Sounds like New Hampton could be a great fit. Also check out Millbrook and Suffield.
Has she had a recent neuropsych? If so, you might be able to bypass the SSAT altogether. No sense in going through all the studying and stress if a school feels they will get better information from the neuropsych. I know for sure New Hampton will look at a neuropsych in lieu of the SSAT. I think Millbrook will. Not sure about Suffield.
The nice thing about a neuro-psych was that we were able to send it to schools and discuss what type of academic support they could provide and if they thought it was a good match. I thought that was helpful rather than blindly applying to schools and then trying to figure that out later.
Suffield will also accept Neuropsych in lieu of SSAT and it seems like it might be a wonderful fit for this particular student
Suffield is a good choice for your daughter I think? I agree with Millbrook too, also possibly Dublin? Dublin support is very good. Darrow is building their basketball team and sports program (new basketball coach from Senegal and new Head of School) so your daughter would definitely play varsity but it is teeny tiny (100 students). If sports is a priority I would look at NMH. Even though it is 400 students, it isnāt cliquey at all and my dyscalculia student thrived there. She did not need support but they do offer it and my interactions with the learning consultants during enrollment etc. were wonderful. And they have rolling admissions! One caveat would be your daughter might not advance to varsity there (varsity teams are mostly all recruits) but my daughter had a wonderful time playing JV ice hockey. Classes are small (as they are at most boarding schools) and mostly hands on and discussion based.
I third Millbrook (I donāt know the other schools). My ADHD son blossomed there, and needed a fair amount of support in 9th grade that was tapered through the years, so by senior year he needed none. Heās a sophomore in college now. Millbrook changed his life.
Proctor, Brewster, and Kimball Union all agreed to take a neuropsych for our son in lieu of SSAT scores. As vwlizard notes, submitting a neuropsych is particularly helpful because then you can discuss with the school what learning support they would suggest. We had great conversations with all three of these schools around learning support and an inclusive environment. Our son ended up at Proctor, but I think would have been happy at any of the three ā though he particularly loves the casual atmosphere at Proctor (no real dress code, all adults are called by first names, etc). Happy to answer any more specific questions.
Does anyone know anything about financial aid for academic support at any of the schools on the list? I know some private primary schools give aid for support so I was curious if anyone who attends boarding school also gets help to cover that additional fee. Does anyone have experience with this?
@mamaof3boys I have 1st hand knowledge that NMH does not charge extra for support so it isnāt an issue there but the FA pool is not big and it is harder to get into and offers less support than some of the others listed here. Darrow charges a fee for support but is very generous with FA. I would think that if your need for support is documented in your childās application than that expense would be considered by the schools but itās a good question - Iām not sure I know the answer. If you receive an offer of financial aid that seems too low, you can go back to the school and try to negotiate that this extra cost needs to be covered.
Can anyone help me figure out which schools with academic support would be best for a kid with ADHD and also close to a major airport? The child in question is very smart, but struggles with being places on time, turning things in on time, remembering to check in to the dorm, etc.
Close is a pretty relative term. Most of the NH, MA, CT, NY, NJ schools will have a shuttle. What do you consider close and what else are you looking for in a school? What level and type of academic support? What type of environment, size, activities are you looking for? Would they benefit from just being in a small supportive structured environment? How do you feel about all boys/girls schools?
Hi, weāre a family from outside the US looking to send our fabulous 15yr old daughter to Forman - sheās ADHD and smart but struggling in the mainstream schooling systemā¦what has been your experience of Forman so far? Would you recommend? Thanks so much
My son just got accepted at Cushing. Any chance your son decided to go there?
My son has decided to go to Cushing. Would you be willing to chat offline sometime? Massachusetts mom. (Colleen)
My son goes to Forman and we love it. Feel free to PM me anything specific.
Anyone find a school that does a good job of supporting kids with a non verbal learning disorder? My daughter has adhd and some anxiety along with working memory and executive function issues, all part and parcel of the nvld. She had previously applied for 9th to New Hampton, Kimball Union, Winchendon, Lawrence Academy, Vermont Academy. She was accepted at Vermont Academy but my husband was not on board with sending her to boarding school. He is now on board.
Since she has an updated neuropsych, I think I will be looking at this search a little differently. We are more aware of how the nvld affects her learning. I hadnāt looked at any ld schools before as it seemed like they were geared towards language based issues. Any thoughts on any of the ld schools supporting nlvd?
Sheās also an athlete so she will be looking for a strong athletic program, specifically soccer and basketball. She also plays lacrosse but it ranks third for her.
Any suggestions would be great.
I called the academic support centers of the schools I was interested in to see if they could look at DSās neuropsych to see if they would be a good fit and what support they would provide. Maybe start there.
How about Eagle Hill in Harwich, MA?
I have browsed through this thread (again) trying to get more information for kiddo2ās list. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and (stealth) dyslexia but performs well at school without any intervention. I do worry he will struggle at BS, especially with organization and time management. Any thoughts on the following schools in terms of how they support kids who need extra academic / organizational help (on a light basis)?
St. Georgeās
Westminster
Taft
Brooks
NMH
Berkshire
When kiddo1 toured schools it was interesting to see which schools promoted their academic center, and which didnāt even mention it . We want all of kiddo2ās schools to promote their academic center, so he knows from the start that itās okay to ask for extra help.
What are your sonās other interests? Perhaps and Cushing to your list.
Iād call each school and ask to speak to someone in academic support and ask exactly what their supports for EF entail (is it coaching or mandatory in person study hall? ). Iād also be wary of the āwe do it allā approach as your son does have a dyslexia dx. While itās āstealthā, as the reading load and the amount of print material expected to be reviewed independently increases it may become a bit more of an issue. A program that has staff trained specifically in dyslexia and works with classroom teachers on the use of computer apps so that classroom instruction and out of class expectations are seamless would also be something to look for. Look at this as an opportunity for him to become well-versed in the notetaking, reading, EF apps that will make the workload in college more manageable.
This is my exact concern, especially as weāve recently received letters from camp from him saying heās not sure heās going to finish his summer reading before camp ends (and school begins the following day). 
I am taking notes of everything you have suggested and will reach out to each of the schools. Thank you so much.
He is a super well rounded kid. Likes sports, socializing, does well in school (but would way rather hang out with friends than do school work), but is a little bit on the shy side at first. We are ideally looking for a school between NJ and Mass, 300-600 students, Saturday classes, and the higher the percentage of boarders the better, as he wonāt be able to go home on weekends. He plays lax, soccer and will likely pick up a new sport in the winter season. Cushing seems to fit all of those requirements though I canāt seem to find if they have classes on Saturdays.
We have one school on our list that is a favorite for him, (and we know they promote their academic center), but I really want to make sure he ends up at the school that is going to help him be the best student (and person) he can be.
If Iām correct DD goes to Lville. This may be very ironic, but if youāre willing to give up Saturday classes Hill fits boxes. They have great academic support and provide accommodations and support for kids with ADHD and learning differences. Hill also has a high number of boarders AND everyone has to board for at least a year(during senior usually). I recommend it because itās not too far from Lville. The school also offers soccer, lax, and has a lot of winter sports programs. At Hill everyone really gets to know each other, and your kid would be no different. The homework load is not much during the first two years, no longer than an hour total from what Iāve heard. Iāll obviously know more when Iām on campus, but maybe give it some thought. The only thing is that we donāt have Saturday classes often.