Anonymous wrote:Blue Ridge School

Anonymous wrote:My son is similar in many regards and will be going to Mercersburg next year. He is good with stem but his main interest is govt/public policy. Unlike Episcopal, etc it had a totally different vibe- I went to a private just down the road from them and while maybe we should have looked there for his particular interest, it may have been overly jocky and sporty for him. It was by far the warmest environment and had the best support structure of the boarding schools we visited. The admissions officer- who is also one of the dorm faculty really went above and beyond. While DS is fit he is not really into sports and has his own separate but related interests- they have multiple options to accommodate this- students can take theatre (performance or tech) or various other options (outdoor PGA- biking trips, kayaking/camping, etc). It is a big swimming location as they have an Olympic pool and great athletic facilities, but I did like that they actually had a great balance of everything, which is hard to find in schools unfortunately.
They do have a great stem program- their robotics lab was amazing. I would encourage at least a tour. The campus is gorgeous and surrounded by mountains. Pretty easy drive up 15.

Anonymous wrote:I'm considering boarding school for 23-24 for my rising 9th grader. We're looking for a midsize school (nothing too small, bigger is better) within 3 hours of DC. He's a pretty independent child but likes some structure to his day, so nothing too lax. He's bright and has good grades, but he can sometimes be a bit anxious in environments that are too small and feel as though all eyes are on him. He's not athletic but is very STEM-focused and wants to be a software designer or engineer, so we're not looking for a school where athletics is the main focus for students. I've come up with a bit of a list, but I am wondering if there's a school I may be missing. We'd prefer co-ed, with more boarding than day students or all boarding, and we're a mixed family, so diversity is a plus. Kind kids and a culture of community is also important.

Woodberry Forest (VA, all boys, but looks interesting)
Peddie (NJ)
The Hill School (PA)
Episcopal Highschool (VA)
St. Andrew's School (DE)

Any that I should remove or add? I'm contemplating working with an ed consultant but want to do a little legwork myself as well.

Anonymous wrote:For this year, OP, you or did you mean 24-25 school year? If this year, call and see who has spots. That will weed out at least a couple on your list.