<p>Notnim- I'm sorry if I was being to general, I hoped that you could get a better view of the school by the guidebooks and emailing the school.</p>
<p>Let me remind you that all schools:</p>
<p>will say they are well-rounded, which probably is true...but to some extent.</p>
<p>All of the private schools in the New England area have good academics.</p>
<p>What will make you decide from one school from another is what it has to offer in your son's interests.</p>
<p>You will notice that some schools have a better art/sport/academic/etc. program than the other, have you asked the schools to meet with an art teacher or head? It would be good to in order to see how strong it is in comparison the other schools your looking at.</p>
<p>Periwinkle had a very good point. I too, didn't understand the "fit" thing until I started touring the schools with my daughter. Schools that on paper looked just right for her were not her cup of tea at all. But, we went ahead and applied to all the schools we had chosen and let the schools decide for us. In the end she was accepted to three, including her first choice, and her last choice. The decision was very easy for her to make.</p>
<p>Hotchkiss and Groton are rural without a town you can walk to easily. St. Andrews may be like that so you should ask about it. Middlesex is close to the village of Concord, but not right in it. The schools on your list that I know are next to or within a city/town/village are Lawrenceville, Andover, Exeter, Loomis (I'm told it's a short walk to some shops), Milton, Blair, Peddie, & Kent. Blair is next to a small village with things like a pizza parlor, gourmet sandwich shop, bookstore, crafts, diner, etc. I think all your schools will offer weekend outings to malls, movies, etc. I know a few times a year Blair has outings to NYC and Philadelphia. </p>
<p>The smaller schools may not offer Astronomy. If it is a strong interest, most schools will allow you to take it as an independent study course if a faculty member is willing to work with you. </p>
<p>More than 50 ec's suggests larger schools. If you enjoy sports, you probably won't have that much time for many ec's. </p>
<p>Check to see if all your schools offer crew. I think Loomis does not offer crew. You might want to look into that, and cross it off if crew is important to you.</p>
<p>I hope that helped. Are you visiting any schools? Visits would narrow your list.</p>
<p>Deerfield has an amazing astronomy dome thing in their new science center.<br>
Also has dance. It's not walking distance to town, but a 5 minute cab ride and there are malls within a half hour - although it may be too rural (but Hotchkiss is more rural I'd say).<br>
The schools on your list are very different in feel - Loomis Vs. Deerfield for example - both excellent schools, the feel very different.</p>
<p>I'm another "fit" cheerleader. It is amazing how that works. I know at first I asked (here and others) how do you know if it's a good "fit." Everyone said you just do and they were right. Some schools you just know you would not do well at, and some you can't wait to start simply by walking on campus.</p>
<p>Happyday - first a disclaimer. I'm a big Choate booster. I went there and currently have a kid attending. Having said that, I was surprised that Choate was not on your list. It meets literally all your criteria. Choate is known for its arts program and has an I.M. Pei designed arts center. One of the most diverse campuses with lots of international kids. Definitely a couple of advanced Spanish classes. A couple of different econ classes, plus they compete (and usually do very well in) an economics competition that in the past has been judged by members of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Tons of extra curricular activities. Tons of sports, including crew and field hockey. Unlike several of the schools on your list, right in Wallingford, which has restaurants, a movie theater, and a WalMart within walking distance of campus. </p>
<p>Frankly, based on the criteria you have set out, I would think that Choate would not only be on your list, but one of your top potential schools, and certainly well ahead of a school like Deerfield (our arch rival) which is better suited to the student who enjoys the smell of cow manure in the morning. (I'm only half joking on this - when I looked at the school I can still remember being in the middle of our tour when the wind suddenly shifted and I was hit with the overpowering odor of cow manure.)</p>
<p>Well, as you know, Andover and Exeter are both up over 1000 students. Lawrencville is about 800. Choate is a little more than 800. Milton is almost 700. Deerfield and Hotchkiss are around 600. I think St. Pauls is in the mid 500's.</p>
<p>Ultimately, when you talk about size, there are going to be tradeoffs. A small school simply cannot offer the variety of courses, sports, clubs, extracurricular activities, that a larger school can. On the other hand a school with 1000 students can't duplicate the small feel of a school that only has 350 students.</p>
<p>However, I can tell you that, IMHO, Choate does a pretty good job of making the school feel smaller than its numbers would suggest. For example, all freshman boys (except day students, obviously) live in a single dorm - Mem House. I believe the freshman girls live in one of two houses. By the end of the first year, I would say my son knew all the kids in his class and a bunch of upper classmen. Between classes, sports, clubs and other extra curricular activities, the dorms and the dining hall you definitely get to know the other kids and make friends.</p>
<p>Finally, one other factor you might want to consider is the number of boarders versus the number of day students, as I think this can effect the feel of a school and its cohesiveness. Among the schools on your list, there's a pretty big range. St. Pauls is unique in that they have ZERO day students. Milton, on the other hand, has a very large percentage of day students. Most of the other schools fall somewhere in between.</p>
<p>The fact that another boarding school is 100% does not take away the fact that SPS is quite unique. That just simmply means St Andrews is also unique, unique doesn't mean SPS is the ONLY 100% boarding schools. Just thought I'd throw that out there.</p>
<p>Happyday 21, have you considered Northfield Mount Hermon which has about 650 students?
Check out Redirect</a> Page </p>
<p>The new arts center is spectacular and has faculty and classes to match. They have a great ceramics studio. The music and arts programs are strong but so are athletics, including crew and field hockey. </p>
<p>As far as astronomy goes, I know they offer several classes and that last year, students
in one of those classes discovered four asteroids. You should be able to find out more about that in their news archives because I know it was covered by the press.</p>
<p>Diversity? NMH is known for that but it is also known for creating a solid sense of community in which students are encouraged to develop their own interests. </p>
<p>Although not located in a city, NMH is only a half hour from the 5-Colleges (Amherst, Smith, UMass, Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke) and they offer weekend trips to Boston.
All in all, I think you'd find this school worth investigating.</p>
<p>While it may seem that smaller schools can provide a better sense of community, don't automatically rule out the larger schools. For example, my niece is at one of the largest schools, but is in a dorm (it is actually a house) of six girls, and they seem to have formed very close bonds. So, while I initially was worried about some schools being "too large," the reality seems to be somewhat different than my earlier perception. As they say, YMMV (your mileage may vary), so it may not be true for you.....but, something to think about.</p>
<p>I would certainly put Kent and Loomis in there..Taft, Deerfield, Exeter, Andover, St Paul's Choate, Groton, Lawrenceville, Peddie, St Andrews, Milton, MIddlesex, EHS - probably everyone has an opinion and here's another!</p>