I am new to the board, and my daughter was accepted at Emma Willard, Miss Porter’s, Madeira, Westover and Chatham Hall. We are looking for good academics as well as a warm community, not too competitive. Unfortunately the revisit days overlap so we may not be able to go back to all the schools.
Could I ask for some feedback on any of the schools? My daughter will be entering at Grade 10. She plays violin and seems to be interested in science, but looking for a strong education and lifelong friends… Looking for some feedback as the decision process is not easy. Thank you!
We loved Madeira, especially their strong internship program, but were turned off by the long lines of cars there to pick up day students.
Chatham Hall has a really lovely, nurturing, warm, and wholesome culture. It is hard to get there from where we live, but it struck us as the most suppirtive of the girls schools.
Porter’s is an interesting place with an interesting history. We were uncomfortable with some of the reviews written by faculty on Glassdoor. We were also ambivalent about its deep roots as a society school. We heard that the administration keeps trying to stamp out traditions and rituals that feel abusive/inappropriate, but that every few years, daughters of Ancients (legacies) will resurrect them in secret.
Emma Willard is the only girls school that wasn’t set up as a finishing school for society wives. They’ve always had the same kind of curriculum as the boys’ schools. Our tour guide was working on a research project at RPI…We hope to visit in April. Curious to meet the new head…
I have no personal experience, but a friend’s daughter attends Emma Willard and has been extremely happy. They have been particularly impressed with the college counseling process.
I have no horse in this race, but I commend the OP for going with a girls’ school. The more I see of modern high school life at coed schools (I have a 9th grader) the more I see the wisdom in single sex education. And I’ll leave it at that.
Congrats to the OP on having such good choices, there are many parents on here who will be able to give you great advice on choosing.
@kazmom: I’m short on time right now, but would love to share info about Westover. My D graduated in May. She chose it over MPS, Emma, and coed schools. If you have specific questions, send me a PM – otherwise, I’ll try to find time to post here tomorrow.
My daughter wanted only girls’ schools as she finds boys distracting in the classroom. So that gave us a focus in our search. Each one of these schools we would be happy at, which makes the decision so difficult.
Emma Willard - completely impressed by the school. A supportive community and strong academics, and I like the new head of school. This was my daughter’s original first choice. And love the RPI connection for science.
Miss Porter’s- my daughter had a great interview with a teacher there but we have not spent time with students. Unfortunately we were there are on a Saturday. The facilities are amazing and academics are very good. I have not interacted with any boarding families, and I would be curious how the day students and boarders interact.
Westover-this is a gem too. It is a nice balance of support and rigor. I like the limits on internet/phone use. It also has a nice program in STEM.
Chatham Hall-has to be the warmest sweetest school of them all. So supportive, but need further insight on academics, especially science. Also much further for me to travel, and a much smaller school of 128 student for alumni connections… It’s in a rural section of VA, very quaint, which means almost all the girls are boarders. A strong riding program, (but my daughter doesn’t ride, at least not yet!)
Madeira-I know the least about but the grounds are lovely (another riding program) and close to DC. I have to look into science program. Boarders are 55% of students. The others are around 60% I believe and Chatham Hall in the 80’s%.
We definitely would prefer more boarders especially on the weekends if she is far from home.
I have to say the school that has reached out the most to us is Emma, but there is an event for Westover families we’ll be going to this weekend. Very excited to meet other families.
Thank you all for your input. And I am so happy she wants to go all girls too!
Have you checked out posts on facebook from public users about the schools - they aren’t always easy to find but so worth it! That can really give you a good feel. My DD applied to all of these schools except Miss Porter’s and was either accepted or waitlisted at all of them except Madeira - which was fine with us. The more we learned about Madeira the less we wanted DD there. One of the major things that stood out to me was that they claim to encourage diversity, however, when DD talked to them about her spirituality and inquired about practicing smudging and ceremonies she was flat out told no. Not even asked what it would involve - all 9 other schools she applied to inquired more about it, what it would entail, how could she it safely etc. Madeira didn’t even consider it. That doesn’t really encourage diversity in my mind.
Good luck to your daughter! My DD is a senior at St. Timothy’s in Maryland and I couldn’t imagine her anywhere else. It’s been an amazing ride these last 4 years. We have loved her all girls education!
The history of the girls schools is worth having your DD research — we owe so much to the schools - my DD also wrote a research paper on a few of the oldest schools and has visited several - please PM for more information. Thanks also to the parents (many on this thread) who have shared so much information over the past couple of years about their daughters’ experiences at these schools. Check out the BS Resource thread, also :bz
25 years ago I graduated from an all girls boarding school, although not one of the schools on your list. Going to an all girls school was the best decision I could have made, and I am so grateful that I was afforded the opportunity to attend. Spending 4 years there surrounded by some of the most amazing women I have ever known personally was an experience of a lifetime. I graduated with a major boost in confidence and a true sense of empowerment, NOT entitlement.
My daughter was slightly fearful of going to an all-girls school at first. The girls here at home have always been very catty towards one another. This same group of 8 girls she had been close/best friends with from Kindergarten through 8th grade stopped speaking to her at the end of 8th grade and will barely acknowledge her existence since she decided to go against the grain and go away to school.
What she found at an all-girls school was exactly the opposite. She’s in an environment where women celebrate women! They lift each other up, they cheer each other on, and they are truly sisters. She says there is less drama there in a month than there was in a week here. Her school cherishes it’s past while celebrating the future.
I love that are so many unique and amazing all-girls schools to choose from and I wish you all the luck choosing the right one for your daughter!
I felt full of harmony: tradition, academics, and community. EW’s signature program is one reason I strongly recommended my DD to apply for. Besides, Forever Emma is another jewel, I guess.
My daughter is a four-year senior boarder at Emma Willard. She was also accepted to and revisited at Miss Porter’s and Westover. It was a difficult decision, as they are all outstanding places. She felt that for her Emma was going to provide the best balance of strong academics and an appropriate social fit. It is a magical place, with beautiful traditions, strong support from houseparents, advisors, and faculty, and strong academic and extracurricular opportunities. Everyone seems to love the new head. And the alumni passion is strong: I recently had a distance acquaintance reach out because she saw my girl is at Emma and she attended decades ago. She has a son at a highly thought of Bay Area private school, but she said his experience pales in comparison to what she got at Emma.
To be honest, I would go visit the top couple of options and pick the place that feels right to your daughter and family. We have never regretted our choice and I feel very grateful that she had this opportunity.
My step-daughter also got in to Emma, Westover, Foxcroft, Porter’s and Madeira. She only wanted all girls from the beginning. I think she is leaning towards Madeira at the moment. Being close to the metro DC area, we know it will be easy for her to get in and out of school. Their internship program is phenomenal and no other school even comes close. It seems that the school is truly preparing the girls for life beyond the classroom in very practical and meaningful ways. When we were on campus, we saw many happy, relaxed, smiling girls from all kinds of backgrounds. The unique traditions and the mascot give the place a good sense of community. Good luck with your choice!
There is not much information on the board about Madeira so thank you for posting. We were unfortunately pressed for time on our visit so we did not get a good sense of the girls together as a community, both boarders and day students.
We are planning on a return visit, though with all the schools it is logistically becoming tough to arrange. Would love to hear more about Madeira, so perhaps our topic will spur some discussion.
Madeira was a phenomenal experience for my daughter. Nothing beats the CoCurriculum internship experience- she worked in the community, on Capitol Hill, and shadowing a physician- all as a high school student! And all close to school in the DC metro area. The confidence gained from these internships was life- changing. Any of her wonderful teachers could have written a fabulous college recommendation letter for her. The feeling among the girls is cooperative and supportive- helping each other become their best selves. My daughter was a boarder, living in newly renovated dorm. She made lifelong friends across all grades. Plenty of fun weekend activities, always lots ofto do. She was friends with boarders and day students- would sometimes go visit local friends for home cooked meals. She and her friends were very well prepared for college, got into great colleges, and keep in close contact. Fabulous alumn network as well. Helped her get internships. Highly recommend Madeira!
I was hoping to reach out to a few posters via private messages, but I cannot seem to do so.
Do we have to have a certain number of posts before that feature is activated?
Thanks!