For decades, Phillips Exeter Academy, more widely known as Exeter, has served as an unofficial feeder for Harvard, serving boys and girls in grades 9-12 (post-graduate year offered).

Academic brilliance is a defining characteristic of Phillips Exeter Academy. It encourages students to develop critical thinking abilities and seek complicated truths in every field and at every level of the curriculum. Intellectual exploration at the Harkness table fosters inquisitiveness, creativity, insight, empathy, independent thought, and mastery in children via rigorous inquiry and deliberate discourse.

In true Exeter fashion, students select from over 450 courses in 19 topic areas: The Harkness approach is a plan that promotes dialogue-based learning. The unique math curriculum emphasizes problem sets and seminar-based learning, abandoning traditional textbooks in favor of student-owned learning procedures. More than 80% of the faculty have graduate degrees.

Your dorm is your home base from day one at Phillips Exeter Academy. It's where you make your first friends as a new student and where younger students come to you for advice, encouragement, and friendship over time.

Students often stay in the same dorm from year to year, making it easy to form deep bonds with your peers and the network of adult advisers who are the most familiar with you.

The residential strategy is critical to creating a welcoming neighborhood. You'll meet people you'd never meet otherwise – students from all over the world who come to Exeter to live and learn. Day students are assigned to a dorm and are fully involved in its activities.

With over 1,000 students as your peers, you will meet dozens of people who share your interests. The student-led clubs range from painting to zoology, and more are added each year based on current interests. The Student Programs Office always looks for programs that interest and inform students.

Founded: 1781
Tuition fees: $56,251
Phone: 603-772-4311
Address: 20 Main St, Exeter, NH 03833, United States
Website: https://www.exeter.edu/

Directions

Phillips Academy Andover was founded in 1778 and is the country's oldest incorporated boarding school. Andover (as it is often called) is historically significant for being Yale's original feeder school. It was also the first private secondary school to use a need-blind admission policy. Grants enable Andover to satisfy 100% of a family's verified financial need.

Phillips Academy provides a liberal education to its pupils to prepare them for life in the world. Liberal education, which is concerned with all elements of human experience, believes that knowledge is essentially desirable and rejects the notion that education ends with technical skill or professional achievement.

It resists specialization in favor of breadth, introducing students to related domains of thinking and preparing them to live lives marked by study and understanding, responsibility, and freedom.

The students live on campus in numbers exceeding 800. The smallest dorm houses four students, while the largest houses 44. Some dorms are charming cottages, while others are stately brick structures.

All have faculty house counselors and student mentors on hand to provide refreshments, cozy seats, and advice and direction. Every dorm has its own culture, with its own whirlwind of social activities, shared meals, improvised rituals, unplanned outings, and a general vibe. In tiny and great ways, they all seem like home.

Phillips Academy Andover's faculty, like that of its archrival Exeter, is made up of 80% advanced degree holders. The institution, which likewise employs the Harkness method and is steeped in history, provides a diverse range of music classes.

Many students take private lessons through the nearby New England Conservatory's prep school. Aside from academics, all Andover students participate in a work-duty program in which they are allocated to various jobs during the year. No wonder it is one of the best boarding schools in the USA.

Founded: 1778
Tuition fees: $69,600
Phone: 978-749-4000
Address: 180 Main Street, Andover, Massachusetts 01810
Website: https://www.andover.edu/

Directions

Choate Rosemary Hall, founded in 1890, is a private coed boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, that enrolls students in grades 9-12. Choate also has a post-graduate program.

What distinguishes Choate is its broad course offerings; students can choose from over 300 classes. Within that framework, students can also specialize in Choate-specific programs such as the interdisciplinary Environmental Immersion program, Modern Standard Arabic, or the arts program. Students collaborate with their advisors on a capstone project within a concentration- a rated course of study that culminates in the senior year's final term.

From the Andrew Mellon Library, which opened in 1926, to the Paul Mellon Humanities Center, which hosts more traditional inquiry-based discussions, to the Kohler Environmental Center, which houses the one-of-a-kind Environmental Immersion Program, and the state-of-the-art Cameron and Edward Lanphier Center. All academic facilities are designed and purpose-built to be program-driven, student-centric spaces dedicated to tea.

You'll have access to the conveniences that come with living in a small town, as well as space to explore a campus that will only quiet down if courses are finished for the day. Both boarding and day students have the room and leisure to explore interests in addition to academics.

Choate Rosemary Hall’s clubs allow you to commit to essential issues, explore a new initiative, go deeper into a longstanding passion, express yourself, relax, and, most importantly, have fun!

Founded: 1890
Tuition fees: $68,380
Phone: (203) 697-2000
Address: 333 Christian StreetWallingford, CT 06492
Website: https://www.choate.edu/

Directions

Groton School is a private, coeducational boarding school for grades 8-12 students founded in 1884 just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Groton offers a classical college preparatory program that includes two years of Latin or Greek. It is also listed as one of the best boarding schools in the USA.

The Groton School day begins with chapel services and continues with "check-in," which is when dorm residents shake hands with the teacher on duty. In the last five years, students have matriculated at all of the Ivies, with the highest enrollments at Harvard, Georgetown, Trinity, Bowdoin, and Yale.

The study of historical civilizations will help you better comprehend the world now. STEM approaches interwoven throughout math and science subjects will help you. You will also feed your mind with time-tested essentials like Latin.

Students both learn from and teach one another. It becomes eye-opening when a friend offers an alternative perspective on a late-night talk. Groton School’s dormitories are tiny, with twelve to twenty-four people.

The welcoming, homey environment invites dormmates to get to know and understand one another. Often, a staff member or dorm head may give a portion of food, which Groton calls "a feed." A birthday or an approaching occasion may be celebrated. Sixth Formers are all dorm prefects who oversee dorm check-ins.

Students are not compelled to undertake community service and track hours; rather, all students are expected to participate in community service. All students are required to attend religious services on weekends, but they are free to attend the service that best matches their personal traditions.

Founded: 1884
Tuition fees: $59,995
Phone: 978-448-3363
Address: 282 Farmers RowP.O. Box 991Groton, MA 01450
Website: https://www.groton.org/

Directions

The Hotchkiss School is a private boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut. The School, founded in 1891, provides an academically distinguished education to 599 students in grades 9 through 12, as well as a limited number of postgraduates. Hotchkiss students come from all around the country and the world. Many of the most prestigious institutions and colleges accept graduates.

The school is well-known for its enormous alumni network and the sheer number of graduates who have gone on to become MPs, senators, and other powerful government officials.

When you join Hotchkiss, you become part of a varied community that includes people from all over the country and the world. A Hotchkiss education is genuinely incomparable, thanks to small class numbers and an environment dedicated to study and personal growth. Students on the growing campus have the unique chance to experience life as teammates, classmates, friends, and community members.

The independent high school academic program provides a breadth and depth of study that most students would not encounter until college, with over 200 courses in seven departments and small class sizes.

The Hotchkiss School students challenge themselves intellectually and establish deep ties with their classmates, guided by knowledgeable, involved educators, whether they're talking about environmental issues, researching global trends, or analyzing literature.

The 13 residence halls offer welcoming environments where all students feel at ease. Even day students who have their rooms can rest, study, socialize, and enjoy boarding school life. Residential faculty members live in each dorm, and proctors — trained upperclassmen who work as dorm leaders — watch for their classmates and contribute to creating a safe, courteous environment.

The size of residence halls ranges from six to 65 rooms, with standard rooms for relaxation and dorm events. Each room has wifi network access and is equipped with a bureau, bed, desk, chair, lamp, phone, trash can, and recycling bin.

While the majority of rooms are singles, many students will have a roommate for at least one year; in fact, it urges that incoming students request roommates to help them expand their circle of acquaintances and establish a feeling of community in a new area.

Founded: 1891
Tuition fees: $69,820
Phone: (860) 435-2591
Address: 11 Interlaken RoadLakeville, CT 06039
Website: https://www.hotchkiss.org/

Directions

The Lawrenceville School, located approximately five miles from Princeton University, has historically served as a feeder for the New Jersey Ivy. Students in grades 9-12 attend the private, coeducational boarding school, which also provides a post-graduate year.

Lawrenceville's faculty is made up almost entirely of advanced degree holders (94%). In their classrooms, these highly trained teachers use the Harkness teaching style. In addition to personal development courses, the school mandates 40 hours of community service for graduation.

Harkness learning allows students to share their perspectives, share their ideas, and learn from their classmates at Lawrenceville. This discussion-based teaching technique necessitates student involvement and active listening. The development of critical thinking, student agency, and a demanding and comprehensive curriculum distinguishes Lawrenceville students.

Students learn who they are and what they stand for, work to foster a school culture of belonging, and contribute their unique intelligence, passion, and drive to enhance their communities through comprehensive course choices, community service, and personal growth. The academic departments help students gain a significant depth and breadth of knowledge to serve as the foundation for future learning.

Campus in Lawrenceville Houses are at the heart of daily existence. They bring students together, establish community, and encourage leadership, inclusivity, and cooperation that can take pupils to new heights outside of the classroom. Houses offer a pleasant and supportive living environment where exploration and creativity can flourish when academic members serve as House administrators.

The Lawrenceville School is located in suburban New Jersey on more than 700 lovely acres, just a short drive from Princeton, New York City, and Philadelphia. Lawrenceville's brick buildings surround woods, fields, and a nice downtown area.

The Lawrenceville School combines history and technology, emphasizing sustainability and community spaces. Scholars have access to cutting-edge technology and the best professors in a setting intended to be a healthy, joyful home for all. That's why it is one of the best boarding schools in the USA.

Founded: 1810
Tuition fees: $73,220
Phone: (609) 896-0400
Address: 2500 Main StreetLawrenceville, NJ 08648
Website: https://www.lawrenceville.org/

Directions

PRISMS (Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science) is an innovative international school. It has strong leadership and teachers, as well as the best education theories and techniques from China and the United States. PRISMS will become a forward-thinking international school with Chinese and American features, attracting exceptional talents worldwide as Sino-US educational exchanges deepen.

PRISMS seeks to provide a comprehensive 9-12 high school education with a particular emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and a culminating research or development project in one of these areas.

BASE (Bridging the Arts, Sciences, and Engineering) is a 9th grade mandatory program. The BASE is comprised of three distinct disciplines (Biology, English, and Applied Engineering) that are taught on the same days, allowing a cohort of students to cycle through the same classes, but each class reserves approximately 20% of their annual class time to work on a collaborative research project based in Biology.

Scientific principles, language arts, and technical innovation are woven together in a realistic and meaningful way to students in the context of the research project through participation in the research project. As a result, students gain research skills in a multidisciplinary setting.

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science is housed on a picturesque campus approximately two miles from the heart of Princeton, one of the country's most beautiful and historic university towns. This location puts us close to many local activities and resources, as well as New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

The 85 percent of students who participate in boarding life live in bright, comfortable houses staffed by full-time faculty dorm parents. While day students must return home at night, they are welcome to participate in all programs and activities, including weekend trips.

Founded: 2013
Tuition fees: $63,500
Phone: (609)454-5580
Address: 19 Lambert Dr, Princeton, NJ 08540
Website: https://www.prismsus.org/

Directions

St. Andrew's School, one of the best boarding schools in the USA, is a coeducational, Episcopal, all-boarding school located on 2,200 acres near Middletown, Delaware. For more than 90 years, St. Andrew's has been a school open to all children who meet the admissions criteria, regardless of their family's financial situation.

The special school culture of kindness and equity is built on accessibility. It is one of just three co-ed college prep high schools in the United States that board all of its students. The rigorous academic program involves collaboration, discussion, and genuine intellectual engagement.

Every year, it offers 130 courses in 10 areas and brings a diverse range of visiting speakers to campus for speeches and classroom seminars. At St. Andrew's, you will live in a community with 310+ students and 80 faculty members—a community in which you will experience athletic and artistic growth, chances for leadership, and, most importantly, a sense of belonging.

The academic program of St. Andrew's works hard to cultivate habits of deliberation, curiosity, creativity, and independent critical thinking in its students. The tremendous vigor of academic culture reflects these key ideals. A campus visit will discover colorful, playful, and intellectually serious classrooms, laboratories, and art studios, as well as students who are motivated and genuinely engaged in their work.

Students at St. Andrew's School live in one of six boys' or eight girls' dorms. Third, IV and V Form students live in gender and form-specific dorms. Each residence hall is supervised by one or more faculty members, known as dorm parents, who live in a faculty apartment next to the dorm.

Each dorm has a central standard room with a rudimentary kitchen. Dorm meetings and gatherings, such as birthday parties, dessert parties, group games, and other activities, are held in the common area, which is usually near the dorm parent's apartment. Students usually live in double rooms, with a few single and triple rooms scattered throughout campus.

Founded: 1929
Tuition fees: $66,400
Phone: 302-378-9511
Address: 350 Noxontown Road, Middletown, DE 19709
Website: https://www.standrews-de.org/

Directions

St. Paul's School, founded in 1856 in Concord, New Hampshire, is an all-boarding school for students in grades 9-12. A post-graduate year is available at the school. Not only do all of the students reside on campus, but so do all of the staff, fostering a close, spirited campus community. Chapel services are also held four days a week in the community.

The academic program at St. Paul's School will enable you to pursue your interests and discover new ones in a highly supportive residential learning environment. Your instructors aren't just passionate specialists in their professions but also your neighbors, coaches, advisers, and frequently your biggest cheerleaders.

St. Paul's School students and teachers collaborate to investigate new and age-old questions through courses in the humanities, mathematics, sciences, languages, and the arts at Harkness tables, in cutting-edge laboratories, and in the living laboratory of School grounds. You and your classmates will not simply gain knowledge here; you will create it together.

St. Paul's School is one of the few institutions in the country where all professors and students reside on campus. Furthermore, St. Paul's employs a "house system" in which students of all ages and backgrounds share the same living spaces, giving you and your dorm mates a unique opportunity to connect, support, and learn from one another.

The strongest friendships formed by St. Paul's School alumni are frequently those formed in their houses. Faculty families live right next door, in apartments linked to each home – sources of support and connection. Your adviser will be linked to your home, giving you both opportunities to get to know one another.

There are over 70 organizations and societies to choose from, ranging from debate and robotics to gospel choir and sewing and crocheting. Clubs are an active element of the school community. Some clubs, such as the Missionary Society, The Pelican, and the Debate Team, have a long history. Others are examples of current student engagement and action.

Founded: 1856
Tuition fees: $69,337
Phone: (603) 229-4600
Address: 325 Pleasant St, Concord, NH 03301
Website: https://www.sps.edu/

Directions

To end the list of the best boarding schools in the USA, Toplsit would like to mention Episcopal High School. The School, located just seven miles from the White House in Alexandria, Virginia, is a private, coeducational institution that boards 100% of its students, contributing to a lively campus community. As the name implies, the school is religious, and all pupils must attend chapel three times a week.

The academic curriculum at Episcopal provides students with several possibilities and challenges in a supportive environment where they like what they do. They explore, create, experiment, and analyze, developing resilience and creative and critical thinking abilities.

Boarding school is a transforming experience that focuses on self-discovery. The amazing residential community at Episcopal provides the ideal backdrop for such an unparalleled educational experience.

Students and professors live on Episcopal's 130-acre residential campus in an environment that fosters the companionship of shared experience and enduring friendships. The Episcopal Honor Code tradition develops a lifetime of trust and respect for peers, mentors, and adults.

The School's eight dorms rapidly become homes for professors and students, where they celebrate birthdays, eat late-night snacks, and engage in significant talks in common areas. Students establish responsible behaviors in the dorms as they learn to be thoughtful of others, care for personal and shared spaces, and conserve natural resources.

Under teachers' direction, the dorms are cheerful, safe, and home-like places where individual students feel included, respected, and cherished. Individuals gain knowledge and appreciation for individuals from varied backgrounds and life experiences as they form meaningful and lasting relationships with peers and professors.

Students at Episcopal High School are encouraged and supported in identifying, enjoying, exploring, and committing to their unique interests and passions. There are numerous groups and activities available for this purpose. Joining a club is a terrific opportunity for students to get engaged in campus life, meet other students, and, of course, have fun.

Founded: 1839

Tuition fees: $69,700
Phone: 703-933-3000
Address: 1200 North Quaker, LaneAlexandria, Virginia 22302
Website: https://www.episcopalhighschool.org/

Directions