Hi, I’m looking for some ideas of good day or boarding schools for my son entering 9th grade in 2016. He loves lacrosse, and has “college potential”/is recruitable as a lacrosse player. I know that there are lots of great schools out there, so for us, the outstanding lacrosse is a must (helps shorten the list!)
He is a good student (A’s and B’s) at a highly competitive K-8 independent school, though he is not an academic super star by any means. He works hard to get his grades and is not one of the “brilliant” kids who always earn top grades. He is diligent in his work habits, but inefficient, so he spends hours working on assignments that some kids can complete with relative ease. He has some executive function difficulties which makes it hard for him to plan and organize, but he has done remarkably well, considering. He is a gifted creative writer, and sings and plays an instrument. He has won attention at our current school for his strength of character and just plain old being a good kid.
Anyways, looking for some next school options for him for either day or boarding. We are in the Boston Metro West area, and would consider boarding schools within the northeast region, within 2-3 hours of Boston, preferably closer.
On our list right now, as we started with only day schools within reasonable commute, are Nobles and Belmont Hill (academic stretches, but maybe with the “hook” of lacrosse?) St. Marks, Rivers, maybe Middlesex. We don’t know as much about boarding schools outside of our immediate region. Any suggestions? Comments on the above schools? We don’t have a good feel for “atmosphere” or even relative difficultly for getting in…just getting started on this whole process.
Have a look at Portsmouth Abbey School. They have a very strong lacrosse program. The academics are strong as well, but not soul-crushingly so. It is a warm and welcoming school and, at first glance, seems to fit what you are looking for.
For boarding schools, I’d also add in Avon Old Farms (they’ve won several Founders League titles in the last few years) and Salisbury. As an alternative to Belmont Hill, if that’s a stretch academically, I’d look at Thayer Academy.
@mom2laxer I have a lot of background with prep school lacrosse- While I am not sure which MA day schools are good, I know which boarding schools are definitely on top in terms of national prestige and college recruited athletes. Historically, schools like Deerfield, Avon, Salisbury, and Belmont Hill (I know I’m forgetting others) have fielded highly regarded teams (though Deerfield had an off year). Last year, Andover and Governors, Middlesex/Rivers were also pretty good, but the biggest upcoming lacrosse school has to be Hun (NJ). Hun’s current head coach left as Lawrenceville’s (NJ) assistant head coach a couple of years ago, and turned Hun into a .500 team into a top 5 team in the NATION this year. Here’s a link to national high school lacrosse rankings, but these should be used only generally- the computer generated polls are far from correct if you’re familiar with the schools: http://www.laxpower.com/update15/binboy/natlccr.php
It’s important to remember that most powerhouse lacrosse schools are day schools in southern New England like in NY, CT, PA and MD.
I graduated Lawrenceville this year, and although our lacrosse program is slightly weaker than it was in the mid/late 2000s (we were a top 25 national power), we still sent 1 kid to Middlebury, 1 to Penn State, 1 to Bowdoin, 1 to Yale, and 1 to Dartmouth this year for guys lacrosse. We also have two rising seniors committed to UVA, a sophomore to Penn, among many others. So you don’t need a top 25 national power to get recruited, however…
I’m not sure how familiar you are with lacrosse recruiting, but I highly suggest you start talking to other parents/coaches/do research now. Lacrosse recruiting depends heavily not only on your school team, but also on your SUMMER club team/showcases/contact with coaches- and recruiting starts early. The first member of the class of 2019 (a RISING freshmen) has already committed.
@iAmMe77 thanks that’s a good start. Avon Old Farms and Governors look interesting. Know anything about Pomfret in CT? My son is at Pomfret this week for a lacrosse camp–nice campus! NJ is too far away–I’m thinking 1.5 hours from home near Boston…
We are already involved with a great lax club for tournaments/summer/showcases etc–prep school will be an “enhancement” to the club experience…
St. Mark’s Boys lacrosse has had a losing record for the last 6 years. I’m not sure that meets your “outstanding lacrosse” criterion. You can see recent ISL rankings here: http://www.islsports.org/page/2907 . Would second Avon and Deerfield.
Deerfield is one of the best for Lacrosse. Have you considered getting your son a neuropsych test? If he needs accommodations then Hun is a great choice (leaning center on site plus great Lax)