Hello! My son was admitted for 3rd Form starting this Fall. As of now, Kent is his clear first choice, and we plan to revisit. I do have some questions, however, if you wouldn’t mind answering:
- How is the relationship between the students and the faculty/administration? I have heard that Kent is known for being very supportive of the students. Has that been the case for you? Can you give any examples? (e.g. Do you feel “known”? Can you get the extra help you need with writing or math. etc.)
- Do you know anything about the Club Ski Team? (How many times a week do they ski? Do they ever race, or is it just free ski? How many kids participate?) My son loves to ski, and the two other schools he is deciding between both have Varsity Ski teams. I can’t find any real information about the Kent Club Ski Team on the school website.
- What is the drug & alcohol climate at school? Is there any peer pressure around it? I believe Kent has a “no strike” policy? What does that mean exactly?
- Are there any WiFi restrictions/cut-off times? I worry that my son will be on his phone late at night if there aren’t some school rules around usage…
Thank you so much!
Berkshire, Westminster, Gunnery and Kent. WL at Taft. Denied Deerfield and Loomis.
Hello, @class2022son. As @skieurope predicted, the original poster appears to have vanished. I’m a Kent parent for a few more months though, so will do my best here:
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The student body and faculty/admin. get along well. The students I know have always been supported in all areas. The Kent community suffered a tragic loss last year and came together like nothing I had ever seen before. This year, there was a freaky weather event that required swift action, and it was handled in amazing fashion. In these, and so many other smaller instances, I have been awed at how that tight school community pulls together and takes care of things. Re: extra help, teachers are very accessible and there are also faculty and peer tutors available. Kent is a very supportive place, but students are also not baby’d. Kent takes self-reliance very seriously… it’s not just some Latin verbiage tossed into the school motto.
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Kent doesn’t have a ski team. They have a very popular, non-competitive Skiing/Snowboarding winter term elective. That means skiing four days/week all winter term (weather permitting). When weather does not permit, I think they probably make use of the gym facilities.
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Like every HS in America, drugs will show up from time to time. They are simply not tolerated at Kent and I have heard of a few expulsions over my kid’s many years there. I can confidantly say that drug use is not considered “cool” at Kent.
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I recall 10:30pm was lights out/in bed for 3rd and 4th form? Older kids have until 11pm I think. Students have a dorm check in every night and I am pretty sure there are bed checks done too. Remember that every student has a job at Kent, and many in the younger grades have morning jobs, before the class day begins. It’s a full day academically and then with sports and arts and so on. Those inclined to goof around learn quickly that it is better to get sleep at night. 
Thank you, judbeeski, for the very helpful response. Much appreciated!
@dadoftwoNC , Of the schools that you have listed, Kent is most like Taft and Deerfield. Loomis is bigger with a significant day student body, more like Choate. The others are all smaller and Westy has a significant day student body as well so there are even fewer boarding student seats to fill. Typically Kent competes with the acronym schools like Deerfield (and Taft) and my kids at Hotchkiss report that many had Kent on their list. My theory on the high admit rate, at least in part, is that Kent wants to enroll the highest achieving students they can and so they admit many kids who may well end up at those similar acronym schools but some will find their way to Kent. The acronym schools receive more applicants because they are more well known. Some of the smaller schools have so few seats to fill that they have to reject more applicants on a percentage basis even if the number of applicants overall is smaller than those applying to Kent. Anyway, I hardly think that if a school is rejecting 60% of their applicants it means that they lack selectivity.
Very helpful. Makes sense in all regards
Just a thread I made for people who were accepted to kent, looking to come or definitely are going! I know I am going next year so I want to know more about, talk about the school and influence others to come also!
Learned yesterday that Kent received just over 1600 applications this year and accepted 135. If my math is somewhat accurate this equates to around an 11.8% acceptance rate.Way below previous years.
I imagine that they are seeking to enroll 135 so they would have accepted many more since they would need to account for yield but I’m pleased that it remains popular. I hope you had a great revisit. A shame that the weather wasn’t sunny because the campus really shines when it is nice out.
Can anyone attest to Kent’s performing arts programs? DD is going to go look at the school this summer, it made the list based on their “marketing” of their theater department.
@buuzn03 yes it is excellent. Just Google their famous alumni (Seth MacFarlane, Lana Del Ray, Ted Danson, Farrelly brother.)
@buuzn03 The performing arts program recently got refreshed by the dance program leader. An Exeter grad herself she directs a lot of the performing arts as well as theater. It’s definitely well fleshed out. As for the new dress code, while still formal it gives a more business casual vibe. Overall I like it and is more comfortable without breaking the “prep school” look. The teachers are really friendly and you grow closer to them every day. They often teach in their own manner and since they literally live on campus if you really need something you can just go ask them.