What about Tabor?
Paging @Garandman who Can comment re: Tabor
I do think tabor would fit the idea. It is definitely more sports oriented and letās in kids with vastly lower ssat scores if they are an amazing athlete. I think this keeps the academic vibe more chill out of necessity. CA is more alternative. Tabor is more athletic. But both are a calmer academic environment than the more ultra academic schools. Definitely both worth a visit.
Certainly if a kid has any interest in an ocean science or water sport then wow. What a school!
I donāt know how ādowntownā
like Marion is.
@Garandmanās daughter, who was a top performer at Andover but left for other issues, found the coursework plenty challenging at Tabor and the environment and culture far more supportive.
I agree with @Happytimes2001 and have to politely disagree with @cinnamon1212 about a bright kid not being challenged at some of these lesser known schools. My kid was 98-99th percentile and is thriving at one of the schools mentioned. His school also produced 2 National Merit Scholars last year from a graduating class of 90 students. The average SAT scores there the past few years were higher than several of the acronym schools.
So just because a school doesnāt flaunt its scores or isnāt a pressure cooker/ārankedā institution doesnāt mean they donāt challenge bright kids academically.
I will say most of the schools around Boston will have Saturday classes, though. As they do Saturday athletic competitions, so kids have to stay on campus anyway. Ive learned most of the kids actually enjoy the Saturday schedules. So I donāt know if OP should completely rule those schools out.
I think it really depends on the school (of course!). As I mentioned, my high test scoring son also thrived at a school where the average ssat was in the 50th percentile. But he had a big challenge to overcome. However, as a senior that school did not have any nmf kids, and in fact my son got the highest standardized test score in the school.
I believe thereās a good chance that a kid w/o academic issues and very high scores would not be a good fit for that school.
The quality if teaching is not quite as good at a school like this, for example.
Iām not advocating pressure cookers for all! Just that fit be *really * closely looked at.
And when we talk about non acronym schools, maybe mention the average ssat, so we can know we are talking apples and apples. Itās probably a different experience where the average ssat is in the 65th percentile vs one thatās in the 40th.
@cinnamon1212 I donāt pretend to know how every kid is going to be challenged at every school mentioned. Honestly, I donāt know how someone can determine that high stats kids canāt be challenged at all of these schools. The resources at all of these schools are vast.
My kid is high stats and has no other āissuesā but the school really reaches all students. Unlike the high pressure public school we were in, where many parents coached their kids to succeed and got them a tutor if notāour BS is excellent academically. Many of these kids are really bright and (not just academically).
And now kicking the tires with #2, I have found that they are all pretty darn good. I have a kid who is years ahead in math and skipped a year (so is even more ahead) so we are pushing the envelope a lot and the schools have amazing things to offer ( and not just in math). The schools have all told us stories about similar kids who have done well at their school. Many of the schools are on the lists above. I wouldnāt send my kids to a particular school based on the name or the perception that it is āharderā Also many of these schools barely blink when we mention kids doing high level work at an early age. This means they get kids like this every year. My oldest kid is not alone. There are others with top scores and my kid still has to work hard.
We have seen that many students (especially those from Asia) are about two years ahead as Freshmen in Math and Science. We have seen that kids from some programs write exceedingly well and we have seen many examples of bright kids. This is great for our kids. No boredom at all.
So parents if you are considering a particular school, speak to parents of kids who actually go there. If your kid is a 99%er, ask the school what those kids do ( or better yet find someone who goes there with similar stats/interests/concerns). Donāt write off a school you have a good feeling about or forget to visit it because someone has an opinion about it.
Many people on this board apply only to a handful of school because they believe those are the best schools. Sadly, they might miss out on the perfect fit for them.
@Happytimes2001 I agree with your post ā the bottom line is find the best fit, donāt be blinded by prestige/fame.
That said, we are not talking about the same kinds of schools. I am talking about schools where there are no other kids scoring anywhere in the 90ās.
My experience is informed by having 3 kids go to boarding schools; two to a school where the average ssat is something like in the 85th percentile and one where the average is in the 50th percentile. Both schools are excellent and offer a great education and are great fits for the right kids. But they are not similar and do not offer a similar experience, thatās all Iām saying. And I love both schools.
gotcha 
Yes, we have not explored schools in the 50 range.
@Garandmanās daughter, who was a top performer at Andover but left for other issues, found the coursework plenty challenging at Tabor and the environment and culture more supportive.
Mercersburg checks all those boxes except the 2 hours to Boston box. It is less than 2 hours to DC and 90 mins to IAD.
Coming back in to suggest, again, a look at The Masters School. Both very āwhole childā and very rigorous. High intellectual standards; deep, experiential learning with Harkness in all subjects. It checks everything on OPās list except the geographical piece, and substitutes NYC proximity both for air travel and for studentsā ease of getting into and out of the city for culture/fun.
Students from 14 states and 30 countries (lots of kids w parents at the UN, too).
100% 4-year college placement. Name the school you think is most prestigious and there are Masters kids there, still, overall the college office emphasizes fit and purpose in a healthy way.
Scores for 2019:
students taking SAT: 79 Mean: 1346 Mid 50%: 1240-1480
ACT: 54 Mean: 29 Mid 50%: 26-33
Class of 2020: 4 NMSF
Upper School faculty:
43 masterās degrees
8 Ph.D. degrees
2 J.D. degrees
2 M.D. degrees
Wait, thereās more. 
A gorgeous 96-acre campus.
The New York Timesā Sixth-Annual Student Editorial Contest winner is a current senior. The school has been a TEDX host (with all student presentations) several years running. There are YoungArts and Scholastic winners; multiple top award winners at the Princeton Model UN Conference; International Math Modeling Challenge winners (one of their teams was one of only two sent to represent the US, and came home with an award); multiple top awards in national robotics tournaments; a state-level competitive cybersecurity team; a newspaper with multiple awards from Columbia Scholastic Press Association . . . . not to mention thriving performing and visual arts programs that make the most of the schoolās proximity to NYC. Thereās an a cappella group that competes nationally and internationally; students whoāve appeared on Broadway; oh fine Iāll stop. The athletic program is strong, too.
Donāt forget St Marks! It may check your boxesā¦and is an excellent small school with amazing academics!
You should check out The Hill School ( Pottstown, PA)!
I want to say thank you for all the replies. They have really been helpful.
Iāve spent time looking at the different websites and trying to read the course catalogs and figuring out Saturday classes. Some info I can find, some I canāt.
I did not realize how formal a lot of these schools are still in terms of dress code. That came as a shock!
For Tabor, St Markās, Governorās, Kent, Middlesex can you help describe:
-How many Saturday classes are there? Weekly? Monthly? Halfday?
-Dresscode. Super strict or business casual/neat ok? Stylish sweatpants ok? Sneakers ok?
-How many minutes WALK to the nearest small town (just to get out of campus and grab a sandwich or whatever)
-Is there really no track and field at St Markās?
Thanks again.
Middlesex:
Saturday classes are pretty much every Saturday
Dresscode is business casual but in reality kids wear sweat pants and leggings and its fine.
Concord is not walkable (2.8 mi), maybe bikeable, but kids are not allowed to leave campus without permission
Most schools have frequent busses or shuttles off campus on the weekends for eating or shopping or coffee
SMS has electives as Saturday classes and are pass/fail for a few hours (not quite half day). There are numerous offerings to fit oneās interests. They are mostly weekly but due to SAT exams, breaks etc they probably have 5 per trimester.
Southborough has several places to grab pizza or a burger within walking distance. You do have to sign out to leave campus (but thatās pretty standard at most BSs). They have weekly shuttles to the mall, Apex entertainment, movies, Target ā¦
Dress code is business casual during class hours Mon-Friday, Saturday classes are casual.
Thereās no spring track and field at St Marks. The fall XC program is very strong and competes in the highest division at New Englandās championship race.
Kent has classes every Saturday. The dress code is more bus. casual (think collared shirt w/ sweater & khakis), and the very sweet and safe town of Kent is literally across the street. Kids walk every day - to the coffee & chocolate shop, pizza, brunch on the weekends, etcā¦ Kent does have track & field.
Oh wow so I havenāt been active on this board for awhile now, but speaking as a current Middlesex senior who is smack in the middle of exam season and college decisionsāMiddlesex has been unbelievable supportive and encouraging.
As @Happytimes2001 said, take all opinions (including mine) said on there boards with a whole spoonful of salt. Individual experiences differ. Iāve had conversations with fellow students talking about the pressures our friends face at other BS or very competitive public schools and how we are grateful that the cut-throat mentality doesnāt permeate the community in anyway. I would strongly disagree with the āpressure cookerā description of Middlesex based on my expedience and those of my friends. Teachers assign 40 minutes of hw in theory, and when they go overboard you convey that the next day and it doesnāt happen again. Trouble comes when a hw is assigned to be completed over the course of a couple days and you unwisely coughas Iāve done sometimescough watch Netflix the first couple days and leave it till the last day. If you are feeling overwhelmed by tests, you can move them very very easily. Teachers are there to see you succeed and not panic because somehow you have more than two exams on the same day. Without a doubt Middlesex is academically rigorous, but not for the purpose of crushing students. High school is a stressful time, think Middlesex has supported me in more ways then contributing to it. PM me if you have any specific questions, Iād be happy to answer.
@one1ofeach aswered this but.
How many Saturday classes are there? Weekly? Monthly? Halfday?
Every Saturday. We have half days on Wednesday and Saturdays becuase they are game days. (So even tho its not much of a consolation, it adds up to 5 days worth of classes)
-Dresscode. Super strict or business casual/neat ok? Stylish sweatpants ok? Sneakers ok?
Meh. This is only during the academic day: Basically no blue jeans, no humongous logos, and no athletic wear. I will admit Iām a huge fan of leggings and am out of dress code more a couple times. Usually a few teachers have a rep for dress coding but most are chill.
-How many minutes WALK to the nearest small town (just to get out of campus and grab a sandwich or whatever)
How fast of a walker are you? Hehehe. Probably an hour-ish? Iāve never done it because there has never been a need (Iāve heard of kids jogging there for fun though). There is a shuttle every half an hour at 3:30 (so after classes) and it takes 6ish minutes. Itās very easy and for the shuttle you donāt need permission. You need permission if say, you wished to go grab lunch with a day student who is driving you in their car. For school transportation you donāt need it.
Yea so again if you have any MX related questions feel free to PM me.
Edit:
Oh and on the weekends there are a bunch (seriously) of trips offered by the school and everyone can go on those without restriction.
And as long as your parents okayed it in a form at the start of school, you can take ubers, the T (subway) to go around Boston or the area on weekends (chipotle runs are very popular). You just need to sign out and perhaps depending on the situation give a heads up to a faculty that you are leaving campus.
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