In New England, the most important aspect is which club hockey team you play for (Wizards, Assabet, Jr Eagles). You’ll want to get her into a club that plays at a Tier 1 level if the goal is to play in college.
Second most important is who your high school team plays against. Almost every tier 1 level U16 or U19 player is at a prep school. Massachusetts hockey used to put out their program of girls who were playing in the Tier 1 state tournament, notably only clubs teams play for state title in Massachusetts (local high schools play at the tier 3 level or lower). This program will often have the names and school they attend. It might be worth your while to look this up and get an idea for what prep schools these girls play for. Also, you’ll get to see trends (ie some prep schools tend to have girls that play for the same clubs… which does allow for more carpooling options).
Based on your preference for anti pressure cooker schools… I would look more at Nobles, Governor’s Academy, Cushing, Lawrence Academy, Brooks.
I wouldn’t just go by the top 20 NEPSAC for the past year, but look at a few years.
Nobles only has 5 day boarding.
You should definitely check out Winchendon. They just expanded their hockey program to a 16U and 19U full season program. https://winchendon.org/the-winchendon-school-moves-to-16u-and-19u-girls-hockey-format-for-2023-2024/
In terms of “fit”, Winchendon has very small classes and excels in experiential education. It is very personalized to each student. Not your “typical” boarding school. Definitely not a pressure cooker. More like “pick your own adventure”. Lots of interesting courses to chose from.
Thank you! She has a Tier 1 team to play on for next season. The girls in that program play for some of the same schools and they carpool. But since she’s yet to have had a chance to meet the girls, It’s hard to know which schools will be a good fit. We will be visiting some school soon but don’t know much about the academics. I guess we will just have to ask a lot of questions and narrow it down before we take our trip.
I am a freshman at St.Marks. Happy to answer any questions.
I would also consider Tabor…
Hi - You may also want to check out Culver Academies in Indiana for ice hockey.
Winchendon! Incredible girls hockey program. Manageable academics (they accommodate for sports schedules). They also have extra academic help as needed with teacher conference time set into the schedule. Here is info from the website. https://winchendon.org/sports/ice-hockey/
Here is the girls hockey Instagram https://www.instagram.com/winchgirlshockey?igsh=dDJqdXQ5Y2ttM200
It’s surprising that no one has mentioned Williston Northampton a perennial Elite 8 contender with an excellent coaching staff.
In addition to the prep schools already mentioned it’s worth investigating Milton, St. George’s, Middlesex, Portsmouth Abbey, Pomfret and Tilton. Obviously, distance from school to your club program will be a limiting factor.
It’s important to distinguish between hockey academies like NAHA, BK Selects and Lovell, and prep schools competing in the NEPSAC.
Boarding schools like Shattuck, Northwood and Winchendon, while offering a stronger academic focus, operate as hockey academies with longer seasons, extensive travel and, in some cases, online coursework.
Prep schools, on the other hand, emphasize a balanced approach to academics and athletics while being an active participant in the school community. They offer competitive hockey programs, but the season is shorter and athletes are often required to participate in other sports in the fall and spring. Many prep school players also compete on club teams adding to their Sunday (their only athletic and academic free day) travel commitments.
It’s worth noting that Ivy League and NESCAC school rosters are littered with academy players. And there are concerns about lower graduation rates among hockey academy players, though this is coming from a NEPSAC coach and unconfirmed.
Perhaps look at Kent? I get the impression that they value hockey, and the academics are very important, but designed not to overwhelm the students.
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