<p>As far as more detail about Pomfret is concerned, it turned out to be for us the perfect example of how you have to look beyond the 4-6 schools that get all the focus on this board, of how personal fit is so important and of the value of actually visiting schools in person. Generally speaking I would encourage anyone looking at schools for subsequent years to take a good look at Pomfret. It doesn't get much discussion on this board, but could be a good fit for you.</p>
<p>Located in rural northeastern CT, Pomfret has about 350 students. During a fall or spring visit to the school it is hard not be impressed by the beauty of the location. On paper it may seem a bit more formal than some schools (coat and tie for the boys, more sit down meals than average, etc.), although the feel to us was more relaxed than many schools with less formal rules. School has an Episcopal history and one chapel a week does have a religious focus but the student body represents a diverse religious group and that chapel service will over the course of the year touch on many faiths and denominations. Academically the course offerings and faculty credentials should challenge and meet the needs of students in almost all areas. One exception perhaps is the breadth of languages offered, although the school acknowledges choosing not to focus on that in the past. For us this was not an issue, but for those who are more focused on this it does sound like there may be some changes for the 2008-2009 school year. A unique part of the curriculum is a requirement for an "arts" class, very broadly defined, in at least 2 marking periods each year. We liked that from both a "fun" aspect and from the perspective of giving our daughter a broad experience and keeping her from getting too fixated on one course area (in her case, math). From a facilities perspective the school does not have the over the top awe inspiring things that some schools have (for example, Hotchkiss' new music hall), but nothing seems to be lacking and a lot of the facilities while on a smaller scale are still very new (less than 5 years old). Like all schools, athletics are a big part of the experience also and in some sports, girl's ice hockey for example, Pomfret has been one of the dominant programs in New England over the last 5-10 years.</p>
<p>I know on CC people focus a lot on things like SSAT and acceptance rate. That didn't really factor much into our thought process but probably worth talking about given the focus it receives in these discussions. Admittedly, Pomfret's numbers are not at the levels that some of the board favorites are but I would say that numbers reported on Boarding School Review are not accurate and, like a lot of schools, they had the most competitive admissions year ever this year so numbers are getting a lot closer to those reported by the bigger names. College admissions is another subject that gets a lot of focus on CC and there I believe if you look the absolute numbers may be lower (although that is to be expected at a smaller school) but all of the big name college options are well represented on their list.</p>
<p>Personally for us it was a good combination of many factors - smaller size, rural location, distance from home, strong program in my daughter's sport, etc. All of that could be determined on paper. It was though through the fall interview visit, follow up visits with sports coach over the winter and revisit in the spring where my daughter came away every time bursting with excitement about the school and how right the fit was for her that really sold it for us. That fit is what led her (and us) to choose Pomfret over some of the higher profile schools. Hopefully I have hit most of the key points to give people a sense for the school, but am happy to address any other aspects here on this thread or in PMs.</p>