Cheshire Academy

Cheshire Academy is a middle school located in Cheshire, Conneticut. It is one of the oldest boarding schools dating back to 1794. Cheshire has a long history with many famous individuals have attended the school, including JP Morgan, Andrew Foote,Angela Robinson, Joseph Wheeler, Chester Bowels, among others are the list of alumni.

Our consultant tour of Cheshire started with a student in the middle school who was born in the area, and a day student. We visited the entire campus walking through each department, and visiting classes where students attended in the upper and lower school, where there we learned, students attending Cheshier were proud, exctied, and very comitted to the community in itself, They were also familar with the history of Cheshire, and faculity and the commuity at large. This is a very community based boarding school, where everyone knows of the school, its students, and its reputation.

The approximate student population is 360 with a mixed co educational student body. Cheshire has the presence of a lower and upper school on campus, with student of varied age groups from the 6th to the 12th grade. There are a vary of activities for students ranging from art to athletics, many students are day students, and others are boarding students offering flexiblity for parents.

The consultants on our tour, were impressed by the faculty support of the school and we had a introduction by each of the faculty at an open luncheon for consultants. The head of schools, recently took the position from leaving Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. I lived in Exeter and know the prestige of attending a school like Exeter, and Cheshire ranks very high in this number.

Chershire has a friendly campus, not only with staff but students, it covers lower grades and moves to the upper grades. Cheshire does support students with special needs as well. The class size is larger than a small boarding school, but each student receives individual attention in most subjects. 60 (sixty percent) of the students are boarding students, the other are day students. Teacher ratio is 7 to 1. The endowment is 7 millions and the school does offer scholarships. Admission is in Feburary with a rolling admission policy. Chershire offers AP courses including history, Spanish,literature and composition, psychology, music theory,European History,Chemistry and Calculus. American Goverment, statistics, and other advanced classes.

This would be the prefect school for a high achieving student, who is advanced in mathmatics, or had an interest in the arts. The school also has a strong fine arts department with classes in art , digital photography, theatre, and drawing and painting. There is also a good athletic program which includes: competitive swiming, soccer, volleyball, and other sports.

All students eat in the dinning area, which is scheduled daily. Day students are often dropped off by parents, but transportation is avaialbe for on campus activities. There is a strong parent support group at Cheshire, with involvement year around and a summer program. The parent association is very active, involving faculty and students in fundraising. Activiites and funraising happen year around.

Cheshire does have a uniform policy, but on our visit most studentss were dressed in either casual dress similar to uniforms or wearing uniforms. Schools in Conneticut have a long history of exceptional learning, and Cheshire is one of those schools, which have both the accceptance in the academic community, and community at large. Families receive a family handbook for students enrolled in the school, and tuition is $42, 000 dollars and day school just about $31,000 (thirty one thousand dollars. Acceptance in colleges is a given at Cheshire and most students do attend major universities here acceptance rates are very high or excelling.

We found the school to be in a good range for prices at a middle boarding school. Additional cost for uniforms, books, and activities must be factored in the overall tuition. Cheshire has a long history of excellence. and a proven record of sucessful alumni. Most parents lviing in the New England area are familiar with Cheshire. Parents in the mid west or southwest would probbly considre this a far distance to travel. We believe its one of the better schools for families, and would recommend the school either in lower or upper grades. A excellent support with parent committes makes this a interacative campus of parents and students.

South Kent School

South Kent School is a boarding and day school for boys in grades 9-12, located in the heart of the Litchfield Hills in northwest Connecticut. An enrollment of 145 students and a teaching staff of twenty-nine translates into small classes and individualized attention for students. The average class has ten students." I had a chance to visit the campus at South Kent, as a consultant and offer parents the unique opportunity to know the school on a personal level.

South Kent is located in a rural area of Conneticut, but its campus by no means simply a rural setting. With over 350 acres of land the campus provides a large number of activities for the school and great housing. Selectivity is a part of coming to the school. however, it does not require the SSAT, which is traditionally required for boarding schools. Many of the students come from all over the country, as well as other parts of the world. Acceptance rate is 46% and all students must meet the application deadline which is in March. There is a rolling admission policy for new students, and most students must be prepared well to attend South Kent.

At a glance, South Kent represents a traditional boarding school but its lower and upper school grades make it very appealing for families. In many ways with the strong academic of the students expectation by the faculty, South Kent is considered a smaller boarding school.

It would be a good match for a student looking for a traditional small boarding school that has some selectivity. There is a tuition assistance program and most students receive some assistance. The endowment at Kent is 6 million, making this school not only affordable but cheapeer in overall tuition for day students compared to boarding students which is $24,000 (twenty four thousand) for day students and $34,000 (thirty four thousand) for boarding students. Ken is an all boy's boarding school not a co educational boarding school.

Activities on campus range from crew, basketball, cycling, snowboarding, skiing, baseball and soccer among other intermural or competitive sports. The students we had as tour guides were very polite, appeared to have selected Kent based on its traditions and its academic program. There are no accomodations of students with learning differences at the school. The range of grades start at middle school to upper school from 9-12,

Most of the consultants, we spoke to regarding the school were very familar with its tradition's and its acceptance rate. The minority acceptance rate is just above 12 % of the student population, with a over 80 percent of the children from middle class to upper class families.

We believe, South Kent, is a good match for the right student. Kent would be a good fit, for parents looking for an all boys school, college prepatory with a strong academic focus. Students must be engaged in learning to come to the school. They must also be motivated and interested in learning and self disciplined. Many parents would be surprized that the range of activities at South Kent would be appealing for young men between 9-12th grade.

A single gender boarding school, has much appeal for a boy who needs to be focused academically, needs a disciplined school, but preparing for college, and can make the adjustments to lving in an all boys enviroment. Single gender boarding schools are actually very popular, in the boarding school community.

Activities are not just limited to the all boys setting buy co educational activities to happen on campus with other girls schools. Generally supervised activities are organized with faculity and parent groups, which might be a surprize to many parents. A consultant working with a family in these instances would be helpful not only in determining the selection of a school, but the potential sucess of a student in a school like South Kent.