Of course proximity is a huge deal. Even between MA and NE, if you live in NJ you are likely to seriously consider Lawrenceville first, while if you live in CT you will look at Choate, Taft, Hotchkiss etc. And why wouldn’t you? Unless you are looking for something very specific, odds are the closer school makes more sense for your family. I really disagree NE people should look outside of NE. Why? Many/most don’t even do that when applying to college, let alone high school. There are a ton of great schools within reasonable driving distance, why would you ship off your 14yo on a plane? And unless there is drama at home kids want to escape I don’t see why would they be happier further away. They are still kids after all, and seeing family/siblings on regular basis does count for a lot. Besides most of these kids are involved in extracurriculars that do not happen through the BS, so family is needed to facilitate that, otherwise you need to throw a ton of money on it.