<p>What boarding school has the best lacrosse program? Most skill/team bonding etc. I'd like to hear from many different schools and parents and also athletes themselves! Thank you!</p>
<p>My daughter is passionate about lacrosse and plays for Mercersburg. She is a captain this year and was captain last year also, as a sophomore. Lots of team bonding, great practices. But they still have yet to have a winning season. My dd is disappointed, but recognizes that being a part of the team is the main goal. She loves it. But she is honest and would tell you that schools like Lawrenceville, Peddie, Hill, etc, all have better teams than Mercersburg. But she would also say tfhat her team is the most fun.
zp</p>
<p>I play for Phillips Exeter’s varsity team and last year (2011) we went 10-5 with 3 losses only by one point. Those teams we lost to were:
Middlesex
Nobles
Thayer (very very very good program)
Andover
Brooks</p>
<p>Of these, I would say Brooks, Thayer, and Nobles are among the strongest.
If you venture down to Connecticut however Greenwich, Loomis (usually best in New England) Westminster and Hotchkiss all have very strong teams. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thayer is currently the top ranked prep school in NE for girls lacrosse, but it is not a boarding school. St. Mark’s is ranked 4th, Brooks 8th, Middlesex 11th and all play Thayer in the ISL. In general, the ISL has very strong competition in girls lacrosse. It also includes Nobles (some 5 day boarding, but mostly day) and Governors. Some ISL schools play Exeter and/or Andover, which also have strong programs. Some of these schools do spring break pre season trips to Florida for team bonding as well as skills development. All send players to top college programs. Loomis is also highly ranked, as is Taft. Lots of opportunities for good lacrosse - depends what you want out the rest of your high school experience. I suggest doing some research on the schools, see which ones you might be interested in and then contacting the coaches, either over the summer or in the fall. </p>
<p>I also strongly suggest, if you live near some of these schools and you have a parent who is willing to drive you, that you go watch them play. You can see how the players and coach treat each other; how the parents act while watching etc. Not possible for everyone, I realize, but it’s great to see a school in action in addition to what you see on your tour and revisit days.</p>
<p>Just to clarify - the above rankings are for all New England schools, not just prep schools. For prep schools it’s:
- Thayer<br>
2 St. Mark’s<br>
3 Greenwich Academy<br>
4 Brooks<br>
5 Middlesex<br>
6 Taft<br>
7 Andover<br>
8 Loomis Chaffee
9 Berwick<br>
10 Portsmouth Abbey</p>
<p>and it’s still early.</p>
<p>Ok so I know it’s not a boarding school, but saint Stephens and saint Agnes school in Alexandria, va has one of if not the best lacrosse programs in the country. Every year their kids get full lax scholarships to top colleges like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc. But if your daughter is really serious about lacrosse SSASAS is something to think about…</p>
<p>St. Paul’s has also been strong (very recent)
They have a girl who was all-american her freshman year! and they had a girl on the national u19 team last year. They are definitely up and coming.
If you are in the boston area I would recommend the REV lacrosse program. It is a club team who have girls on all of the schools listed here. They continually go to the top D1 programs.</p>
<p>My friend is on the Andover Varsity Lacrosse team. She says that there’s a lot of team bonding, and they were pretty good this year! </p>
<p>Also, xcprep, I don’t think that Ivy League schools offer merit or athletic scholarships, only financial aid. Correct me if I’m wrong.</p>
<p>Williston Northhampton</p>