We are looking at boarding school in the mid-Atlantic region for our daughter. Can anyone talk about student body, student life, at VES?
My son is a senior day student there. His experience would be slightly different than a boarding experience, though I think they have done a good job of integrating the day students in the school. For example, he has done a lot of the school sponsored fun activities on the weekends. Sometimes it feels like he spends so much time on campus that he may as well live there. Do you have specific questions?
Overall, we have been very pleased. Things we have really liked:
- All students are required to participate in after school activities (this might be sports, robotics, theater, etc). My son would not likely have been able to participate in sports in our large public high school, and it really added to his high school experience
- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that they don’t do a class rank and they cap the number of APs that a student can take. It really helps cut down on competition and makes the atmosphere much more supportive. It also gives them more time to explore their interests outside the classroom. All of that is explained in the letter to colleges, so as near as I can tell it doesn’t hurt acceptances (In my son’s case, it may have helped because he used his free time in ways that seemed to help him get into his dream college)
- The faculty seems very caring and accommodating (with things like illness for instance)
- Good college counseling
- The campus is really lovely and safe
- Incredible new gym and performing arts space
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Here’s what it says about the student body on the website:
VES is an intentionally small college preparatory school serving young men and women in grades 9–12. With a vibrant mix of 250 day (30%) and boarding (70%) students from 25 countries and states, our campus is a meeting place for diverse perspectives and global cultures where students learn from and respect each other. The student body is 55% male, 45% female, 20% international students and 26% students of color.
I notice in a different post you ask about political leanings. I would say that the school atmosphere leans slightly conservative, though there are certainly a wide range of political views on campus and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of tension around politics.
If you haven’t, I would certainly recommend a visit to the campus. Sometimes that’s the best way to get a feel for the place.
other small and great schools in that area are Christchurch, Stuart Hall and Miller School of Albemarle. My middle daughter is at Miller and loves it. It is slightly smaller than VES. Good luck.
@lestouffer I would love to talk to you about Miller School. I have a child who is very interested in attending but I don’t know any parents whose children have attended. If you would be willing to share your thoughts/experiences, I would really appreciate it! Would you mind direct messaging me for my phone number. For some reason, I cannot figure out how to direct message you. Thank you!
Thank you all for your responses. We did visit VES and my daughter was accepted. We loved many things about the school- Lynchburg is a great location! In the end, she has chosen Mercersburg Academy because she liked the class a size and the larger campus.
Congratulations to your daughter, I never even though about political views schools wise, sounds interesting to see how maybe different schools may run just based on this, however in our current society I expect most boarding headmasters to be either conservative or democratic.
Congratulations and good luck to her!