Madeira, Chatham Hall, Grier, and Linden Hall?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Cafe
1

Hello. Our daughter has applied to these schools for 9th grade. She has done an overnight visit at both Madeira and Chatham Hall, and she likes Grier and Linden Hall on paper and has had very positive interactions with the AOs. Their location is much more of a challenge for us.

DD is looking for a strong sense of community, nice girls, and strong academics but NOT a competitive environment. Our daughter is not athletic, but enjoys riding (which all schools have), archery (Grier and Linden Hall), and fencing (Grier). She also enjoys drama, fine arts, model UN, and robotics.

Initially, we thought Chatham Hall would be the front runner. When she visited, everyone was very warm and welcoming and she loved the campus, but it felt very small to her. Madiera at first was barely on her radar, but she did a Capitol Hill overnight and fell in love with it. She really likes the Co-Curriculum and the block scheduling, and she happened to click with her overnight hosts.

I don’t see as much on these boards about All Girls schools. Anyone have any insight into these? We are from the deep south, so New England schools are too much of stretch for us, ruling out Emma Willard and other great ones. But we would love to learn more about the ones we are considering.

Thank you!

2

Have you done searches on each school name here? You might find a string of comments and even if some are older, they might be helpful.
Also, did you consider Foxcroft? (your riding comment made me think of it).

3

Yes, I’ve read all of the old threads on the schools. There is some negative commentary on Linden from a few years ago, which I have discussed with the AOs. I’ve ready Sculptor Dad’s posts on Grier. Not a whole lot on Madeira and less on Chatham Hall. Was hoping for some newer insights, but I know these schools are very popular on the boards.