Strategic School Choices

The historic metropolitan Boston area offers a wide range of academic and cultural activities. Just as impressive is the area's selection of private schools which cater to almost every need.

A fine transportation network and the fact that the Big Dig is finally finished make Boston a wonderful place in which to live and go to school. After graduation, there are thirty-seven colleges and universities to choose from. Head north a few hours and you will find excellent skiing in the winter and a host of recreational activities in the summer. Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard to the east and south are treasures in their own right. Boston's accommodations and restaurants are decidely world-class. Perhaps one of these fine schools should be on your short list.

• The Advent School, Boston
• Archbishop Williams High School, Braintree
• Arlington Catholic High School, Arlington
• The Atrium School, Watertown
• Beaver Country Day School, Chestnut Hill
• Belmont Day School, Belmont
• Beverly School for the Deaf, Beverly
• Bishop Fenwick High School, Peabody
• Boston College High School, Boston
• Boston University Academy, Boston
• Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill
• Brooks School, North Andover
• Buckingham Browne and Nichols School, Cambridge
• Cambridge Friends School, Cambridge
• The Cambridge School of Weston, Weston
• Catholic Memorial High, West Roxbury
• Chapel Hill-Chauncy School, Waltham
• Charles River School, Dover
• The Chestnut Hill School, Chestnut Hill
• Concord Academy, Concord
• Cushing

Many famous people have attended private schools. Here is a sampling of schools and the famous folk who graced their hallowed halls.

• Ashley Hall, Charleston, SC: Alexandra Ripley, Barbara Bush, Madeleine L'Engle
• Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN: Arthur Golden
• The Brooks School, North Andover, MA: Steve Forbes
• Canisius High School, Buffalo, NY: Tim Russert
• Cardinal Hayes High School, New York, NY: George Carlin
• Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT: Glenn Close, Ivanka Trump, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jodie Foster, John Dos Passos, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Michael Douglas
• Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MA: Bette Davis
• The Dwight School, New York, NY: Paris Hilton
• Emma Willard School, Troy, NY: Jane Fonda
• Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VA: John McCain
• Eton College, Berkshire, England: Prince Harry, Prince William
• The Fieldston School, New York, NY: Andrew Litton
• Gulliver Preparatory, Miami, FL: Enrique Iglesias, George Prescott Bush

• Harding Academy, Nashville, TN: Reese Witherspoon
• Harvard-Westlake School, Los Angeles, CA: Tori Spelling
• The Hill School, Pottstown, PA: Oliver Stone
• The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT: Archibald MacLeish
• Horace Mann School, New York, NY: Eliot Spitzer
• Kent Denver School, Englewood, CO: Madeline Albright
• Kent School, Kent, CT: Ted Danson
• Lakeside School, Seattle, WA: Bill Gates
• The Madeira School, Mclean, VA: Stockard Channing
• McCallie School, Chatanooga, TN: Ted Turner
• Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA: James Stewart
• Milton Academy, Milton, MA: Edward Kennedy
• Miss Porter's School, Farmington, CT: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
• Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MA: Natalie Cole, Uma Thurman
• Phillips Academy, Andover, MA: George Herbert Walker Bush, George

Private schools learned a long time ago that small is good. Why? Because parents wanted more personal attention for their children than they could get in most large public schools. They didn't want their children to be a number. They didn't want their children to be anonymous. So in small schools teachers and all the other staff members would know students by name.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance offers more reasons in support of small schools: "One of the most effective ways to improve student achievement and curb school violence is to reduce the size of the nation's schools. Hundreds of studies have found that students who attend small schools outperform those in large schools on every academic measure, from grades to test scores. They are less likely to drop out and more likely to attend college. Small schools also build strong communities. Parents and neighbors are more likely to be actively involved in the school. The students benefit from community support and the school, in turn, fosters connections among neighbors and encourages civic participation."

This TEDx talk describes using innovative teaching methods in the K-12 classroom.

Low Student-to-teacher Ratio

Most prep schools or schools offering Grades 9 through 12 have a student population of about 300-400 students. Some schools are even smaller. As well, most PK-6 elementary schools tend to be small. Of course, you will find larger and smaller

Some states do not have their own private school associations. Schools band together across state lines forming regional associations. These associations have the same purpose as state and national associations which is promote private schools and to share latest and best practices. Also included are several associations in major metropolitan areas.

• Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington
• Association of Independent Schools of New England
• Cleveland Council of Independent Schools
• Fairchester Independent Schools
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States
• Independent Schools Association of Northern New England
• Independent Schools Association of the Southwest
• Long Island Association of Private Schools and Day Camps
• Los Angeles Area Schools
• New York Interschool
• Pacific Northwestern Association of Independent Schools
• Southern Association of Independent Schools
• Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools
• Western Boarding School Association

Most private schools will claim to be a member of several national associations. These links will help you do your own due diligence to confirm that claim. They are also very useful for finding a specific kind of school in your area. Schools which are members of national associations inspire confidence because they are privy to the latest and best in private education.

This short video featuring a prominent private school head of school illustrates the purpose of private school education.

• American Association of Christian Schools
• American Montessori Society
• The Association of Boarding Schools
• Association of Christian Schools International
• Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the U.S.
• Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
• Catholic Boarding Schools Association
• Council for American Private Education
• Department of Defense Schools
• The Friends Council on Education
• Islamic Schools League of America
• Jesuit Secondary Education Association
• National Association of Episcopal Schools
• National Association of Independent Schools
• National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools
• National Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children
• National Association of Street Schools
• National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
• National Catholic Educational Association
• National Coalition of Girls Schools
• National Independent Private Schools Association
• National Lutheran School Association
• NAFSA: Association of