<p>Attempting to help a friend, I have compiled a list of schools from boardingschoolreview.com based on the following criteria: 1) located in New England or mid-Atlantic (expanded to include VA/DC) area; 2) with >= 500 students (to make sure each grade has >= 100 students); 3) with an admit rate between 20% and 30%. But I am almost certain some of the data is dated on bsreview. Could you, while waiting for M10, help me verify whether these schools indeed meet the above criteria, or if I have missed some schools that do? If possible, please include a link to the source of your findings. Thank you!</p>
<ol>
<li>Peddie School 550 20% </li>
<li>The Taft School 576 20% </li>
<li>Lawrenceville School 816 20% </li>
<li>Phillips Exeter 1085 20% </li>
<li>Choate Rosemary Hall 865 23% </li>
<li>Milton Academy 680 25% </li>
<li>The Loomis Chaffee 650 27% </li>
<li>Northfield Mount Hermon 650 29% </li>
<li>St. Albans School 575 30% </li>
</ol>
<p>These are all in the right ballpark. I think it’s silly to exclude some schools because of a low acceptance rate, because even though the number might be lower it might be a less competitive group of applicants (some just applying for the sake of applying).</p>
<p>No, they are not excluding schools with lower admit rates. This list is to help them identify a few possible “matching schools”. Evidently there’s more homework to do to put together a list.</p>
<p>^^Definitely! I was actually already recommending Blair to my friend. The kid “grew up” in a small private school, and feels “sick and tired” of the smallness and says he’s ready for a high school “a little bigger”. And they do have solid local options. So for now, they have an initial list of schools to start research with, which include all the schools in the above list minus St. Albans and plus Blair, in addition to Andover, Deerfield and Exeter.</p>
<p>I would add Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VA to the list. In fact, I would put it near the top. Amazing 100% boarding community and faculty, academic and athletic facilities, and the DC location provides a unmatched second classroom. Weekend activities include Les Mis at the National Theatre, Concerts at Kennedy Center, Shopping in Georgetown, Washington Capitals, Wizards, National games, etc., etc. Freshman class is around 80 coeds. Thereafter, classes swell to approx 110. Acceptance rate is closer to 30-35%. I’ve met parents who send their children to the above schools and they all say that EHS is a special place. </p>
<p>^^Thanks for the suggestion. They are trying to identify 5-6 schools, or half of the schools on the list of schools they are looking into, to apply eventually. I think their final list of schools will focus more on “reach schools” plus a couple of “matching schools” as the have a very good local option to fall back on. </p>
<p>Despite what the admit rates may say, schools like Exeter, Choate, Lawrenceville, Milton (and to some extent, Taft) are harder to get into than the other schools on your list because the application pools are not created equal.</p>
<p>For St. Albans the numbers are deceiving. Its 4-12, so there are only about 300-310 in 9-12. The admit rate is also skewed a bit because it is much easier to get into the lower school than the upper school. I know the boarding program acceptance rate this admission cycle is around 15%</p>