The U.S. is home to some of the top college prep schools in the world. They draw students from nearly every state and every country. Here is a list of the most highly selective, most competitive college prep schools. These top schools receive thousands of applications, with sometimes only a handful of placements available. Many graduates of these schools go on to attend some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country.
Phillips Exeter Academy: Exeter,NewHampshire.www.exeter.edu
Founded: 1781 by John Phillips. The foundation of this top and oldest in the U.S., prep school’s academic approach to teaching is the “Harkness Table” in which teachers instruct students in all subjects around an oval table in a “seminar style” discussion, similar to the Socratic Method.
Affiliations: Eight Schools Association (ESA) and the Ten Schools Administration Organization.
Enrollment and Classes: 1062 Grades 9-12 and postgraduate students Monday through Saturday (Wednesday and Saturday are half-days). The academy prides itself on its diversity, with one of its unofficial motto’s being “Youth from Every Quarter.”
Tuition: $29,920 (for day students) to $38,720 (for boarding students).
Athletics: Students are required to participate in intramural or interscholastic athletics with nearby Phillips Academy being its longtime rival.
Dress Code: Formal
Alumni: Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln; Government figures Daniel Webster, Franklin Peirce, Jay Rockefeller; historian George Bancroft, authors George Plimpton, John Knowles and Gore Vidal
Phillips Academy Andover: Andover, Massachusetts. www.andover.edu
Founded: 1778 by Samuel Phillips, Jr.
Affiliations: Eight Schools Association and Ten Schools Administration Organization
Enrollment and Classes: 1,100 in Grades 9-12 and Post-graduate; classes Monday through Friday with Saturday classes once a month
Tuition: $31,100 (day students) $39,900 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Casual
Alumni: George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush; Bill Belicheck (NFL coach); Samuel Morse (inventor), Oliver Wendell Holmes (author); Lyman Spitzer (inventor).
Deerfield Academy: Deerfield, Massachusettswww.deerfield.edu
Founded: 1797
Affiliations: NEASC
Enrollment and Classes: 630 in Grades 9-12 and Post-graduate; classes Monday through Friday
Tuition: $30,060 (day students) $41,900 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Formal
Alumni: King Abdullah (King of Jordan), John McPhee (author), Buddy Teveens (collegiate football coach)
The Hotchkiss School: Lakeville, Connecticut www.hotchkiss.org
Founded: 1891; This top prep school strives to develop a lifelong love of learning, responsible citizenship and personal integrity
Affiliations: NAIS,CAIS, TABS
Enrollment and Classes: 595 in Grades 9-12 and Post-graduate; classes Monday through Friday with Saturday classes twice per month
Tuition: $35,700 (day students) $41,885 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Formal
Alumni: Archibald MacLeish (author); Henry Ford (Ford Motors); Potter Stewart (Supreme Court Justice); Harold Stanley (Morgan Stanley)
Lawrenceville: Lawrenceville, New Jersey www.lawrenceville.org
Founded: 1810; This top prep school practices the “Harkness Table” where classes are conducted in a discussion format around an oval table
Affiliations: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, ESA, Ten Schools, G20
Enrollment and Classes: 795 in Grades 9-12 and Post-graduate; classes Monday through Saturday
Tuition: $34,680 (day students) $42,350 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Casual
Alumni: Harold McGraw (McGraw Hill Publishing); Prince Turki bin Faisal al-Saud (Saudi Arabian Ambassador to U. S.); Michael Eisner (former CEO Disney); Ricardo Maduro (former president of Honduras)
St. Paul’s School Concord, New Hampshire www.sps.edu
Founded: 1856; This top prep school stresses the importance of a blend of academics, athletics and student body involvement in this residential only campus of nearly 2000 acres
Affiliations: ESA, Ten Schools Admissions Organization
Enrollment and Classes: 535 in Grades 9-12; classes Monday through Saturday
Tuition: $42,900 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Casual
Alumni: John Kerry (U.S. Senator); Gary Trudeau (cartoonist); Robert Mueller (Director, FBI); William Randolph Hearst (newspaper publisher)
Middlesex School Concord, Massachusetts www.mxschool.edu
Founded: 1901; This to prep school emphasizes the importance of a blend of critical thinking, dynamic classrooms and a spirited community
Affiliations: NEASC
Enrollment and Classes: 375 in Grades 9-12; classes Monday through Saturday
Tuition: $36,870(day) $42,900 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Casual
Alumni: Steve Carell (Actor); William Weld (Former Governor of Mass); Anthony Lake (National Security Advisor under former President Clinton)
The Groton School Groton, Massachusetts www.groton.org
Founded: 1884; This top prep school places developing character, intellect and leadership as its top priorities
Affiliations: Independent School League; St. Grottlesex
Enrollment and Classes: 375 in Grades 8-12; classes Monday through Saturday
Tuition: $35,090(day) $46,790 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Casual
Alumni: FDR (former U.S. president); Richard Whitney (President of U.S. Stock Exchange)
The Taft School Watertown, Connecticut www.taftschool.org
Founded: 1890; This top prep school’s motto is “Not to be served, but to serve”
Affiliations: The Association of Boarding Schools
Enrollment and Classes: 575 in Grades 9-12 and Post Graduate; classes Monday through Saturday
Tuition: $32,500(day) $43,775 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Casual
Alumni: Flemming Norcott (legal), Harry Bector (business), Robert Taft (government)
Kent School Kent, Connecticut www.kent-school.edu
Founded: 1906; This top prep school was founded on the principles of Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose and Self-Reliance
Affiliations: NEASC
Enrollment and Classes: 560 in Grades 9-12; classes Monday through Saturday
Tuition: $35,900(day) $45,300 (boarding)
Athletics: All students are required to participate in either intramural or interscholastic sports every term
Dress Code: Formal
Alumni: Hadley Case (president Case, Pomeroy and Co.), James Gould Cozzens (Pulitzer Prize winner literature), Baroness Scott of Needham (President of UK Liberal Democratic Party)
