My daughter will be applying to boarding school for the 2026-27 school year. We are looking for a school with strong academics, a solid strings program, a swim team, and a crew team. She has been playing violin for eight years and has experience playing in a youth orchestra. She has been swimming on a year round club team for seven years and tried crew this summer. Any schools (mid-Atlantic or New England) that check all of these boxes? We have some ideas but thought it might be good to get some other opinions!
I am only familiar with the schools my DD looked at/applied to (all mid-atlantic), but of those, Peddie would be worth checking out as it fills all your boxes. I can’t speak specifically about violin, but the orchestra is phenomenal and everyone loves the music director (Mr. Michaels). If you do end up looking there, ask to meet him or set up a zoom. He is very approachable and you can get a sense of opportunities for violinists and how your DD would fit in. My DD has friends who swim and do crew but isn’t involved in those programs herself. I believe they are both considered to be strong (other people may know better). Peddie’s swim program is one of the few that is year round. She finds the academics to be challenging, but also feels well supported and has loved all her teachers. I was impressed by the thoughtful and insightful feedback and communications we’ve gotten from her teachers. I can see that they have really gotten to know her, recognize her strengths and have helped her address any weaknesses.
Blair would be another mid-atlantic school to look at. I don’t think the swim is year round (if that matters) but they do have it and would check all your other boxes too.
Good luck on your search!
2 Likes
I’d look at George School ¶.
Really good programs in all 3. They are such that she can also figure out at what level she wants to engage in each. The academics are excellent.
It’s worth a look to see if it feels right.
Thanks for these insights!
We will check it out!
1 Like
The big schools (Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, Lawrenceville, etc.,) would check off on all of these. Is there anything else we should know to give you better advice?
1 Like
OP, you should check at any school as to how the sports (or activities) you are looking for actually work. What is the skill level required to participate? Are ther PGs who will ultimately be the varsity starters or do many players work their way up through the ranks? If you’re an impact player as a freshman (usually a recruit), where do you go from there? Are there students doing the sport year-round (at a club level at or near school)? What is the schedule like for athletes and musicians-- as in, how does a student do both?
TLDR: Just because a school has all the programs you want doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have access to them or that they’ll meet your needs. I suspect you know this, but just wanted to remind you to follow up on this in your interviews – programs change, etc., so confirm what’s current!
3 Likes
I second this. If your daughter is a strong swimmer, reaching out to the coach is essential. The same applies for anything music-related—having someone advocating for you from the inside can make a real difference. I’d even recommend that, if she has a creative writing portfolio, she consider contacting the head of the writing department at each school.
At ultra-selective schools like these, the application process is truly competitive. My experience at Phillips Academy (I’m a rising junior) has been excellent. A friend on the swim team tells me the competition is strong, though he’s not a fan of the coaching style. Academically, the caliber of students is incredible. No matter how advanced your daughter is now, she will find true peers in every subject.
While I’m not entirely sure how well-rounded our music program is, Phillips recently built the $25+ million Falls Music Center. I know students enrolled in the Juilliard Pre-College program who manage to travel into the city on weekends, so balancing high-level music commitments is definitely possible.
The Pan Athletic Center is stunning—I’ve had the privilege of swimming in it and can confirm it’s world-class. Our crew team is also outstanding: we have our own boathouse and placed third at the New England Championships last year.
I can’t overstate how grateful I am to be surrounded by such exceptional peers. Just 30 minutes from Boston, Phillips Academy has a beautiful campus, and I truly hope your daughter has the privilege of choosing between it and another great school.
1 Like
Many schools will check those boxes, as others have commented. Without knowing more about your kid’s academics, hard to give specific recs. But one thing to keep in mind as you start yoir search is that there are differences in crew to think about. Does the school race 4s or 8s? Do they have to cut lower-tier athletes because there aren’t as many seats as there are interested students? Is the crew house a walk from campus (school is on a lake/river) or a 15-30min drive each way (which can be fun, maybe, but eats valuable time). And of course talk to the coaches - our kid was very turned off by one specific coach, enough that for her that school was basically a nope.
Being already in the swim world you likely know to ask about “club culture” - ie are competitive swimmers encouraged or even expected to do club swim off season/year round. Since your kid is interested in multiple sports, that is definitely relevant as well.
1 Like