Reed is a safety for no one. E.g., only 20% of admission criteria are stats. Otherwise he might like Reed. Except for open curriculum, Reed meets his requirements.
Denison?
I applied to Vassar (got waitlisted) and my safeties were Clark and SUNY New Paltz, will be attending SUNY New Paltz. A lot of the things that I initially loved about Vassar are present at New Paltz.
Vassar was at the top of D’s list (2014) with Skidmore as a safety, we found them very similar although Saratoga Springs is much nicer than Poughkeepsie. Albany is about a 30 minute drive, not a huge city, but certainly a city. There is a nice arena there for concerts, for that matter Saratoga has SPAC with some good entertainment there as well. But, like others said, Vassar might be easier for a male to get an acceptance. Still, you might want to add it to your list as a match school.
Earlham in Richmond Indiana. Hour away from Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis
Schools like Vassar:
A little safer (if you visit and show interest): Skidmore
A bit more safe: Connecticut College, Brandeis
Safe: Clark, Sarah Lawrence, Wheaton (MA), Muhlenberg
Check out some public LACs such as New College of Florida or St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Compared to some of the suggestions above, they may be more “safe” not only for admission but also (depending on your situation) for cost.
Most of the “Colleges that Change Lives” are less selective than Vassar.
https://ctcl.org/category/college-profiles/