“Colleges know all the BS’s and accept many from the hidden gems.”
In fact, they accept all of them! Those kids all go to college.
And some hidden gems do a better job of placement for unhooked students than do the better known schools. It’s really impossible to tease this out of the data that’s released publicly though.
Furthermore, the list of schools mentioned here is by no means exhaustive!
So do some serious searching beyond top 10 or top 20 lists.
I’ll just provide the list we had this year, as it has several schools on it that are not usually mentioned on this forum. Looking back at the original post, it seems some schools that are fairly popular now, were not so much so then…and vice versa.
St Mark’s School
Fountain Valley School
Asheville School
Berkshire
George School
Putney
Mercersburg
Buxton School
We really felt this at one school in particular. Just felt like some were accepted and some were more accepted. Kid felt it too. Chose another spot.
The Hun School of Princeton seems like a great school with strong academics and a strong international scene as well.
Hun is more of a day school with a boarding option. Pennington is another one I would describe like that. Both have good learning supports In place but with slightly different strengths. Both also have smaller middle schools so can be good options for day families who realize earlier than high school that their LPS isn’t the right fit.
hmm, I’ve been lurking these past few days, and I’ve never seen LFA mentioned before (Lake Forest Academy). It’s located in Illinois, and is pretty high up in the rankings too (I believe t-50?).
Great facilities and teachers, and lots of diversity. It has less that 500 students, so there is a lot more individualized attention for students (I think the class size is usually around 10 students?). Really cozy and comfy feel to the facilities as well.
Commonwealth School (MA) is a great day prep school in Boston.
Peddie doesn’t often show up on this site. The school values community and character and the school spirit is some of the strongest I have ever seen. It is humble despite having one of the largest endowments/student out there. Peddie is also very diverse, both ethically and social-economicaly. While STEM is prominently featured, Humanities and Art departments are just as strong.
This 
Thanks @gardenstategal
I really liked Gould, in the White Mountains (Maine). It’s especially good if your kid is not an academic superstar but likes to learn/read/question/discuss (very important in small, discussion-based classes!) and enjoys the outdoors (tremendous ski program). Generally supportive, gives students a chance to grow with just enough pressure to push them forward but never to the point of making them overwhelmed. Good choice of courses (regular, honors, AP), quirky scheduling which allows students to take 5, 6, or 7 classes per term as they prefer). Some study abroad programs in France and Spain + excellent experiential learning program. Winter term dedicates morning to skiing (or art for the snow-adverse) and afternoon to class. Spring sees a variety of trips and experiences that vary depending on the year, with greater and greater independance afforded to the kids. Faculty with interesting resumes. And while being “lesser known”, the school works: all these kids get into good 4-year colleges.
^^ Gould can be a great option for the kid who might want one of the ski academies (i.e. Burke) but also a more “regular” high school experience. Super spot for the kid who isn’t a competitive enough skier to justify so much of a sole focus. Of course, it can also appeal to others. Definitely worth a look!
I’m glad to see Gould mentioned here.
They have a big emphasis on experiential learning and making full use of the natural environment.
Incredible school and definitely a small school gem; Head of School is one of the best in the country, excellent academics with individual support, becoming very competitive to gain admission, gorgeous campus and outstanding college placement. Just saw the graduating college senior Prefect leaders on Instagram are attending UVA, Tufts, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt and UNC Chapel Hill amongst other top 100 ranked schools. The Frederick Gunn School (formerly The Gunnery) left a very strong impression on my family. My daughter was waitlisted but will be applying next year after attending Loomis as a day student Fall 2021.
Thanks, this is a great list. I would definitely quibble that some of them are “hidden,” but as others have pointed out, that’s relative.
My daughter goes to Grier, and it’s PERFECT for her. She is extremely, extremely smart, but would be a disaster at a high-pressure school. I have been so impressed with their academics, and they are very flexible in terms of what classes and levels she can take (she takes math and science a couple years above her grade level). They also have an amazing arts program, and she has really blossomed as an artist.
I’m now looking for something similar for my son, who is in basically the same mold. Very smart, not a kid who will do well in a high-pressure environment. He will have great scores and great recommendations, and I want a small school with plenty of support, and the absolute priority for me is nice kids.
Commonwealth is definitely a gem. Very small, but nice kids. Amazing location. New had of school who is an alum and I’ve heard good things about her.
This thread has an extensive discussion of Hidden Gem schools:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/t/completely-inexperienced-dad-looking-for-some-guidance/
@Nantar
Great list offered in the thread posted by @UltimaCroix. I’ll only point out that it was a daughter in question, so of course, no all-boys schools will be mentioned, and there may be some real gems there. (I have 4 girls so I know woefully little about the boy school world. I will say that Porter’s impressed us, and their brother school is Avon Old Farms, so might be worth a look. And, people seem to love Woodberry forest. But truth is I know little in that space so I’ll leave it to the expert parents of boys.)
Posting a couple of Boarding School search tools:
SSAT home page, then choose “Find a School” or “Choosing a School” at the bottom right hand side of the page: “https://www.ssat.org/”
Also: