Boarding School Suggestions

[Anonymous]

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]

George School (PA)

[Anonymous]

Does he want to go to a boarding school?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Mercerberg (Pa)

[Anonymous]

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.

OP here. Sorry, I meant next year. We are looking for 24-25.

[Anonymous]

Virginia Episcopal School (VES) in Lynchburg

[Anonymous]

Blue Ridge School

[Anonymous]

He has to want to go. Or at least be ok with it. Otherwise this may be very difficult for him.

[Anonymous]

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]

I'd see where he gets in, and go from there

[Anonymous]

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.

While Woodberry Forest is an all-boys' school, I think it also enrolls daughters of faculty and staff members.

[Anonymous]

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.

Wow, this school looks incredible. Also, apparently, has one of the largest endowments of any independent school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blue Ridge School

+1

[Anonymous]

My son is a rising sophomore at Mercersburg and I echo the sentiments above. I’ll add that he was not an athlete before he arrived on campus, but after doing climbing and hiking in the fall, he decided to try track in the winter and has now fully embraced the sport. MB is a place where kids really feel empowered to try new things without judgement.

The school is 80% boarding I believe and with a large international population and students from across the country, the campus is full and busy on weekends. My son has very little to no downtime.

Yes, the school has a massive endowment and they use it wisely. The town is small, safe and charming.

Mercersburg has @ 450 students across 4 grades and PGs. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have. Good luck with your search!