Culture at SPS

My kiddo is deciding between SPS and Concord. We’re having a hard time, to be honest. She thinks SPS is similar to an Andover, in terms of being a pressure cooker. We’re concerned about the non-boarders at Concord and how busy/fun the weekends can be there with limited students on campus.

I know they are two entirely different schools. Parents leaning towards SPS for the full boarding school experience, plus, not as progressive of an environment as CA.

Wouldn’t it be a poor decision to turn down a school like SPS? What is the culture like there?

SPS isn’t the type of pressure-cooker PA gets a reputation for being. SPS is half the size of Andover, all boarding, and in a more secluded location; it makes for a very close-knit, collaborative community. Seated meals and chapel 4x a week where the entire student body & faculty gather together increases that feel. In some ways there is less structure than many schools (no formal study hall unless the specific student needs one, no mandatory lights out, only seated meals are mandatory) but there’s a lot of support available. There’s definitely a focus on being a part of the community in every way and forming strong relationships, not just being there to study and build a college application. There will definitely be students in every highly selective school (SPS included) who stress over academic perfection and really grind themselves into the ground trying to be the best and take the hardest possible course-load, and it’s possible to do that at SPS. But the school tries not to encourage that approach and looks to build a student body that has a wide range of characters and strengths, not just high-intensity, type A academics.

All that said, focus on helping your kiddo choose the school that fits them best as an individual. The only poor choice in front of you is focusing on status instead. Will your child be able to attend re-visit days at both schools? They’re extremely helpful in getting a feel for the culture.

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@Ausnat88 nails St. Paul’s. Both St. Paul’s and Concord Academy are potentially great choices. They have similar qualities, including diversity, intellectually stimulating courses and strong visual and performing arts. St. Paul’s is a little bigger, with a larger campus (and grander facilities), all boarding and stronger in sports. This choice is a classic case of your child goes to a visit day for each and makes a choice that couldn’t be that wrong and will probably be right.

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Will you be able to go to revisit day? The schools, and the kids who attend them, are very different. I’d assume most kids would be strongly drawn to one or the other.

When you ask if it would be crazy to turn down sps, do you mean is sps better ranked/more respected? My answer to that is no. Both are solid choices.

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My research into these schools gave me the feeling Concord is more progressive and SPS is more conservative, at least from the webinars we attended and course catalogs I have viewed. I love that Concord is in a safe, historic town and you can walk in and out as you please. The people seem very nice. It depends if your daughter wants a smaller school with less boarders in a town or a larger school on a remote, beautiful campus.

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St. Paul’s, although not in the center of the city/town, is not remote as it is located on a very large campus in Concord, New Hampshire.

St. Paul’s is as much like attending an ultra-selective LAC than as attending an elite boarding school.

Many SPS students have high expectations for themselves so there is self-applied pressure.

Concord Academy is more artsy & more relaxed with a great in-town location.

My impression is that these are two very different options. SPS is more akin to Groton & Andover without the same level of intense pressure, while Concord Academy is much less intense.

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What I mean by remote is that kids are not walking in and out of campus throughout there day into town which seems possible at Concord. And the large acreage, natural setting is beautiful.

Do you know how laundry is done at SPS? Do you have to sign up for laundry service or can kids use a washing machine?

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One quality of Concord Academy’s location, similar to, say, Exeter, is how it’s situated right in the historic/retail district of the town of Concord. SPS is on the outskirts of town–kids often take a short taxi ride to get into town. There’s a train stop a ten-minute walk from CA, which a lot of day students use. Train is 45 minutes to Boston’s North Station.

You guys are all super helpful, thanks so very much for the replies. So, the concern about the progressive culture at Concord is huge for us. We’re a more conservative, Christian family and our kids have attended like-minded schools since they were in pre-k. The pros about Concord are location, relaxed atmosphere and strong dance/arts. SPS also has a strong dance program (does anyone know if they only offer ballet and not jazz, modern, etc.?) We want something more conservative with traditions, not where liberal agendas are heavily promoted. I realize that many of these schools skew on the liberal side so am not oblivious, but I think some are more progressive than others (NMH comes to mind). No offense to anyone, we’re all different and entitled to our beliefs…just trying to make the right decision.

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There’s an optional laundry service at SPS but many kids just use the available machines.

I definitely agree that SPS feels more remote & secluded relative to both CA and PA. Concord (the town) is only a short shuttle or van ride away but that bit of distance does really change the feel. It’s also twice as far from Boston.

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Concord Academy is quite liberal / progressive. My best guess is that a conservative student might feel a bit out-of-place there.

My impression is that SPS is less concerned about liberal / progressive versus conservative.

Easier to categorize CA than SPS.