Which schools have Saturday classes - Pros/Cons

(I did an advanced search but couldn’t find any recent threads on this).

We are wondering which schools still have Saturday classes.

i) Are they hated/liked by students? Did any families not choose a school because of the existence of Saturday classes?

ii) Do Saturday classes impede some varsity sports when it is an away competition?

iii) I believe some schools have them every week, and others every other week. Are they one class, or several? Start time? Any details would be appreciated.

I believe Groton is every week.

Middlesex - yes, but how often?

Hotchkiss - every week?

SPS?

Andover?

Exeter?

None (Choate, Deerfield, MIlton).

Thank you.

I can’t answer for any school other than Groton where my son attends.

As far as liking it, I’m not sure. I think that after four years of it it kind of becomes second nature. That being said it isn’t a full day of classes and they also have a short day of classes on Wednesdays so it kind of evens out. As far as athletics, they have games on Wednesdays and Saturdays which are their short days. Most games even if away are held in the afternoon and there’s plenty of time for them to arrive. I wouldn’t think it should be a make or break issue for anyone looking at schools.

Try this. It should link to a Boarding School Review list of schools with Saturday classes. If the link doesn’t work just do an advanced search.

https://www.boardingschoolreview.com/search-boarding-schools/0000/00000000000/00/2100/020

One of my kids went to a school with Saturday classes. Having the short day on Wednesday helps to take a little of the mid-week pressure off. It doesn’t seem to interfere with Saturday games.

Boarding students are on campus for the weekend anyway, but if I had a day student I might not want them at a school with Saturday classes. Getting up early to get my kid to school during the week is brutal enough without adding Saturday to the mix.

@sue22 @Momto4kids Thank you for the info. Is it only schools with Saturday classes that have short Wednesdays, or do most/all of these schools have short Wednesdays regardless of Saturday classes?

Kent is every Saturday. Hotchkiss roughly every other weekend. Since games are on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, classes on those days are 1/2 days even if a school does not have any Saturday classes. So, yes, most/all have short Wednesday classes regardless. Best to check any school of interest’s website for specifics.

Most, if not all, have short Wednesdays, in part to accommodate interscholastic games. To add to your list, Andover does not have Saturday classes.

St. Paul’s School has Saturday classes every week.

Exeter occasionally has Saturday classes, but not regularly.

Lawrenceville has Saturday classes as well, in addition to Wednesday half day classes.

Peddie has Saturday casses and the shorter Wednesday.
@Sue22 For day students, I think it is socially helpful to be on campus with the boarders on Saturdays for classes, athletics and then to stay for Sat night activities. I think the Saturday classes help day studens and boarding students integrate faster.

Andover has no Saturday classes

SMS has Saturday class but they are electives of the students choice and are only for pass/fail (effort) grade that does not go on the transcript.

@buuzn03 That’s a good idea by SMS.

@MtnTrailX Some of DSs favorite classes were his Saturday classes!

Salisbury has Saturday classes every Saturday (whatever classes they don’t have on Wednesday). DS doesn’t mind it, and typically the classes start later than on other days. It’s good for him – I think he likes being in his normal routine on game days.

It probably is similar to the french education system, Wed and Sat both half days rather than full day Wednesday and n classes on Saturday.

Exeter has about 6 per year. Some teachers choose not to use it. Its also only a half day.

Saturday classes contribute to kids staying on campus rather than going home for weekends.

Nobody complained about it at D’s school (short Wed & Sat every week, Sat was part of normal class rotation)

I think it helps to have that extra structure when you have a whole bunch of teenagers on location.

If you are a day student/parent it can be really inconvenient to have Saturday classes. My kiddo also did not like the idea of not having a weekend. Having Saturday and Sunday off is a mental break. Though it wasn’t a deal breaker, it was a factor in the final consideration. Kids who do a lot of activities ( esp. sports) will find it difficult to balance having Saturday classes with high levels of achievement in all areas. Plus sleeping in 1 or 2 days is needed and good for teens. My kiddo looks forward to the weekend. That doesn’t mean we aren’t at school. It just means there are any things you HAVE to go to, only things you WANT to go to. Additionally, most of the schools with Sat classes are pretty strong academically so you never get a break.

Most of the New England prep schools (can’t speak for other areas of the country) have varsity games on Saturday so in any case by it’s tough to plan weekends away. IIRC the schools with Saturday classes all have a late start day and/or a short day in the middle of the week.