Great suggestions thank you! I’m excited to start looking into these schools. This board is so fantastic… wish I had paid more attention to it in the fall.
I would eliminate Taft from this list if you are looking for schools that are easier to get into. Taft dropped to 12% acceptance this year and has become as competitive as the GLADCHEMS schools in the past few years.
You’re right, Taft is hard to get into.
I was only trying to provide a range of other possibilities.
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I’m looking for a variety and Taft fits the bill. My son wants top academics and facilities and thrives in an competitive environment so we will most certainly look at schools like Taft.
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It’s a great suggestion thank you!
Maybe peddie as well 
though it has a little over 500 people it might be too small for u
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Prior posts reveal son was waitlisted at Andover, Choate, Lawrenceville, Deerfield & Groton.
This post hints that son may consider repeating a grade. If accurate, has your son inquired about being admitted off the Groton W/L for 8th grade instead of 9th grade ?
Consider: The Cate School & Culver Academies if not willing to repeat a grade.
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NMH is a great choice. St. Mark’s in Massachusetts is also good.
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No fencing, but Mercersburg is an amazing school that, IMHO, doesn’t get much love here mainly due to location. Amazing facilities, programs and sports. 90 mins from DC.
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Your son sounds a bit like mine - WL at Lawrenceville and Andover this year too.
We were accepted at Peddie and feel great about it. No fencing but might be worth a look in your search.
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I posted this in another thread by account of being bad at the internet but meant to post it here:
Just to add on - I wouldn’t rule out Loomis due to the tough acceptance rate the last few years. I live in the area and have been so impressed over the years at how Loomis picks a few great individuals out of the multitudes of students with similar perfect stats who apply from our town’s public school system each year. I realize teacher recommendations likely have a lot to do with this, but the attention to finding great humans (many of whom were largely overlooked in public K-8 because they are humble and don’t stand out in the crowd) has given me great faith in their admissions committee.
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I also think you should definitely consider reapplying to some of the schools where he was WL if he liked them. My kid was WL’ed everywhere they applied last year and reapplied to many of them. In one interview the AO told us she had looked at his app from last year to prep for the interview and couldn’t believe they were WL’ed and she was glad they were giving them a second chance. He got in this year, with significant FA. Another school AO told us that they look extra hard at reapplicants, and it’s great to see growth and contributed interest. He got in there this time as well, also with significant FA (and their admit rate this year was 10%).
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Adding it to the list thank you!
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Congratulations that’s amazing and so well deserved. We won’t shy away from reapplying to his favorites should this year not work out. We are still hopeful.
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I agree re SAS and Mercersburg and that you should also take a look at Peddie. There is a new AD and talks of bringing fencing into the mix.
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I am sorry about your WL situation. COVID has really made it much harder than it needs to be. However, I do like your mindset about reapplying next year. As another poster pointed out, admission officers really love seeing persistence in the applicant. Have your son work on refining the essays. Pinpoint and strengthen the ECs. , and get ready for scoring on the rebound (pun intended).
I would also rectify the rookie mistake you mentioned. Back in high school, I did exactly the same thing, turning down an offer from an uncle who was then a trustee at my dream school. I ended up getting a straight reject and had to transfer in my sophomore year. Bottomline - with admissions being so competitive these days, you really need all the help you can get.
To help you make a list for next year: although we have legacy at two very top schools, we decided to focus on fit and culture instead. We ended up adding Loomis, Taft, Kent and NMH to our list, and have been very impressed by all. Mercersburg has a great rep among the parents on this forum. It literally ticked all the boxes for us, except the location. IHMO, the only thing that separates these schools from the Andovers and the L’villes is the endowment, which dictates the FA packages they are able to offer. Since you are going full pay, however, this should be less of a concern for you.
Finally, a word on repeating 9th grade: it is quite common at top boarding schools. Our DC1 had strong stats, and was accepted as as 10th grade transfer. However, we had a family meeting and decided to repeat 9th. The extra time would give the student more time to settle in and acclimate to a new environment, living away from home, having to make new friends, etc. Academically, it would also give him more breathing room and better design pathways to important courses, such as APs which can count towards college credits.
Good luck!
Thank you for this. Which school is your son attending now?
The advantage of reapplying next year is the notion that we may actually be able to set foot on campuses in the fall. Not every school, sure, but even just one or two would be eye opening.
I’m hoping that having a consultant will help put DS’ mind at ease about reapplying. He’s very concerned about managing a 9th grade workload at a fairly competitive private plus doing all of the work required for BS applications. At his current k-8, HS placement is the main focal point of the year and teachers and admin work to support the students as much as possible.
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I was just at Mercersburg last weekend, as one of my kids was at a soccer camp there. Wow, what a beautiful campus! In the middle of nowhere to be sure, but I was really impressed by the quality of the facilities (the dorm my son stayed in even had air conditioning!), and the campus is just lovely.
Also, I’d add Blair Academy to your list. My daughter seriously considered going there, we were very impressed with it. Really the only reason she didn’t end up there was that she had an option several hours closer to home.
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Masters has fencing.
You may want to message @SevenDad . His D, a fencer, went to George (no fencing) and was recruited at an extremely selective D1 school to fence. He could give you the lowdown on how to pursue a sport at the highest level if your school doesn’t offer it but is willing to support it. I think there were a lot of sacrifices and compromises made, but it worked. Of course, it depends on how accomplished and devoted your son is as to whether such an approach makes sense. Pretty sure his D needed a higher level program than most BS could offer.