looking for advice on most popular khakis for boarding schools, particularly the gladchemms schools. which are the best?
DS likes American Eagle…
He isn’t at GLADCHEMMS though, so his opinion may not count. 
i would look at nordstrom
Bonobos
Second on Bonobos. Also J. Crew, Ralph Lauren. But you don’t have to shop these brands or the pricepoint. Khakis are khakis and anything goes. If you are worried about having the “proper” labels, buy the bare minimum and get an idea for style once on campus and then order online.
SwimKid wears jcrew and vineyard vines slim fit breakers. We get them at the outlets. But I agree. Kahkis are kahkis. Just make sure they aren’t pleated!
The GLADCHEMMS bit nearly killed me, but…
Gap and Old Navy khakis are TOTALLY fine. They held up beautifully for us and looked great!
If you want to shoot the lock off the wallet you can always buy Bill’s khakis or Murray’s Toggery Nantucket Reds. TJ Maxx/ Marshalls usually offer a nice selection of RL khakis, too. In addition to the classic shades, you can often find colors like pink, orange and kelly green, too.
K1’s go-to pants were wide wale corduroys in a bright mustard color. They were soft, incredibly worn and a little frayed around the edges, but when he wore them he was the envy of all his BS peers ( and faculty ).
Go figure. Wear whatever makes you feel good. 
I would posit that they wear the same khakis as kids going to Taft, Kent, St. Mark’s…
thank you all for your time. I am looking into the Vineyard vines slim fit breakers, as @momof3swimmers mentioned, however I find that spending a little more on an investment in such as this would be warranted. hence, I may even go with what @PhotographerMom mentioned, Bills/Murrays Toggery, and “blow the lock of the wallet”, as she put it. I currently have Bonobos, as @harvard2025 and @wisteria100 mentioned, and wore them to all my revisits, but I was a bit dismayed with the fit, as they weren’t quite as slim as i would have liked.
Abercrombie makes a tall slim fit and they are often on sale.
Then I second the comment that you shop Nordstrom’s Rail department.
Do they fit well? Do they seem well made? Do they wash well? Can you/your parents afford them? That’s really all you need to know when it comes to khakis. There really isn’t any “best”. IMO, it takes a real jerk to call any kid out for not having the “right” khakis. How do you even know what brand somebody’s pants are unless it has a logo visible (like the old school Duck Heads or Henry Cottons)?
After a long run with Gap khakis, I’ve been on a J. Crew run for a bit…
I swear by Old Navy for my son. He doesn’t care about the brand and we couldn’t really afford the more expensive ones. I find that they are the only reasonably priced brand that has a 36 inch length. It’s very hard to find pants for a very tall and skinny boy (almost man!).
Looks like there’s a small business opportunity–“GLADCHEMMS Khakis.” You know it’s quality when you see the GK label.