I am a new member and looking for recommendations for a warm, inviting, and caring boarding school in New England (ideally about 2 hours from Boston) with strong emotional and academic support.
I’m trying to find the right match for my high school daughter who is currently not thriving in her large public high school. Her main issue is Anxiety around school and schoolwork. She’s a smart girl but she so badly wants everything to be “right” and to get an “A” on all her assignments, that she freezes and avoids doing homework. If she does start an assignment, she rarely finishes it or passes it in because it might not be “right”. Her grades have dropped because she is unable to submit most assignments, and she has also started to arrive to school late. She does NOT have any dyslexia issues, and no ADD issues.
So far we have toured Brewster, which we loved, and we are scheduled to tour Proctor. Other schools we are considering are Cushing, Suffield, Dublin, and Darrow.
Has anyone visited any of the above mentioned schools or know about their support program? I know the folks on this board are very knowledgeable about these different schools and their programs. I appreciate any help.
BTW, sports are not important to my daughter, so that is not a factor when looking for the right school. Also, we are not looking at schools that are strictly LD schools.
A good friend of DS attends St Andrews in Barrington, RI. I don’t know much about it but they felt it was strong academically and yet very supportive and nurturing. They had also liked Darrow and Cushing.
The Gunnery in Washington, CT, and Pomfret in CT may be worth checking out. We looked at The Gunnery and while it wasn’t quite what DS wanted, the people were wonderful and it too is on the smaller side and my impression is quite nurturing.
Millbrook, about 3 hours from Boston, is very nurturing. They really see and appreciate the kids for who they are. I credit the school with having my ADHD son turn out so well and thrive in college. They didn’t get mad at him (unlike his previous school) when he messed up.
I know of at least 3 kids there who had lost a parent, and were a little more fragile, and the school was great for them.
Finally, they are the only school with an accredited zoo! So if your daughter loves animals it’s an unparalleled opportunity.
Pop over to the Academic Support thread for lots of ideas. It sounds like you’re on the right track.
We were really impressed with the academic support at New Hampton. I loved the school, but my son decided to go in another direction.
We thought Brewster’s advisory systems was great and that it would be nearly impossible to slip through the cracks. They had a strong social-emotional component as well. I did wonder if a kid that wasn’t into sports would find a place there. When we asked about their music program and a few other things my son (who does happen to be an athlete) was interested in, our guides really didn’t know if those things were even offerings (but maybe it was just our tour guides).
Have you considered any of the all girls schools? A friend’s daughter with anxiety and some of the same issues did very well at Westover.
Thank you @vmlizard. I will look into New Hampton, I hadn’t checked that one out yet. I had looked at the Academic Support that…it was very helpful in giving us a starting point. Unfortunately, I don’t think DD would agree to go to all all girls school, but thank you for checking.
My daughter is a senior at Darrow and she has had a wonderful experience there so far. Darrow is extremely supportive of all students including those with learning differences and anxiety etc. We have a weekly phone call with my daughter’s advisor and she had an academic mentor 2x a week as well her first year. One of the girl’s’ dorm parents is a counselor herself and it is possible to access private therapists off campus too. I adore the faculty at Darrow who come with some impressive credentials and their warmth and interest in their students stand out. This is a noticeably happy school and the new head of school is off to a great start. The arts and music programs while small are top notch.
Some of the reasons Darrow works well for anxious kids and kids generally is the very thoughtful work/play balance. Homework is very manageable, classes are project based and hands on, there are no AP or honors and the community is so small that work is frequently differentiated for individual students. Community is such an integral part of the school and woven into every aspect of campus life. This school is also often flexible in ways other schools are not. For example they created a 1 on 1 math class for my daughter.
I’m happy to connect with any parents who want to learn more about Darrow. I am an NMH parent too and also adore that school.
Other schools that fit this thread that we considered are Dublin and Suffield. There are many more that I can name but I don’t have first hand knowledge of them.
Hi there - Hope this helps! As mentioned above, Darrow is a great school and have known a couple of parents via CC who have been very happy with the education and support. Also, I personally know a student at Eagle Hill School in MA (not too far from Boston). The student told me that this was the first time they EVER felt supported by teachers and first time confident in school. First time, also, ever been welcomed into a new sport. Check it out. We also know 2 boys who attend Suffield Academy (near Hartford). Both loved the school - both had some history of reading difficulties (slow), anxiety, ADD/ADHD. The school was very supportive of these kids - one of whom is now a writer and the other a teacher.
It’s been a while since he was there, bit a friend’s son had a good experience at Kents Hill in Maine. He was a skier, so having that outlet mattered, but it sounded like there were a lot of supports. I know his needs were more academic, but I think there are also emotional supports. Sorry I don’t know more!
Lots of great recommendations here! I have a new 9th grader at Proctor, and definitely think that fits the bill of what you’re looking for. Happy to IM about it on the side, if you’d like. We also looked at Brewster and Kimball Union, and would have been happy if he’d ended up at any of those. I’d also second the recommendations above for New Hampton, Millbrook, and Eagle Hill – those weren’t right for my son to apply to for a variety of reasons, but we know kids at all those schools and they’ve been great. Also look at Putney.