@stalecookies - No I hadn’t considered Dana Hall. Boarding population is 40% which felt low. Did you have a DD who attended?
I can’t speak for their STEM/Robotics programs, but Ethel Walker has a really good riding program. Might be worth a look there, too. 
No - my DD is entering 9th grade and wouldn’t even consider single sex schools.
But I looked into the school’s profile after a conversation with an elderly alumna at church. (For point of reference, she’s a Dana Hall/Wellesley alum, and her late husband an Exeter/MIT alum - how cliche for the 40s/50s.)
But they have an equestrian team and volleyball.
Wellesley is conveniently close Boston, which might be a plus.
Please look at St Mark’s! They have an extraordinary robotics program and work with Amazon. They have great visual arts programs -even kids that “had” to take art as a requirement end up loving it and showing their work at many public galleries.
It is a small school focused on community but very strong in academics. There is practically a dog for every faculty member. It is a very cooperative atmosphere versus cutthroat. They have a wonderful orchestra, but also have jazz band, if she’d like something a bit more laid back. They’ve had guest instructors from J Geils Band, the Eagles, etc come to the school.
DS has been extremely happy and successful there. He tells his sister there is no reason to apply anywhere else. ?. Knowing what I know of you and how you describe DD3, she would absolutely flourish at SMS.
@buuzn03 You know how much I wanted to include SMS last year too!! But sadly, no volleyball!!! ARGH!!
ugh- I completely missed the volleyball piece. ?
Last night we were told that Mercersburg will have robotics as a PGA (after school activity) now in addition to the class/team they have that does really well in international competition. They also have a volleyball team, but I’m not sure if they will play this fall.
@busymommyof4 Oh this is amazing news!! Thanks for sharing. I’m so excited to hear that about robotics! And I’ll go out on a limb and say I doubt any volleyball teams are playing this fall. Andover (where DD2 - VB player - is headed in the fall) has officially cancelled (as has founder’s league). But, I am hopeful that volleyball will be back in fall 2021, which is when my DD3 - also VB player - would be starting BS.
Kent has a pre engineering program and a good robotics team.
@Temperantia thanks for the reminder! That’s right! I had forgotten that since my DD2 didn’t look at that at all. (Bonus: horseback riding there too.)
Kent’s equestrian set up is very nice. Not on campus.
Just to add to what @gardenstategal posted: Kent is located along the Appalachian trail and I think they still have a fly fishing club also. Very pretty! You can walk to town from campus, also. They have an excellent theatre program. Seth McFarlane, Ted Dawson, Alicia Coppola, Meryl Streep’s daughter & a recent recording artist too…when you tour the school ask about their theatre & performing arts programs.
@Golfgr8 “when you tour…” hahahahaha! Although I do like your optimism. Fly fishing? sounds so cool!
@gardenstategal the downside is that she would be a novice, and Kent’s riding program is pretty serious (and 15k a year), so I hesitate to give this too much power in the decision since she isn’t really a rider (yet), and may never be if it costs that much. (Unless it really became her dream full-time activity – I certainly spend more than that on my ballerina, but that’s her life dream, not a casual hobby.)
I am a horseperson, and I’m happy to share what I know. Yes, Kent’s program is more serious than most, last I knew it was run by a former Olympic team rider (Michael Page).
Well, @Calliemomofgirls , George School will be the better option for riding. 
Michael Page at Kent is indeed a lovely person… He must be in his 80s now, so I would tend to think he may “run the program” more on paper and by lending his name to it than on a day to day basis. But I am admittedly a bit out of the loop, @cinnamon1212, so you may have more current info.
@Calliemomofgirls , I don’t believe it was mentioned upthread—Madeira, an all-girls school in McLean, VA has an equestrian program.
If you place The Gunnery on your list, it is now going to be known as The Frederick Gunn School.
Just to add (if not already mentioned), when looking at schools - especially a few on here that are all-girls - do consider how many students are full-week boarders. I recommend this because if your student will be attending a school far from home and has no close relatives/friends nearby, it can be very lonely and isolating on the weekends. This is one reason why we decided not to attend one particular school because we learned (first hand from a weekend visit) that too many students went home for weekends and relatively few would be living in the dorms. Try to ask current students/parents and do not rely just on what the statistics show online or on FAQ materials.
Also, there are some schools that are more heavily focused on riding (Stoneleigh-Burnham @30% participate and more boarders than that participate) than other schools. A friend’s daughter attended Ethel Walker primarily for riding and being able to arrange her schedule for winter competitions.
@Calliemomofgirls @gardenstategal Just a few points about the Kent riding program for anyone else who might be looking at equestrian offerings. DD is a current riding team member and loves it. The team is 30 strong and has a wide range of ability and dedication represented. There are indeed a handful of very competitive riders and they are trained by Michael Page. Michael is a 3 time Olympian and quite possibly the nicest human on earth. While he is indeed in his early 80s, he still rides every day, trains every day, and is 100% in charge of every aspect of the program. That said, there are wonderful assistant trainers who work with the balance, and a separate IEA trainer as well. Every single person at the barn is top notch, and as such, the riding program is both well known and well respected. The barn itself it on the Kent property, but up the hill a bit, so the riders are shuttled in shifts to stagger the start times, etc…
I recomend SAS based on her personality! It values kindness
Kent has a wonderful riding program- I think it’s one of the best.
Stoneleigh-Burnham is a nice school. Mina Payne is a fantastic rider/ trainer and she runs a very good riding program there .
Fun fact : Many, many years ago- SBS was DA’s sister school - obviously when DA was all boys…
I also highly recommend Foxcroft ( VA ). Wonderful all-around all girl school and they have an excellent riding program. Academics are solid and the campus is absolutely stunning.
In fact- if I’m blessed with granddaughters someday, I would completely takeover their lives, shove their mothers ( and my sons ) out of the way, and send them all to Foxcroft.
I might even offer to pay their tuition - and I’m not exactly known as someone who parts with money easily - so definitely take a look!!
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