Any very liberal boarding prep schools in NE?

BigValley · 05-18-2012, 06:23 PM

Which are the most liberal, least authoritarian, least football-oriented, and most nerd-respecting boarding prep schools in the Northeastern US? Exeter and Milton look like they might fit the bill because of the Harkness tables, but we don't know much else about them. A boarding High School like Hampshire College, where students set their own agendas, would be ideal.

NEKreader · 05-18-2012, 10:42 PM

Putney, Cambridge School of Weston, NMH, Concord.

Momof7thgrader · 05-20-2012, 02:30 PM

The Putney School.

alooknac · 05-20-2012, 11:38 PM

Look at Buxton and Proctor Academy. I don't have personal experience with either, but in our search for schools we reviewed materials from them that left me with a definite impression of outside the box thinking.

We toured Concord and it felt very accepting and our parent guide (they do separate parent and student tours) said "it's a very liberal school."

flyoverdad2three · 05-30-2012, 08:41 PM

Two of my cousins, very nerdy cool, way left of center out of the box people, went to NMH. They loved it.

prepsch00l · 05-31-2012, 05:01 PM

exeter and milton would most definitely not fit the bill. try putney, nmh, concord

Kittenygoodness · 06-06-2012, 11:19 PM

Putney for sure, NMH, Concord Academy.

Although I don't know that you will see ultra liberal and "nerd respecting" combining as often you might with an ultra conservative and "nerd respecting"

BigValley · 06-08-2012, 07:18 PM

Nice to see so much general agreement. Some of the schools mentioned in more than one post have pretty low average SAT scores by prep school standards, and none have top SAT scores. That's a bit frightening. Maybe I should not have limited my query to schools in the NE. Cate, Thacher, and Indian Springs seem liberal and have better SAT averages than the NE. Anyone know if those schools manage to be more liberal and less authoritarian than Exeter and Milton?

Thanks again.

NEKreader · 06-09-2012, 01:33 AM

Concord Academy has extremely high SAT scores, higher (although probably not in a statistically significant way) than Milton on Boarding School review and than SPS from their website - 2072 is what Concord shows for the class of 2011. They don't have AP courses, but the academics seem fairly traditional, although the electives look amazing. Putney and CSW are very progressive - Putney students don't see grades for their work until their junior year although they are kept. One senior I met was writing, directing, and starring in his own one man musical for his senior project. CSW has a unique module schedule and a fascinating course catalog. I can't imagine that either one is geared to achieving test results. They are certainly not football crazy. NMH is sort of a mix - unique schedule of three courses per semester and a wider range of academic talents than you would probably find at Milton but fairly traditional curriculum offering with amazing international programs and a pretty unique vibe all around. Probably the most sports oriented of the 4. NMH has a very loose dress code and a very active diversity conversation, but also study hall and lights out. While college matriculation at these schools may not look like that of Milton or Exeter, kids from all these schools can and do go to Ivies, MIT, Stanford, Williams, Carleton, Haverford, Hampshire, insert your favorite top school here, if that's what they want. As an aside, sports seem to be a pretty big deal at both Exeter and Milton, along with academics and the arts.

I suppose it depends what you mean by liberal - progressive education, a true dedication to diversity along multiple measures, liberal political views that dominate campus discussion, no dress code, limited rules regarding study hall/lights out - or what dimensions of "liberal" are most important to you. I don't know that any school will score a 10 on all your points, so you may just have to really dig and look and ask a ton of questions to figure out the best fit. Exeter and Milton are both excellent schools, and you may find after looking around that they are perfect for your family. I know plenty of people from very conservative and very liberal families who are happy at both. You have a fascinating search ahead of you.

Periwinkle · 06-12-2012, 09:14 AM

BigValley, I think you need to visit schools while they're in session to determine if they're a fit for your family. The qualities you seem to assume occur in the same place may not. It would help if you'd define your terms.

"Liberal" Even "conservative" schools in New England are likely to be more liberal than schools elsewhere. Are you looking for a uniformly Democratic student body and faculty? Or a school with a gay-straight alliance?

"Least authoritarian" Well, that's difficult to define. Do you mean, "few rules governing student behavior?" That doesn't mean students don't get into trouble. Concord Academy lives by the "common trust" (someone correct me if I remembered the wrong words.) If you break that common trust, you will be expelled. So, more freedom, but also strict consequences. It's great for students who are sensible, and who respect the community. It does not mean that the administration condones bad behavior. Take a look at the schools' yearbooks to see how many students persevere through four years.

"Least football oriented and most nerd-respecting" The two qualities aren't inevitably linked. In general, it's cool to be smart in the boarding prep schools we've visited. The "nerd" factor tends to be low. Football can be a great game for the students to cheer, but I don't think it dominates the social hierarchy at prep schools the way it can in public high schools.

I wouldn't place Exeter in the "authoritarian" category. The dorms seemed to be fairly unstructured, by boarding school standards. Lots of very smart kids from all over the world, and large enough to allow different cliques.

You should visit schools you don't think will fit. St. Paul's is famous for "freedom with responsibility." Given your criteria, I'd suggest St. Paul's, Exeter, Putney, NMH, Concord. I don't know much about Putney, but Concord does boast students can create their own schedules.

BigValley · 06-12-2012, 01:37 PM

Thank you, all. Your responses suggest that you understood my ambiguous terms the way I meant them. This is fortunate, since it is not possible to visit more than one or two schools when they are in session without missing school days. Yes, a Gay Straight Alliance is a good sign, but not essential. Fencing, chess, and ancient history clubs are a good sign too. Absence of religious icons and football teams would also be nice.

SevenDad · 06-12-2012, 06:22 PM

FWIW, having a fairly active young fencer in the family, the only BS fencing programs that I consider worth looking into are the following:

- Masters School (large day population)
- Culver Academies (would probably NOT be a good fit based on other criteria)
- Dana Hall (all girls, large day population)
- Hockaday (all girls, large day population)
- Lawrenceville School (though I'd still rank the Culver program higher)

If anyone can add to this list, please do...will help with our second search down the road.

@BigValley: While they are ostensibly "religious" schools, I consider the Quaker schools like Westtown and George to be very liberal in all the ways you seem to value (except that they were founded by a religious organization).

I would cross SPS off your list. As much as I am a fan of that school, it is one of the traditional Episcopal academies of NE...with not one but two chapels!

Also, it should be noted that you are chasing a very rare bird. If BS is a must, you should probably have a few areas in which you can compromise to get other desired qualities.

Finally, note tat there was a thread on here that painted Cate as a VERY sporty school. Thacher is an amazing place, but keep in mind that they do require ALL freshman to care for a horse and learn to ride western style.

Periwinkle · 06-12-2012, 09:05 PM

Absence of religious icons and football teams would also be nice.

Why? Some of the most liberal schools are episcopal schools. Services are generally non-denominational, and great care is taken to welcome other faiths.

Do you object to football in particular, or to sports? Even schools which are regarded as (comparatively) "not sporty" field teams. In general, many prep school students are sporty.
Most schools require students to play on teams every season, with only a few exceptions.

This is fortunate, since it is not possible to visit more than one or two schools when they are in session without missing school days.

If the school's culture is important to you, you must arrange to visit it while students are on campus.

I would recommend you visit schools' websites. Read reports of campus visitors. Check out student opinion pieces in the school newspaper.

Albion · 06-13-2012, 04:56 PM

It is a tiny school, but I want to throw some love toward Buxton school, which is very progressive, and an interesting place for the right kid. Situated in what I think is one of the most beautiful towns in MA, it is almost as far from a football school as you could get.

BigValley · 06-15-2012, 04:01 PM

Thanks again to all responders. I have looked at the websites and boarding school reviews of all the schools recommended in responses to my post, and I am frustrated by the difficulty or impossibility of seeing the average SAT scores of some of the schools. Buxton says nothing about SAT scores on its website, and the name is not showing up anywhere on Boarding School review's ranking by SAT scores, and the review for Buxton says simply "N/A" as to its students SAT scores. SAT scores are important in this family. Does Boarding School Review's failure to rank a particular school based on SAT scores mean that school does not produce many high-scoring seniors?