Looking for small liberal arts colleges in NE with collaborative community feel

But without a gpa (and I suspect, no test scores yet,) all this is speculation. Kids need to look at their own realities first.

@circuitrider mentioned Connecticut College. Even though it is now co-ed, it seems like it might be a good fit.

I think you’re getting great advice.

Check the individual schools to see if they are test optional.

The schools largely being recommended to you are known as NESCAC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Small_College_Athletic_Conference
They are all highly selective. I would think the least selective among this list would be Connecticut College, which I highly recommend, since they are market-driven as well, helping students get real internship experience.

A similar but broader geographical list are the “hidden ivies” with similar vibe to some extent. Some of these schools are super elite (hard to get into) some a little less, but generally are highly selective. This is based on a book, “Hidden Ivies”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Ivies

If you want matches and safeties, then consider schools in the “Colleges that Change Lives” universe. It was based on a book, but is now an unofficial consortium. It’s a great book to get and explains the philosophy behind considering these particular schools. These schools offer merit aid, provide excellent educations, and punch above their weight. They are collaborative, great liberal arts schools, that are selective, but not to the degree that the NESCAC/Hidden Ivies are. Some schools get kicked off the consortium when they get too selective (eg. Franklin and Marshall). Two of these schools are on the Hidden Ivies list (Reed and Denison). Lots of them emphasize student research and internships.

https://ctcl.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_That_Change_Lives

Similar to the Colleges that Change Lives group (though not in the consortium) are some noteworthy schools that are similar:

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Muhlenberg College
St. Lawrence
Wheaton College (the one in Massachusetts)

Best of Luck.

With all due respect Wheaton is over an hour away from Boston in some of the heaviest traffic. Academic credentials at Wheaton are also not on par with NESCAC schools OP was interested in.