The best boarding schools stand out for academic excellence, focus on student learning, and dedication to community service. Many top-tier boarding schools have a strong record of college admissions to selective schools. Boarding schools also offer financial aid packages to help families cover costs. For some families, the college application process starts early, long before campus visits, entrance exams, or even before the student learns to read.
It starts already in kindergarten, with entry to the most prestigious and elite college preparatory schools. These private educational institutions, known colloquially as preparatory schools in the United States, can be boarding schools or day schools, affiliated with a particular faith or completely secular. At the upper end of the spectrum, they are known for ultra-competitive admissions, high enrollment, and top-notch facilities. Its goal is to provide students with an education that directs them to the best universities.
All of these institutions offer high-caliber instruction and unique and valuable experiences for their students. But in a world where education is so competitive and expensive, and where the name of your institute can open doors to life, it's worth measuring the best of the best. Small classes, individualized attention and, in the case of boarding schools, 24-hour access to faculty, undoubtedly help students make their way into top universities. But Stevens stresses that it's not just academics who count.
“There's a much lower chance that a boarding school student will be scared when they arrive at an extremely competitive university,” he says. But in the end, the true value of a high school education is more than just getting into Harvard. High school children have, as Shamus Raham Khan, assistant professor at Columbia University, says, the ability to treat hierarchies as stairs, not roofs. Khan, who not only attended St.
Paul's School, but later taught there, says that small classes and individualized attention give high school children a unique self-confidence and ease in their exchanges with authority figures. That translates into higher salaries after college, compared to their peers. High schools teach students something, or rather, provide them with resources, that others don't learn or have, says. Some of the Best Private Schools in the U.S.
UU. choose to educate only boys or only girls. Citing the difference between the way boys learn and girls learn, these schools can adapt their educational programs to meet the specific needs of young men or women. Exeter's students come from 44 states and 31 countries, and offer programs on five continents to broaden students' worldviews and expose them to diverse experiences.
In addition to the traditional four years of high school, Exeter offers students the opportunity to participate in a postgraduate year as well. Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts (more commonly known as Andover to avoid confusion with rival Phillips Exeter Academy), is the oldest boarding school in the United States. Founded in 1778, the school's rich history continues today with students from 44 states and 51 countries (11% of the student population is made up of international students). Academically, the school has more than 300 courses with 150 electives.
Long known as a high school for Yale due to its proximity, the school routinely sends students to all Ivy League schools and other prestigious universities. Harvard-Westlake offers more than 300 classes and 100 clubs for students to participate. Students publish eight publications and perform more than 40 concerts, plays and recitals each year. Harvard-Westlake students come from 175 different zip codes across the country and report that 65 different languages are spoken in their homes.
The most popular colleges graduates attended in the past five years have been NYU, Harvard and Dartmouth Dalton School in New York City, it is a co-educational institution serving students from kindergarten through high school graduation. Founded in 1919 by Helen Packhurst (associate of Maria Montessori), the school's values reflect the popular Progressive Education movement at the time. Hotchkiss School, founded in 1891 in Lakeville, Connecticut, consistently ranks as one of the top five boarding schools in New England. The school's two fundamental principles are academic excellence and accessibility, and they pride themselves on graduate students being leaders and change makers.
The Montverde Academy is a K-12 preparatory school in Montverde, Florida. Founded in 1912, the school is open to boarding students for grades 1 through 12 and day students for all grades, including a graduate year. Riverdale Country School is a K-12 co-educational school in the Bronx, New York. Founded in 1907, the school aims to be a diverse and progressive environment for students to thrive.
Riverdale is described as a high-challenge, high-support school on its website, and strives to broaden students' minds and teach them to think critically and creatively, while providing them with the support they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. Concord does not rank students or offer any type of academic awards to foster a collaborative environment rather than a high-pressure competitive feel. For the past four years, the top three schools that Concord graduates attended were Tufts University, Wesleyan University, and New York University. The Putney School in Putney, Vermont, was founded in 1935 as part of the Progressive Education movement that then spread across the country.
Putney takes commitment to a research-based curriculum very seriously and does not offer AP classes or take action on standardized tests. Rather than teaching students how to recite information for an exam, Putney places the emphasis on teaching a solid foundation of reasoning, analysis, and presentation skills. St. Ignatius prioritizes service for all its students, and the Christian Action Team is the center of more than 20 service programs that the school organizes each year.
Students performed more than 15,000 hours of non-compulsory service last year, making a lasting difference in chosen scopes. Dwight School is a K-12 preparatory school located in New York City. Founded in 1872, the school uses the International Baccalaureate curriculum and accepts students as young as three years old into its preschool program. Santa Margarita is the only Catholic International Baccalaureate secondary school in the country.
Offers 111 higher-level courses, including AP classes. Loyola requires 135 hours of community service and eight semesters of theology, plus a traditional curriculum. The school also sponsors the Hannon Theatre Company, a college-prep drama program for Loyola students interested in pursuing the performing arts at the college level. The New Mexico Military Institute, founded in 1891 in Roswell, New Mexico, is the only co-educational college high school with state support in the United States, according to its website.
The unique opportunity for students to prepare and attend college at the same institution differentiates school from other boarding schools. Ignacio has one of the most comprehensive AP programs in the country, with scores among the top 150 in the nation. This success is facilitated by a faculty of 123 professors, 92 of whom have master's degrees. All Cretin-Derham classrooms are equipped with projectors and Apple TVs.
The school houses a state-of-the-art theater and a 10,000-square-meter gymnasium. Students can choose between four languages to study, and there are three levels of course assignment for students to receive instruction according to their level. Brophy College Preparatory is an all-male Jesuit high school in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1928, the school has now grown into three different campuses.
The school teaches a Jesuit foundation that encourages openness to growth and a commitment to doing justice in the world. Founded in 1888 and offering a traditional and robust college preparation course, Westminster Academy in Simsbury, Connecticut, serves students in grades 9 through 12 and offers one year of graduate school. As a World School of the International Baccalaureate, Verde Valley focuses its course content on IB courses. .
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