cultural resources. For the past forty years, the program has culminated with a month-long externship.

Leadership and Ethics: At the heart of the  Leadership and Ethics Program is the EHS Honor Code. Since 1857, students have pledged: “I will not lie. I will not cheat. I will not steal. I will report the student who does.” The program helps provide students with an ethical foundation for making important decisions, and the skills required to effectively lead teams of peers. The leadership journey kicks off with The Burch Outdoor program, when the entire freshman class journeys to the Appalachians for a physically and emotionally-demanding, five-day backpacking expedition.

Athletics: EHS has a very strong athletics program - since 2000,  teams have won the independent school state championships in golf, lacrosse, soccer, cross country, and basketball. The football program is benefiting from the arrival of Coach Voulgaris in 2015 – since then, EHS has won the Interstate Athletic Conference twice. The annual football game against Woodberry Forest School is the oldest high school football rivalry in the South, dating back to 1901.

Music: EHS has a large number of music groups: jazz ensemble, rock ‘n’ roll club, two choirs, two ‘a cappella’ groups, and full orchestra. The music department also offers courses in advanced music theory and music recording.

4.  ## Grier School
    

Location:

Tyrone, Pennsylvania

Motto:

Sound Mind in a Sound Body

Founded:

1853

Website:

www.grier.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

83%

  

Ninth

45

  

Asian

40%

  

Day

17%

  

Tenth

72

  

Black

3%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

80

  

Hispanic

13%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

62

  

White

40%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

259

  

Other

4%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Pennsylvania State University

Ohio State University

Drexel University

Syracuse University

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin

Boston University

University of California at Davis

Indiana University

University of California at Irvine

University of Illinois

Lehigh University

Savannah College of Art & Design

Purdue University

U. of California at San Diego

University of Arizona

University of Pittsburg

California College of the Arts

Michigan State University

Art Institute of Chicago

  

  

International: International students make up half the student body, with students coming from fifteen or more foreign countries. Four levels of English as a Second Language (ESL) are taught. All students in ESL participate fully in the rest of the curriculum. Teachers provide cross-cultural guidance as an integral part of the program.

Elite Scholars Program: Grier has a broad range of academic abilities. Students with excellent grades and standardized test scores can participate in the Elite Scholars Program, which prepares students for at least five AP courses out of the 21 AP courses which are offered. Elite scholars achieved SAT scores above 2050 and SAT subject scores above 700.

Pre-professional Dance Program: Grier is one of a small number of schools that has a pre-professional dance program. Enrolled dancers attend their academic classes in the morning and spend the remainder of their day, from 12:30-6:30, in the dance studio. During this time, girls take ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary classes. These dancers also join other students in hip hop, tap, and stretch/strengthening classes.

Visual Art: Many students concentrate in the arts, taking up to three art classes per semester. Classes include AP Art History and over twenty studio art classes in a variety of media. The AP portfolio class allows students to prepare portfolios that they can use for admission to art colleges. Every year, 10-15% of students go on to study at premier visual art colleges and universities. For example, graduates have matriculated at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the School of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (MFA), and the London College of Fashion.

Riding: Grier offers recreational riding and a competitive Varsity riding program, in which girls ride up to five times a week. The 25,000 square foot Equestrian Center includes four barns, two outdoor rings, two heated indoor arenas. The Stables hosts multiple Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) competitions. In order to accommodate all skill levels, the school owns fifty horses. Grier also offers boarding for privately owned horses.

  

5.  ## Groton School
    

Location:

Groton, Massachusetts

Motto:

For Whom Service Is Perfect Freedom

Founded:

1884

Website:

www.groton.org

Admissions Selectivity – FIX FORMATTING

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

86%

  

Eighth

24

  

Asian

19%

  

Day

14%

  

Ninth

82

  

Black

9%

  

  

  

  

Tenth

90

  

Hispanic

4%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

89

  

White

62%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

94

  

Other

7%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

369

  

  

  

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Bowdoin College

Tufts University

Harvard University

Middlebury College

Georgetown University

Williams College

Dartmouth College

Boston College

Yale University

Colby College

Brown University

Columbia University

University of Virginia

New York University

Princeton University

Stanford University

Trinity College

University of Pennsylvania

University of Chicago

Northeastern University

Eighth Grade: Groton is unusual among boarding schools in still having an eighth grade. Every year, competitive is intense for the twenty-four spots in “Form Two”. (The last “Form One” was in the 1960s.)

Affordability: With an admit rate of only 12%, Groton could continue to raise tuition and still fill the school many times over with qualified applicants. However, in 2014, Groton trustees decided to freeze tuition for the next three years. One trustee explained the decision: “Raising tuition has a more important opportunity cost, in the form of a more restricted applicant pool.” Groton’s leadership has sparked discussions around affordability at other boarding schools.

History: Groton has an excellent history curriculum. Critical thinking and essay writing skills are developed through three core courses: Sacred Texts & Ancient Peoples, The World & the West, and U.S. History. Electives explore the history of China, Russia and India, and U.S. involvement in Vietnam, Philippines and Iraq. The Court & Constitution class concludes with a mock Supreme Court trial - a popular event on-campus for more than twenty years. Concord students have had a number of papers published in the prestigious Concord Review, the only quarterly journal to publish history research papers by high school students.

Science: A broad set of science courses includes Cosmology, Ecology, Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Human Physiology, and Renewable Energy. Organic Chemistry is taught by Temba Maqubela, headmaster, inspirational teacher and former head of Chemistry at Andover. A recent addition to Groton’s Schoolhouse building added 20,000 square feet for state-of-the-art STEM classrooms, labs and a fabrications lab with 3D printers.

Music:  Time for practice and ensemble rehearsals is built into each student’s daytime schedule so that students do not need to choose between a music and other activities. In addition to regular recitals and concerts, performance opportunities include a Parents Weekend concert, the annual Jazz Festival, and weekly Chapel services. Every December since 1919, the superb Choir has performed three Services of Nine Lessons and Carols which attract nearly 1000 listeners each year.

16.  ## Holderness School
    

Location:

Holderness, New Hampshire

Motto:

For God and Humankind

Founded:

1879

Website:

www.holderness.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

86%

  

Ninth

56

  

Asian

14%

  

Day

14%

  

Tenth

63

  

Black

4%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

78

  

Hispanic

2%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

84

  

White

81%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

281

  

Other

0%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

St. Lawrence University

Johns Hopkins University

University of Denver

Babson College

Bates College

George Washington University

University of Vermont

Bentley University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Northeastern University

Dartmouth College

Wake Forest University

University of Colorado at Boulder

Colby College

Williams College

Stonehill College

Boston University

Syracuse University

Colorado College

  

  

  

The Great Outdoors: Holderness offers plenty of opportunities to get outside and experience the White Mountains. New students are introduced to the White Mountains as soon as they arrive - the school year begins with an overnight camping trip. In addition to the skiing that Holderness is best known for, students can get involved in mountaineering, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Junior year includes a challenging, ten-day winter camping experience that teaches leadership, team-building, and wilderness survival skills.

Snow sports: About half the school takes part in alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snowboarding, or ski junping. While some schools have world-class skiing programs or college prep academic programs, Holderness is unusual in combining both. The head of school, Phil Peck, reflects this dual emphasis – he’s a graduate of Dartmouth and Columbia and a former World Cup and Olympic ski coach. Since 1940, Holderness School has produced 17 Olympic athletes, and 38 National Team members.

Facilities: The campus includes a new hockey rink, eight tennis courts, two basketball courts and extensive playing fields. Off-campus, the ski resorts of Cannon, Mittersill, and Waterville Valley are 30 minutes away, and Loon Mountain is only 45 minutes by car.

College Placement: Not surprisingly, many students end up at colleges or universities near the mountains, including colleges with strong D1 ski programs, such as Dartmouth, Colby, St. Lawrence, and Williams.

Science: The emphasis on the outdoors extends into the science curriculum. In addition to standard science courses, students can take Snow Science, which covers avalanche formation and snow metamorphism, and AP Environmental Science.

Arts: Not everything at Holderness revolves around outdoor activities. There are many opportunities to get involved in art, theatre, and music. For example, students participate annually in the national poetry recitation contest. In addition, working artists from all over the country are invited to Holderness for a ten-day program called Artward Bound every year. The artists work closely with and perform alongside students and faculty.

17.  ## Kent School
    

Location:

Kent, Connecticut

Motto:

Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose, Self-Reliance

Founded:

1906

Website:

www.kent-school.edu

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

91%

  

Ninth

79

  

Asian

7%

  

Day

0%

  

Tenth

128

  

Black

3%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

175

  

Hispanic

3%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

162

  

White

84%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

544

  

Other

3%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Boston University

Trinity College

Northeastern University

Boston College

Syracuse University

Univ. of California – Los Angeles

Hobart & William Smith Coll.

Purdue University

Univ. of California – San Diego

Quinnipiac University

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

Fordham University

University of California - Davis

University of Connecticut

U. of California – Santa Barbara

Dickinson College

Columbia University

Elon University

Pennsylvania State University

U. of Massachusetts – Amherst

Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst.

Academics: Kent has a broad array of courses. The offerings include 27 AP classes and an interesting range of electives that include: Roman Comedy, Astronomy, Irish Drama, Genetics, Biotechnology. Playwriting, Soviet Communism, Architecture, and Middle Eastern Studie.s

Pre-Engineering Program: This successful program has been running for more than a decade. Kent students are exposed to the engineering profession through engineering coursework, robotics competitions, guest lectures, and field trips (e.g., to the engine firm Pratt & Whitney). It’s known as a program that’s demanding and fun. According to the Director of the program: “It’s like a playground for the students. They love being hands-on and learning teamwork with any kind of challenge. They get locked in.”

Rowing: Kent’s has a long, illustrious rowing history. They won the gold medal in first New England championship in 1947 and have finished first twenty-five times since, most recently in 2015. The river is only a couple of minutes’ walk from the dorms and the indoor facilities are excellent – including thirty ergometers and a six-person indoor rowing tank. The race season includes the Head of the Charles, the Youth Nationals, and the Henley Regatta in England. Alumni frequently row in college – one of Kent’s alumnae rowed in Canadian Women’s Olympic Eight in Rio.

Riding: Kent welcomes rides of all levels. Kent’s excellent facilities include two indoor and three outdoor rings, a Grand Prix field, a grass hunter field, and a cross-country course. In addition to world-class riding training, veterinary care, nutritional needs, and conditioning are also taught. The Equestrian program is run by Michael Page – three-time Olympic medal winner, coach to U.S. and Canadian 3-day teams, and seven-time judge at the National Equitation Finals.

Entrepreneurship & Finance: To learn more about finance, students can gain financial literacy through a five-part Sunday lecture series and participate in the Wharton Investment Competition, making use of the on-campus Bloomberg terminal. In addition, a number of budding entrepreneurs have started their own businesses at Kent – for example, a delivery service for students.

18.  ## Kimball Union Academy
    

Location:

Meriden, New Hampshire

Motto:

Inspiring Mastery, Creativity, Responsibility, & Leadership

Founded:

1813

Website:

www.kua.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

72%

  

Ninth

54

  

Asian

  

  

Day

28%

  

Tenth

100

  

Black

  

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

98

  

Hispanic

  

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

91

  

White

  

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

343

  

Other

  

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

University of New Hampshire

Norwich University

Boston University

Suffolk University

St. Lawrence University

Syracuse University

University of Vermont

Babson College

Skidmore College

Dickinson College

Connecticut College

Endicott College

Elon University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Northeastern University

Ithaca College

Bates College

Wheaton College MA

  

  

  

  

Location: The setting of Kimball Union (KUA) is picture postcard New England – the Georgian-style building sit at the crest of a hill. KUA, often referred to as ‘The Hilltop’, is less than twenty minutes’ drive from Dartmouth College, and about two hours’ drive from Boston. There isn’t too much happening in Meriden beyond the school, but Hanover, the home of the Dartmouth College, has a movie theatre and a performing arts center that hosts artists from all over the world.

Hands-on Learning: KUA has a week-long program, K-term, when students and faculty participate in hands-on learning projects that might not otherwise be possible in the classroom. Recent examples include a cultural exchange trip to Cuba, local community service projects, and a deep investigation of Moby Dick through visits to Mystic, CT and Nantucket, MA. The goal is to allow students to investigate their passions or new areas of interest in an authentic manner.

STEM: The STEM impact team works on utilizes STEM tools and technology to solve issues that impact society. For example, the team conducted a project to help identify dangerous, invasive aquatic plants in New Hampshire. The team created a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to help conduct the research.

Environmental Program: KUA has a goal of producing 30% of its electricity onsite from renewable resources. The school installed a 5-kilowatt wind turbine and a photovoltaic array. The wind turbine was made possible by a senior capstone project which created the site design and petitioned for the necessary permits. Students have grown vegetables, bred tilapia, and reared pigs, with the goal of connecting students to food sources and reducing food waste.

College-level Coaching: KUA has a number of college-level coaches. The assistant coach for girls’ hockey and lacrosse came from Union College, the alpine ski coach and women’s hockey coach joined from Dartmouth, and the men’s soccer coach was head coach at Colgate for 20 years. As one coach explained: “Playing at the college level is a big jump for most students. In high school, you can help instill the work ethic to become a college athlete.”

19.  ## Lake Forest Academy
    

Location:

Lake Forest, Illinois

Motto:

Many heads, many hearts, and many hands

Founded:

1857

Website:

www.lfanet.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

48%

  

Ninth

83

  

Asian

30%

  

Day

52%

  

Tenth

113

  

Black

6%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

124

  

Hispanic

5%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

115

  

White

56%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

435

  

Other

3%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

University of Illinois

Furman University

New York University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Northwestern University

John Hopkins University

Cornell University

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Emory University

Babson College

University of Southern California

Bowdoin College

Boston University

Brown University

George Washington University

Indiana University at Bloomington

UCLA

Purdue University

Washington University in St. Louis

Tufts University

  

  

Head of School Symposium: Every year, the head of school chooses a topic for the community to explore together. When the topic was immigration and emigration, guest speakers included a professor of international relations at NYU and there was spring break trip to Ireland. When the topic was the Caribbean, guest speakers included the founder of a cross-cultural training center in the Dominican Republic, and there was a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Houses: Hogwarts has Gryffindor,  Hufflepuff,  Ravenclaw  and  Slytherin. LFA has Bird, Lewis, Sargent, or Welch. Every student belongs to one of these houses, and competes for the House Cup throughout the year. Students earn points for their House through academic accomplishments, supporting athletic teams, performing random acts of kindness, or participating in one of the many House competitions, such as the campus-wide scavenger hunt.

Global Perspectiveh: LFA likes to say that it has a midwestern heart and global mind. Courses include Global Economics, Global Literacies, AP World History, and Comparative Indigenous Histories. Several courses contain a travel component. AP Environmental Science students travel to a conservation ecosystem like Puerto Rico to promote biodiversity and environmental sustainability. Advanced French students can stay with families in a remote mountain village in Morroco. ‘Contemporary Civilization of Latin America’  students live with indigenous families in Peru.

Traditions: Sports teams ring the Bowditch bell when they return to campus with a victory in hand. Other traditions include Move-Up day, an end-of-year ceremony carried over from Ferry Hall. The academy’s athletic teams are known as the Caxys – a nick-name adopted in the 1900s that refers to a sound frogs make in a Greek comedy by Aristophanes.

Athletics: Lake Forest Academy is the only high school in the state of Illinois with its own ice rink on campus. There are three hockey teams at LFA – a Prep team, Men’s Varsity, and Ladies’ Varsity. Prep hockey is a two-season sport at LFA, and runs from August through February.

20.  ## McCallie School
    

Location:

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Motto:

Honor, Truth, Duty

Founded:

1905

Website:

www.mccallie.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

36%

  

Ninth

156

  

Asian

6%

  

Day

64%

  

Tenth

164

  

Black

7%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

176

  

Hispanic

2%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

159

  

White

83%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

655

  

Other

3%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Samford University

U. of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Lee University

University of Georgia

U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Mississippi

Middle Tennessee State University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Wake Forest University

University of Alabama

Furman University

Sewanee: University of the South

Georgia Southern University

Auburn University

Birmingham-Southern College

Vanderbilt University

University of Virginia

University of South Carolina

  

  

  

All-Boys: This is an all-boys school, but one that has a strong partnership with the nearby Girls Preparatory School (GPS). Shared activities include performing arts ensembles, social events, and community service.

Faith: McCallie is a Christian school. Upper school students go to chapel three times a week – services begin with scripture readings and prayer, and include speakers talk on a variety of issues related to faith and community. Sunday services take place twice a month. Student Vestry, a student-run organization, plans all non-denominational church services and oversees the chapel schedule. The Missionary Committee does a lot of work with Bethel Bible Village, a local home for children and teens in crisis.

Tennis: The Tennis program is excellent. Facilities include eight indoor an eight outdoor courts. The recently-built tennis center was recognized by the USTA: “Great tennis facilities like this help us to grow the game at the grass-roots level”. The McCallie team has won state championships in four of the past ten years. The head coach has coached successful tennis teams at the University of Tennessee and the University of Mississippi.

Lacrosse: McCallie has one of the top lacrosse programs in the South-East. It’s a popular sport with more than 120 students participating. Under long-time coach Troy Kemp, the team has won the state championships eight times, and the program has produced more than 70 collegiate lacrosse players.

Outdoor Program: Bordering the scenic Tennessee river, Chattanooga is surrounded by world-class trails and rapids. The outdoor program offers climbing, biking, hiking and kayaking trips around the South-East. The program includes a varsity rock-climbing team that has won a number of regional competitions, and a nationally-ranked Ultimate Frisbee team.

Experiential Learning: Tornado term is a new initiative that allows students to dig deeply into one topic with a hands-on, experiential approach. As the name suggests, the two-week Tornado tem is a whirlwind of activity. In the first year, courses included Forensic Anthropology, Golf for Beginners, Guitar Making, Master Chef, Car Repair, and the Physics of Radio.

21.  ## Mercersburg Academy
    

Location:

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

Motto:

Integrity, Strength, Loyalty

Founded:

1893

Website:

www.mercersburg.edu

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

85%

  

Ninth

87

  

Asian

6%

  

Day

15%

  

Tenth

117

  

Black

6%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

104

  

Hispanic

6%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

128

  

White

77%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

436

  

Other

4%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations (ACCEPTANCES)

Pennsylvania State University

University of Virginia

Boston University

Virginia Tech

New York University

American University

Drexel University

University of Richmond

University of Pittsburgh

Boston College

George Washington University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Bucknell University

United States Naval Academy

Northeastern University

Chapman University

Dickinson College

Franklin and Marshall College

Elon University

University of Miami

  

  

Inter-disciplinary Course: In 2013, following a curriculum review, Mercersburg started to offer seniors a number of inter-disciplinary Springboard courses. The current course line-up is: Business of Sports, Art and Business of Graphic Design, Education Across Borders, Entrepreneurship, Global Food Chain, Maker’s Lab, Parallel Histories, and  Rapid Application Development.

Senior Research Project: Students enrolled in MAPS (Mercersburg’s Advanced Program for Global Studies) have to fulfill ravel, language, community service and research requirements. The research requirement is a 40-50 page thesis paper on a global issue. Students make connections with experts in their field of study outside of campus. Students also make an actionable proposal based on the thesis, and a presentation of the thesis to a panel.

Athletics: The Athletics program scores well in terms of breadth of participation and depth of achievement. More than eighty percent of students participate in the athletics program. 20-25% of each graduating class typically competes at the collegiate level. Mercersburg can count 54 Olympians among its alumni, representing 14 countries and collecting 20 medals. Students compete at a high level in many sports, but achievements in swimming and track & field stand out. Swimmers can train all three seasons during the school year. Mercersburg currently has a nine-lane 25-yard pool, and is planning a new 40,000-square-foot aquatic center with a 50-meter, Olympic size pool. In addition, there is a six-lane outdoor track, and a recently built in-door competition-level indoor facility.

Arts: Mercersburg has a broad array of performing and visual art classes, including dance, stagecraft, music recording, and digital photography and video. The Performing Arts Center houses a 600-seat main theatre, a 120-seat studio theatre, dance and art studios, rehearsal rooms, and recording facilities. When this impressive facility opened in 2006, it was christened with performances by violinist Itzhak Perlman and members of the New York City ballet. 

22.  ## Middlesex School
    

Location:

Concord, Massachusetts

Motto:

Truth, Faith, Effort

Founded:

1901

Website:

www.mxschool.edu

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

68%

  

Ninth

81

  

Asian

15%

  

Day

32%

  

Tenth

100

  

Black

8%

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

100

  

Hispanic

4%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

97

  

White

71%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

378

  

Other

1%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Boston College

The George Washington University

Dartmouth College

New York University

Harvard College

Colby College

Trinity College

University of Chicago

Vanderbilt University

Bates College

Middlebury College

Georgetown University

Columbia University

Boston University

Bucknell University

Hamilton College - NY

Amherst College

Cornell University

  

  

English: Excellence in writing is central to the Middlesex curriculum. Every sophomore student takes the Writer’s Workshop – a weekly seminar that provides students with a strong foundation in writing, allowing them to write in a clear, fluid style. Students continue with the course until they have passed a writing test, a grammar test, and a punctuation test. Senior-year electives include medieval literature, African-American literature, nineteenth-century British literature, and modern American poetry.

Athletics: Middlesex belongs to the highly-competitive Independent School League (ISL). One of the most successful teams has been the varsity Lacrosse team, which has won more than 10 ISL championships. Another area of strength is alpine skiing. The season starts with a rigorous dry-land training program until there is snow on the ground at nearby Nashoba Valley. The team competes every week at Nashoba, and goes on regular training trips to larger mountains The girl’s team has won the New England (NEPSAC) class B championship, and the boys’ ski team has won six ISL championships in a row and. Many Middlesex students have gone on to ski and play lacrosse at the collegiate level.

Community Service: Middlesex students engage in a broad range of community service activities. Almost a third of the junior class participates in a 13-week program that teaches students about philanthropy. There are multiple opportunities to go on community service trips, including an annual trip to South Africa which works with children in a Cape Town orphanage.

Arts: Middlesex believes that school is a time to discover previously unknown talents. To this end, all students take four half-credit ‘Elements of Style’ courses in music, theatre, studio art and art history. These courses develop a common, foundational level of practical skills and critical judgment. On-stage or behind-the-stage, nearly 100 students participate in theatre productions. Following the close of a major capital campaign, Middlesex is upgrading its arts facilities. The theatre is being expanded, and a major new music building is being built, with rehearsal space, a recital hall, a recording studio, and a music library.

23.  ## Millbrook School
    

Location:

Millbrook, New York

Motto:

Not for oneself, but for all

Founded:

1931

Website:

www.millbrook.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

84%

  

Ninth

50

  

Asian

2%

  

Day

16%

  

Tenth

71

  

Black

4%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

79

  

Hispanic

1%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

83

  

White

89%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

283

  

Other

4%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Bowdoin College

Hamilton College

Bucknell University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Carnegie Mellon University

Manhattanville College

Concordia University

New York University

Connecticut College

Siena College

Denison University

Skidmore College

Dickinson College

St. Lawrence University

Elmira College

St. Michael's College

Elon University

The College of Saint Rose

Fordham University

Trinity College

  

  

Headmaster: The chairman of the Board of Trustees describes Drew Casertano as a “visionary leader”, an alumna says he “cares about everything on campus”, and a parent notes that he “embodies the core beliefs of the school”. Over the past 25 years, the head of Millbrook has transformed the school while sustaining its core values. Enrollment has grown from 170 students, the applicant pool has tripled, and many new facilities have been built. Casertano says he is proudest of having restored the alumni’s pride in the school.

Community service: Millbrook puts a high value on community service – for example, every year a senior is awarded the Community Service Cup in recognition of an outstanding contribution. Each incoming freshman is required to rotate through the three main community service requirements: recycling, the community garden and the Trevor Zoo. Upper classmen devote half an hour four times a week to one of the community projects, and many volunteer for additional service projects.

Arts: Each semester, eighty percent of Millbrook’s students take one of more than twenty-five different art courses in the stunning new arts center. The advanced art history program has an innovative immersion approach. Having studied one artist in-depth throughout the year, curate an exhibition of the artist’s work Past artists include Willem de Kooning and Frank Lloyd Wright. Athletic Alternatives: Many students play team sports all three seasons, and a number go on to play at the collegiate level, especially in ice hockey, field hockey and lacrosse. However, there are several alternatives to team sports, such as dance, horseback riding, and theater. An option you won’t find anywhere else is “zoo squad”, as Millbrook is the only high school in the country with a zoo. The Trevor Zoo is dedicated to environmental education and to conservation of endangered species. The zoo squad works on a variety of tasks, from feeding animals to renovating exhibits.

Environmental Stewardship: Millbrook has the ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2020. A major step towards this was the installation of a 7-acre field of solar panels, which provides 100% of the school’s electricity. In addition, many of the buildings have geothermal heating and cooling systems.

24.  ## Milton Academy
    

Location:

Milton, Massachusetts

Motto:

Dare to be

True

Founded:

1798

Website:

www.milton.edu

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

50%

  

Ninth

154

  

Asian

17%

  

Day

50%

  

Tenth

185

  

Black

9%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

183

  

Hispanic

3%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

172

  

White

62%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

694

  

Other

9%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Harvard University

Trinity College

University of Chicago

Tufts University

Brown University

Washington University

Boston College

Wesleyan University

New York University

Amherst College

Cornell University

George Washington University

Bates College

Georgetown University

Dartmouth College

Johns Hopkins University

Columbia University

Tulane University

Connecticut College

University of Michigan

  

  

Campus: Milton Academy is located about eight miles outside Boston on a beautiful suburban campus. Proximity to Boston provides opportunities for academic enrichment and social events. Students can visit the labs at MIT and the Museum of Fine Arts. Talented musicians can audition for the New England Conservatory and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. Then, at the weekends, you can take in a show or enjoy dim sum in Chinatown.

Student body: Roughly half the upper schools students and half are day students. (More than half the upper school day students previously attended Milton’s middle school.) Many applicants wonder if there’s a day / boarder divide. Students at the school say it’s a non-issue – day students stay for after-school activities, and many stay for dinner as well.

Academics: Milton excels in many disciplines, but English courses are especially well regarded. (After all, Milton counts T.S. Elliott as an alumnus.) A focus on excellent writing pervades the curriculum – in Science papers as well as in English essays. As freshman, all students attend a weekly grammar-intensive writing workshop, in addition to their regular English class. A highlight of the English curriculum is the creative writing class. Students have high praise for the course. One student described how the course “completely changed my viewpoint on the art of creative writing”. Another told how the teacher and published poet, Jim Connolly, brings the best out of students: “He tells us to be ambitious in our writing…. He pushes us to go outside of ourselves.”

Achievements: Milton students can boast of some impressive achievements. In the Massachusetts Scholastic Writing Awards, Milton has the most gold medal winners (top 5%) in the past three years. Jazz combos have won awards in a number of competitions, including the Berklee High School Jazz Festival. In athletics, the soccer teams stand out – both the girls and boys teams have won the ISL championship and the New England Championship in recent years.

Admission: The average SSAT score of accepted students is at the 90th percentile. In 2017, they received more than 1,600 applications for less than 150 places.

25.  ## Miss Porter's School
    

Location:

Farmington, Connecticut

Motto:

They came as girls. They left as women.

Founded:

1843

Website:

www.porters.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

65%

  

Ninth

68

  

Asian

9%

  

Day

35%

  

Tenth

74

  

Black

9%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

89

  

Hispanic

5%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

80

  

White

72%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

311

  

Other

5%

  

  

Popular College Destinations

American University

New York University

Barnard College

Northeastern University

Boston College

Smith College

Connecticut College

Southern Methodist University

Cornell University

Trinity College

Franklin and Marshall College

Tulane University

Georgetown University

University of Connecticut

Georgia Institute of Technology

University of Pennsylvania

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

University of Richmond

Mount Holyoke College

Vanderbilt University

  

  

Traditions: Porter’s most well-known alumnae Jacqueline Kennedy, who attended from XX to XX. At the time, the school had a “convent-like rigor” and it was regarded as the preeminent “finishing school” for the daughters of the New England elite. Although much has changed, Porter’s keeps the old traditions alive – the current head, Kate Windsor, believe that they unite the community and link current students to past and future students. Traditions include the Old Girl, New Girl pairing, the Circle of Light, Singing in the Garden, the Ring Ceremony, the Little Meeting and Mountain Day.

Leadership: Students receive formal leadership training through a series of progressive seminars. Freshman year begins with a focus on self-awareness and decision making to establish personal growth. Sophomore and junior years emphasize concepts of problem solving, teamwork, and competency; innovation and strategic planning are the hallmarks of senior year. Porter’s Leadership Program also offers formal trainings to elected student leaders and serves as a resource for all students and faculty working on a variety of goals, projects or initiatives. “We expect our students to take their place as prominent leaders within the global community.’” - Associate Director of Admission, Class Dean.

Dance: Porter's offers Ballet, Jazz and Modern Dance as the technical base for the Dance program, with elective classes offered in improvisation, Pilates body conditioning, Hip Hop and African dance, as well as other styles and techniques. Advanced students may audition for our student dance company, which is a commitment of 10-12 hours per week. Each year the company holds three performances in the Gaines Dance Barn, a large-scale performance in the Hacker Theater and a number of off-campus performances. A number of alumnae are dance majors or minors, or participate in college dance companies.

Earth Club: This student-run environmental group is active on-campus. The group coordinates and promotes Earth Week each April, and is engaged in a number of projects throughout the year, e.g., selling reusable organic cotton shopping bags to raise funds for a community garden. Fifteen students attended the 2015 People’s Climate March in New York.

26.  ## New Hampton School
    

Location:

New Hampton, New Hampshire

Motto:

Go Beyond

Founded:

1821

Website:

www.newhampton.org

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

77%

  

Ninth

51

  

Asian

19%

  

Day

23%

  

Tenth

61

  

Black

7%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

98

  

Hispanic

5%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

110

  

White

68%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

320

  

Other

0%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Colgate University

Providence College

College of Charleston

Sacred Heart University

College of the Holy Cross

Saint Anselm College

Cornell University

Saint Michael's College

Endicott College

St. Lawrence University

Fairfield University

Syracuse University

High Point University

University of Colorado at Boulder

Ithaca College

U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Keene State College

University of New England

Northeastern University

University of New Hampshire

Pace University, New York City

University of Vermont

Location: The New Hampton campus occupies three hundred and forty acres is in the foothills of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, one hundred miles north of Boston. The school overlooks a small pond where students can swim in summer and ice skate in winter.

International Baccalaureate (IB): New Hampton’s mission is “to cultivate lifelong learners who will serve as active global citizens”. Supporting that mission, NHS was the first boarding school in New England to offer the IB. 35% of students pursue the full IB diploma, and 75% of students take at least one IB class. IB classes are offered to juniors and seniors. New Hampton’s Director of Studies explains the benefits: “The International Baccalaureate fundamentally changes the goals of education. Rather than asking students what they know, IB asks what can they do? It encourages students to investigate the subject, not just the subject’s content.”

Basketball: The basketball program attracts top players from across the U.S. and from overseas. Despite playing in a highly competitive league, which includes Brewster Academy and Tilton School, the Huskies have maintained a winning record above 70% over the past few years. Alumni have gone on to play at basketball powers houses like Syracuse, Indiana, and Xavier University. Several have been picked in the NBA draft, and others have made basketball their career as D1 coaches or working with NBA organizations in a variety of roles.

Skiing: The ski team trains at nearby Loon Mountain and ski season typically starts immediately after Thanksgiving and ends in March. The school also has a “freeski” team that skis on moguls and in the terrain park at Loon. The snowboarding team travel to Waterville Valley or Cannon Mountain. Recreational skiers, including beginners, can ski at the Ragged Mountain Resort, a smaller mountain which is only 25 minutes from campus.

Science: In addition to the standard courses, New Hampton has an interesting range of science electives, including sports medicine, agroecology, environmental studies, introduction to engineering, and robotics. A new math, science, and engineering center was built in 2009.

27.  ## Phillips Academy Andover
    

Location:

Andover, Massachusetts

Motto:

Not for oneself

Founded:

1778

Website:

www.andover.edu

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

63%

  

Ninth

220

  

Asian

28%

  

Day

37%

  

Tenth

288

  

Black ![](https://docs.google.com/drawings/u/0/d/sXlZjTRZuuJVGvogK1k9Trw/image?w=9&h=43&rev=1&ac=1&parent=1jwGEFQPfgxpUjvXeliOoz_XXez2PlvGJ2Dsv5PsEDAg)

  
![](https://docs.google.com/drawings/u/0/d/sbE1tx52NY966T918CMOfLw/image?w=34&h=148&rev=1&ac=1&parent=1jwGEFQPfgxpUjvXeliOoz_XXez2PlvGJ2Dsv5PsEDAg)

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

323

  

Hispanic

  

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

319

  

White

44%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

1150

  

Unknown

9%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Amherst College

MIT

Boston College

McGill University

Boston University

New York University

Bowdoin College

Northwestern University

Brown University

Princeton University

Carnegie Mellon University

Stanford University

Columbia University

Tufts University

Cornell University

University of Chicago

Dartmouth College

U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Georgetown University

University of Pennsylvania

Harvard University

Yale University

The Academies: Phillips Academy Andover and Phillips Exeter Academy (profile on the following page) share many characteristics. Both were founded by the Phillips family, both are large boarding schools with outstanding facilities, both offer generous financial aid, and both have sustained reputations for academic excellence for over two hundred years. Although one could argue that Exeter has the edge in science and math, and Andover has the edge in humanities, both offer incredible breadth and depth across all academic subjects.

Clusters: Andover is several times larger than many boarding schools (more than three times the size of Groton, for example). To create smaller communities within a large school, each student is assigned to one of five clusters: Abbott, Flagstaff, Pine Knoll, West Quad North, and West Quad South. Most students stay within one cluster during their time at the school. Each cluster has a Dean, a student President, Proctors, and Prefects. Each has its distinctive traditions.

Debate Club: The Philomathean Society is the oldest high school debate club in the United States. The team has been meeting in the Debate Room at Bulfinch Hall since it was established in 1825. The team consistently performs well in debates tournaments and the Andover Invitational Debate Tournament is the largest regional debate tournament. Phillipians regularly qualify for the prestigious World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships.

Languages: Andover has a broad range of languages and many study abroad options. Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Latin, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish are offered. In 1964, Andover founded the School Year Abroad (SYA), which offers opportunities to study in Italy, Spain, France, and China. The organization now has over forty member schools.

Athletics: Andover fields strong teams in many sports. The girls’ hockey team, the girls’ volley ball team, the boys’ swim team and the boys’ crew team have won the New England championships several times in recent years. Andover’s alumni include thirty-two Olympians – one of whom, Caroline Lind, won gold in 2008 and 2012 in the women’s eight.

28.  ## Phillips Exeter Academy
    

Location:

Exeter, New Hampshire

Motto:

Not for oneself

Founded:

1781

Website:

www.exeter.edu

Admissions Selectivity

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

  

Enrollment

Boarding

80%

  

Ninth

236

  

Asian

23%

  

Day

20%

  

Tenth

253

  

Black

11%

  

  

  

  

  

Eleventh

272

  

Hispanic

9%

  

  

  

  

  

Twelfth

320

  

White

56%

  

  

  

  

  

TOTAL

1081

  

Other

2%

  

  

Most Popular College Destinations

Bowdoin College

Princeton University

Brown University

Scripps College

Carnegie Mellon University

Stanford University

Colby College

Tufts University

Columbia University

University of Chicago

Cornell University

University of Michigan

Dartmouth College

University of Southern California

Georgetown University

Wesleyan University

Harvard University

Williams College

MIT

Yale University

New York University

  

Harkness: Exeter is known for its use of the Harkness method, a Socratic approach that emphasizes dialogue and enquiry. Groups of twelve students sit around an oval table, with discussions facilitated by the teacher. Harkness discussion is typically 40- 60% of the class grade. Many schools now use the Harkness approach, but most use it mainly in the humanities.

Mathematics: Exeter uses Harkness for all subjects, including math. So, what does a typical class look like? Each student comes to class with their answers to the assigned problem sets. When they arrive, students put an answer to one of the problems up on the board. The author then presents their solution and a discussion ensues. Although most find the approach more engaging than traditional methods, and value the problem-solving skills that it develops, some find the approach frustrating at first.

Clubs: Exeter has 90 clubs and organizations. Dramat gives students the chance to write, produce and act in small theater productions, WPEA is a student-run radio station, and the Exeter Surf Club takes advantage of Exeter’s proximity to the beach. The Exeter Political Union coordinates campus political groups and hosts politicians. Many of the presidential candidates visit Exeter, helped by their location in the first primary state.

Athletics: Exeter fields over sixty interscholastic teams across a wide range of sports. Exeter has enjoyed especially strong success in cross country and crew. The cross country has won five New England championships in recent years and the girls’ rowing team has won the New England title more than ten times since 2002.

Library: Exeter’s library was designed by the world-renowned architect Louis Kahn. The atrium is spectacular and the building was described as a “modern architectural masterpiece” by the American Institute of Architects. It houses 138,000 print volumes, making it the largest secondary school library in the world.

Endowment: Exeter’s endowment exceeds $1 billion, and its endowment per student is $1 million. This allows the school to provide excellent facilities and the latest technology, but is also allows Exeter to pay the full cost of tuition for any family whose income is below $75,000.

# Appendix

7.  ## Bibliography
    

Archer, Jeff. "A League of Its Own." Education Week, October 20, 1999.

Bassett, John Spencer. The Round Hill School. Worcester, MA: American Antiquarian Society, 1917.

Brooks, Andree. "Boarding Schools Act to Win Back Students." The New York TImes, October 2, 1991.

Carney, Samantha. Access Through the Ages at an Elite Boarding School: A Case Study of Phillips Academy. Boston College University Libraries, 2012.

Hicks, David. "The Strange Fate of the American Boarding School." The American Scholar, 1996: 523-535.

Joseph G Cogswell, George Bancroft. Prospectus of a school to be established at Round Hill, Northampton, Massachusetts. Cambridge, MA: University Press-Hilliard and Metcalf, 1823.

Khan, Shamus Rahman. Privilege: The Making of an Adolecent Elite at St. Paul's School. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011.

McLachlan, James. American Boarding Schools:A Historical Study. New York, New York: Scribners, 1970.

McPhee, John. The Headmaster: Frank L. Boyden, of Deerfield. Princeton, New Jersey: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1966.

Meraji, Shereen. "Fifty Years Later, 'A Better Chance' Trains Young Scholars." Weekend Edition (NPR), 2013.

Mills, C. Wright. The Power Elite. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Pennsylvania, Trustees and Officers of the University of. "The Early Years: The Charity School, Academy and College of Philadephia." Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Archives, January 13, 1972.

Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania. Philadelphia, 1749.

Steven E Tozer, Paul Z Violas, Guy Senese. School and Society: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. McGraw-Hill Education, 2012.

Story, Ronald. "Harvard Students, the Boston Elite, and the New England Preparatory System, 1800-1876." History of Education Quarterly, 1975: pp. 281-298.

Towler, Katherine. "History of Harkness: The Men Behind the Plan." Exeter Bulletin, November 10, 2006.

Zorthian, Julia. "Andover Campus Evolves over the Centuries, 1778 to Present." The Phillipian, May 21, 2009.

  

8.  ## Data Sources
    

-   Association of Military Colleges & School of the United States
    
-   Handbook of Private Schools, 1915 - Present
    
-   Junior Boarding School Association
    
-   New England Preparatory School Athletic Council
    
-   Private Schools Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau
    
-   School magazines, viewbooks, and websites
    
-   The Association of Boarding Schools
    

9.  ## SSAT Resources
    

-   SSAT by Christa Abbott explain the math concepts very clearly
    
-   “Pre-algebra”, published by the Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) is excellent for an in-depth treatment of exponents and roots.
    
-   The upper level SSAT has questions on the Triangle Inequality Theorem and Euler paths. Both are simpler than the names suggest, but are not covered in most prep books. Khan Academy has a video on the former, and the PatrickJMT website has a video on the latter.
    

  

10.  ## Specialist Schools
    

1.  ### Military Schools
    

-   Admiral Farragut Academy
    
-   Army and Navy Academy
    
-   Camden Military Academy
    
-   Carson Long Military Academy
    
-   Culver Military Academy
    
-   Fishburne Military School
    
-   Florida Prep Academy
    
-   Fork Union Military Academy
    
-   Hargrave Military Academy
    
-   Howe Military Academy
    
-   Lyman Ward Military Academy
    
-   Marine Military Academy
    
-   Massanutten Military Academy
    
-   Missouri Military Academy
    
-   New Mexico Military Institute
    
-   New York Military Academy
    
-   North Valley Military Institute
    
-   Oak Ridge Military Academy
    
-   Randolph-Macon Academy
    
-   Riverside Military Academy
    
-   Robert Land Academy
    
-   St. John's Military School
    
-   St. John's Northwestern Military Acad.
    
-   Texas Military Institute
    
-   Valley Forge Military Academy
    
-   Wentworth Military Academy
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