Which schools are 100% boarding?
I know St. Andrew’s and St. Paul’s. There must be others? Please share if you know. And thank you!
I think Episcopal High School in VA is 100% boarding, but a lot of those boarders are local and leave on the weekends.
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Hotchkiss is close (I think 96%?)
Yes, Episcopal is 100%.
Note that at some schools, most boarders will leave on weekends and at others, this is not the case. That pattern often has little correlation to % boarding.
(Hotchkiss is 93%.)
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Culver Academy is 100% boarding.
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Any idea how much the campus empties at St Andrews, St Pauls, Episcopal or Hotchkiss?
You should probably ask that question of current students. Your best bet would be to do it at revisit days. Fwiw, you’ll probably get the most accurate picture by asking this question of several people and indirectly. As in " I don’t have family in the area. Do students often go home with friends?" “What are the activities on a typical weekend? Do most students participate in those or do they do their own thing?” “What does the school provide to help students get off campus? Bus to train station? Shuttle to city?” You can find your way from these questions to what you want to know.
It’s worth remembering that most BS students choose schools that are closer to home – I believe the data says 2 hours or less – precisely so that they can go home or their parents can come watch games, etc. Many New Yorkers have weekend homes near Hotchkiss, for example, because it is a reasonable commute from NYC, so it also is appealing to NYC students who are looking for an easier commute home than they’d have from Cate or Culver.
But don’t despair! There will also be plenty of students who are from further away as well as those who wish to stay on campus. Personally, I think you should be looking for schools with weekend activities that appeal to you and a student body you gel with. There are plenty of kids at schools with a lower boarding percentage who love their weekends for any number of reasons, from activities to being able to decompress with their friends in a slightly quieter place. Schools that are 100% boarding will market this as an advantage because it is a differentiator for them, but other schools believe they are equally vibrant. Iow, it’s less about the % boarding and more about how you feel about the people who stay on campus.
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Recently toured St. Andrew’s and St. Paul’s. Loved both. And the students stay at the weekend for social, sport and academic programming.
I asked the question because I think it is a model worth highlighting.
My son also applied to schools that are higher than 90% boarding. They are very rural places. Not bad, just a different setting with its own advantages.
I’m curious why more schools have not embraced 100% boarding. We thought it was awesome.
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Current HK parent here. Campus definitely does not empty out on the weekends, other than kids going to their away games for sports or other school-sanctioned activities- boarding percentage is high and I believe they count faculty children as “day students” so it feels pretty close to 100% boarding in my opinion. They have Saturday classes at HK which is another factor keeping kids on campus on the weekends.
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I think some schools in rural areas continue with a small percentage of day students because it is a service to the local areas they are in to have smart, local kids as students who can’t necessarily afford to baord - but are at the schools a lot, even at night and on the weekends.
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One reason is that it eliminates that school for an elite athlete who needs to be a day student in order to continue at their sport at a level to be recruited by an elite uni. These students keep some very attractive schools on the college matriculation list. Not saying it’s the only thing, but it comes up in discussions.
Adding that I can think of one school that used to require sll students to board for final two years and was experiencing lower enrollment as a result. I suspect that the # of families interesyed in this option is limited.
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Very considered. Good to know and support.
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Yes. Really important to maintain town/gown relations.
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