BOARDING SCHOOL GUIDE · U.S. BOARDING SCHOOLS
Tests, interviews, and teachers' letters take up the fall. Most application and aid deadlines are on January 15, and decisions come on March 10. A few schools set different aid deadlines, shown below.
Each line opens the story of a real Letrado student.
Written for the 2026–27 school year.
Students in grade 8 in 2026–27 apply this year for grade 9 in fall 2027. Students joining in grade 10 or 11 apply on the same calendar.
This year at a glance
Yes, for grade 9. And earlier grades count too: Andover, Choate, and Lawrenceville ask for this year's grades and those from grades 6 and 7.
Schools can change their dates and rules during the year. Check each school's own page.
Start where you are
LawrencevilleAlso admitted
Groton
AndoverLawrenceville offered the clearest financial path and a system he could navigate.
A New York City public-school student applying to boarding schools for Grade 9. A.R. was an energetic writer and classroom participant, and the first in his family to consider boarding school. He worked at his family’s grocery on weekends and joined debate when his school could field a team. His record also showed a difficult algebra semester after a teacher change, and his family needed substantial aid.
How we helped: We helped him explain the algebra semester briefly and factually, bring his grocery work into his application, and build a school list around what his family could afford.
A.R. was also admitted to Groton and Andover. His family compared the actual aid packages rather than reputation, and he chose Lawrenceville with need-based financial aid.
AndoverAlso admitted
Exeter
St. Paul'sAndover offered breadth and support for a younger student.
A student at a bilingual school in Taipei applying to U.S. boarding schools for Grade 9. Y.H. completed mathematics beyond his grade level and had studied piano since early childhood, but he spoke about both as schedules designed by adults. He enjoyed solving problems with friends and improvising music. At thirteen, he had never managed his own weekly schedule, laundry, or travel beyond a familiar routine.
How we helped: We helped him separate the interests he valued from the plans made for him, and test what readiness for boarding would really involve.
Y.H. was also admitted to Exeter and St. Paul’s. He chose Andover after comparing mathematics, music, advising, and the range of activities open to a younger student.
Lake Forest AcademyAlso admitted
CateLake Forest offered the stronger aid and a manageable transition.
A student at a small rural public school in Maine applying to boarding schools for Grade 10. E.F. recorded seasonal changes for a local conservation group, helped younger students identify birds, and wrote short pieces for a town newsletter. Her school offered few advanced courses, the nearest test-preparation option was more than an hour away, and her French grades suffered after a long teacher absence.
How we helped: We helped her explain her school’s context accurately, describe observation as observation rather than research, and choose a realistic testing plan.
E.F. was also admitted to Cate, whose setting matched her interests closely. She chose Lake Forest with financial aid, for its stronger aid package and a community she believed would make the move manageable.
LawrencevilleAlso admitted
HotchkissGrotonLawrenceville held ambition and affordability together.
A student at a private day school in Lagos applying to U.S. boarding schools for Grade 10. S.M. edited opinion pieces for a small school newsletter and took part in public-speaking assemblies, though her school had no large competition circuit. Her humanities and math results were strong, while lab-science grades fluctuated because she rushed practical write-ups. Attending depended on substantial need-based aid.
How we helped: We helped her replace polished generalities with specific examples, explain the lab-science pattern briefly, and keep affordability at the center of her school list.
S.M. was also admitted to Hotchkiss and Groton. Once the aid packages and travel arrangements were compared, Lawrenceville became the most sustainable option.
Loomis ChaffeeAlso admitted
MiltonLoomis Chaffee was ambitious, and the move came with a real plan.
A student at a bilingual school in São Paulo applying to U.S. boarding schools for Grade 11. L.C. had drawn illustrations for a student climate newsletter and helped a biology teacher organize local water-quality observations, but no one had recorded dates, hours, or roles. Her grades were solid, with one weak math term after a move between school systems. She wanted a U.S. education and was candid about homesickness.
How we helped: We helped her rebuild her record from real sources, describe each activity at its true size, and treat the move itself as part of the plan.
L.C. was also admitted to Milton. She chose Loomis Chaffee after comparing academic breadth, environmental opportunities, visual arts, and residential support.
Loomis ChaffeeAlso admitted
Choate
PeddieLoomis Chaffee offered the clearest path for joining in Grade 11.
An Indian student at an international school in Dubai applying to boarding schools for Grade 11. R.K. filled sketchbooks with staircases, shopfronts, and the temporary structures he noticed around construction sites. He had never entered a major competition or a formal architecture program. His school offered the IB Diploma, so moving before Grade 11 meant a real decision about his courses.
How we helped: We helped him choose work that showed his thinking, caption it factually, and test whether a move would improve his education now.
R.K. was also admitted to Choate and Peddie. He chose Loomis Chaffee after comparing visual-arts access, course continuity, community size, and support for students joining in Grade 11.
The IB Diploma is the International Baccalaureate's two-year school qualification, usually taken from ages 16 to 18.
The schools
Most schools don't publish an acceptance rate. These three do.
13%of applicants admitted at Milton: 2,080 applications for 147 new students. Milton's page doesn't give the year.2,281applicants to Hotchkiss: 338 admitted, and 204 enrolled (2026–27 school profile)
1,650new applications to Taft, for 189 new studentsOur viewAim high, and include schools where your child is a strong candidate. Ask each school how many places it has in your child's grade.
| School | Students | Boarding | International | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter | 1,096 (2026–27) | 890 board | 38 countries | Exeter, New Hampshire |
| Andover | 1,169 | 75% | About 17%, 34 countries | Andover, Massachusetts |
| Choate | 860 | Not published | 18% | Wallingford, Connecticut |
 Deerfield | 658 (2026–27) | 584 board | 16%, 52 countries | Rural western Massachusetts |
| Groton | 380 | 84% | 16%, 24 countries | Groton, Massachusetts |
| Hotchkiss | 633 (2026–27) | 597 board | 19%, 32 countries | Lakeville, Connecticut |
| Lawrenceville | 830 (2026–27) | Not published | 34 countries | Lawrenceville, New Jersey |
| St. Paul's | 538 (2026–27) | All | 16%, 35 countries | Concord, New Hampshire |
 Middlesex | 429 | 70% | 14%, 22 countries | Concord, Massachusetts |
 Hill | 539 | 77% | 16%, 27 countries | Pottstown, Pennsylvania |
| Loomis Chaffee | 748 | 70% | 13.5%, 34 countries | Windsor, Connecticut |
| Milton | 720 | Half | 22% of new students | Milton, Massachusetts |
| Taft | 592 | 495 board | 25%, 56 countries | Watertown, Connecticut |
As each school publishes them. Some schools' pages give different figures, and most aren't dated.
Sources: Exeter · Exeter college profile · Andover · Andover international students · Choate FAQ · Deerfield 2026–27 profile · Groton fast facts · Hotchkiss 2026–27 profile · Lawrenceville 2026–27 · St. Paul's 2026–27 profile · Middlesex facts · Hill by the numbers · Loomis Chaffee key facts · Milton Upper School · Milton admissions · Taft by the numbers.
The application year
Gateway to Prep Schools, the shared online application, opens in July.
The test months show possible dates, not a requirement to test each month.
Every school on this page accepts Gateway to Prep Schools. Check whether your schools accept the ISEE instead of the SSAT.
Deerfield says the Gateway application opens July 1, and Exeter starts candidate profiles "as early as July." Hotchkiss holds interviews from mid-September to mid-January. Choate interviews online from September to February. Milton sets January 15 as its interview deadline. Lawrenceville sets the same deadline for boarding applicants. Exeter's recommendation forms open in October. St. Paul's aid application opens November 20. Andover's enrollment deposit is $6,000.
Decisions come on March 10, and replies are due by April 10, at the ten schools in the Ten Schools group: every school on this page except Groton, Milton, and Middlesex.
Sources: gatewaytoprepschools.com: Gateway · exeter.edu: Exeter · deerfield.edu: Deerfield · tenschools.org: Ten Schools · admission.org: Current paper dates · info.enrollment.org: Official interpretation 2021–22 · choate.edu: Choate · milton.edu: Apply · lawrenceville.org: Lawrenceville · d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net: Official new-student letter · andover.edu: Andover · groton.org: Apply · hotchkiss.org: Hotchkiss · thehill.org: Hill · loomischaffee.org: Loomis Chaffee · taftschool.org: Apply · taftschool.org: Aid · sps.edu: Admissions · sps.edu: Aid · mxschool.edu: Apply · milton.edu: Milton FAQ.
Most schools want the application and the aid forms on the same day.
ExeterJanuary 15ChoateJanuary 15DeerfieldJanuary 15, 2027GrotonJanuary 15, 2027HotchkissJanuary 15, 2027LawrencevilleJanuary 15St. Paul'sJanuary 15MiddlesexJanuary 15Andover sets one later date for both.
AndoverFebruary 1, 2027Hill wants the aid forms two weeks before the application.
HillHill: Aid: January 15, 2027. Application: January 31, 2027.
Three schools give families more time for the aid forms.
Loomis ChaffeeLoomis Chaffee: Application: January 15, 2027. Aid: January 31, 2027.
MiltonMilton: Application: January 15, 2027. Aid: January 31, 2027.
TaftTaft: Application: January 15. Aid: February 1, 2027.
Logos open each school's admissions page. Dates without a year are as listed there.
Three things to get right
Each card says who to ask.
Most of these schools require a test score, but Choate, Milton, and Loomis Chaffee make it optional.
The SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) and the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) are made for these schools, and grade 9 applicants take the Upper Level of either. Scores must be recent: Exeter and St. Paul's take tests from within a year of the deadline. Your child can take the ISEE once in each testing season.
The interview counts too. Exeter, Lawrenceville, and Milton require one, Choate holds every interview online, and Groton accepts a short video introduction instead.
Ask this year's English and math teachers for letters. Exeter, Andover, and Groton want current teachers, so a favorite teacher from last year can't replace them.
Who to askEach school's admissions office, about which tests and which dates count for your child's grade.
Schools want your child's own words, and the interview counts.
Writing must be done “without assistance, including the use of artificial intelligence tools.”
St. Paul's
Groton prefers a simple account to material “extensively rehearsed or edited.”
Groton
“All interviews will be weighed equally.”
Choate
These schools require a test score. Under each logo: its interview rule, where it states one.
ExeterExeter: Interview required
AndoverDeerfieldDeerfield: Interview required*
GrotonGroton: Video introduction accepted
HotchkissLawrencevilleLawrenceville: Interview required
St. Paul'sSt. Paul's: Interview required
MiddlesexMiddlesex: Interview optional
HillTaftSending a score is your choice at these three.
ChoateChoate: Interview encouraged, online only
Loomis ChaffeeMiltonMilton: Interview required
*Deerfield's own page says required; Gateway says encouraged. Ask admissions. Logos open each school's admissions page.
Our viewAt 13, prepare for the SSAT or ISEE only where your schools require it. A few months is enough. Stop when practice scores level off.
What three of our students did
Both tests offer fee waivers. Ask the schools you're applying to.
Boarding tuition for 2026–27 runs from $62,740 at Groton to $82,710 at Lawrenceville, before travel and insurance.
Need-blind means a school decides without looking at whether you need aid. Andover, Exeter, and Groton are need-blind. Hotchkiss, Milton, and Loomis Chaffee are need-aware, so needing aid can affect who they admit.
At Exeter and Deerfield, free tuition is for families who live and work in the U.S., earn only wage income, and have savings in line with that income. Deerfield requires two years of wage-only income. Groton's free tuition covers families in the U.S. and abroad, with savings and other assets in line with income.
Who to askEach school's financial aid office, about its deadline, its form (most use one called Clarity), and its support for families abroad.
Sources: Exeter · Andover 2026–27 new-student letter · Choate · Deerfield · Groton · Hotchkiss · Lawrenceville · St. Paul's · Middlesex · Hill · Loomis Chaffee · Milton · Taft.
Andover is need-blind, and families abroad can apply for aid. Its $6,000 enrollment deposit is credited to tuition.
Sources: Andover 2026–27 new-student letter · andover.edu: Aid requirements · andover.edu: Apply.
Needing aid can't affect the decision.
AndoverAndover: No income ceiling for full aid. Families abroad can apply.
ExeterExeter: Free tuition up to $150,000, for families who live and work in the U.S.
GrotonGroton: Free tuition at $150,000 or less, families abroad included.
Needing aid can affect who they admit.
HotchkissHotchkiss: Meets the full need of everyone it admits.
MiltonLoomis ChaffeeLoomis Chaffee: Some admitted students wait for aid.
Deerfield says needing aid could “possibly” matter. St. Paul's and Hill don't say.
DeerfieldDeerfield: Free tuition up to $150,000, for families in the U.S. Up to full need abroad.
St. Paul'sSt. Paul's: Usually free tuition up to $150,000, for U.S.-based families. Limited aid abroad.
HillHill: Usually no aid for international students.
| School | Can needing aid affect admission? | Free tuition below this income | Families abroad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | No | No income ceiling for full aid | Can apply |
| Exeter | No | Up to $150,000, for families who live and work in the U.S. | Same application process |
| Groton | No | $150,000 or less | Covered by the same $150,000 limit, with savings and other assets in line with income |
| Deerfield | "Possibly," in Deerfield's word | Up to $150,000, for families who live and work in the U.S. | Aid up to full need |
| St. Paul's | Not stated | Usually free tuition for U.S.-based families up to $150,000 | Limited in number and amount |
| Hotchkiss | Yes, but it meets the full need of everyone it admits | Not stated | Can apply |
| Loomis Chaffee | Yes. Some admitted students are put on a waiting list for aid. | Not stated | Not stated |
| Hill | Not stated | Not stated | Usually no aid for international students |
Arrange where your child will stay during every break, and ask which English test each school requires.
Choate's families abroad arrange travel or a host for those breaks, and the school lists options. If your child needs a visa to study in the U.S., the school provides Form I-20, the document used to apply for an F-1 student visa. A U.S. public high school isn't a free fallback: Students on that visa can attend one for 12 months at most, and pay its full cost.
For English, Exeter strongly recommends the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, three English-language tests, if English isn't your child's primary language and they haven't studied in English for the last two years. St. Paul's requires one if your child doesn't speak English at home and hasn't had three years in English-language schools. Since January 21, 2026, the internet-based TOEFL test has reported scores from 1 to 6. Ask each school whether its minimum score uses the old scale or the new one.
Who to askEach school's admissions office, about breaks, guardians, and which English test it accepts.
Plan where your child will go for each break before you apply. Choate lists options.
A schematic of Choate's year. Other schools set their own rules for breaks.
Joining later
Andover takes about 85 new students in grade 10, compared with more than 200 in grade 9.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 200+ |
| Grade 10 | About 85 |
| Grade 11 | 20 to 25 |
Source: Andover's FAQ
At Exeter, grade 10 and 11 applicants can also send the PSAT, SAT, ACT, or PreACT.
Grade 12 applicants, and students applying for an extra year after high school, send one of those instead of the SSAT or ISEE.
Milton's last entry point is grade 11.
Deerfield asks families thinking of repeating a grade, which it calls reclassifying, to raise it with admissions.
One more year of school after high school, before college.
At Exeter, students on this route take five courses a term and earn the Exeter diploma. At Choate, they earn a certificate. Exeter says the year can strengthen a student's academics, or give a young graduate time before college.
In our view
| Skip | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Extras the school didn't ask for | Andover says, "It is perfectly fine to not submit anything extra." |
| A test score at Choate, Milton, or Loomis Chaffee that doesn't help | All three make testing optional. |
| A memorized interview | Schools want a conversation. Help your child practice answering in their own words. |
| Waiting for an offer to think about money | At most schools, aid is due with the application, and at Hill, before it. |
| A higher-ranked offer that doesn't fit your child | Why fit matters more ↑ |
Sources: The school rules above
Where we come in
Most of this advice costs nothing to follow. If you'd like help with part of it, here's where we come in.
A balanced list built around your child: schools where they'd thrive, where they're a strong candidate, and that your family can afford.
Private School Admissions →A plan for every part of each application, and honest feedback on essays and short answers your child writes in their own words.
Private School Admissions →Practice conversations, online and in person, so your child answers with real examples, not a script.
Private School Admissions →Help with the parent statement, and preparation for your own conversations with admissions officers.
Private School Admissions →Preparation only where your schools require a test, with a realistic plan around their dates.
Tutoring & Test Preparation →Aid forms filed on time, and every offer compared by its real yearly cost before April 10.
Financial Aid & Scholarships →We follow it with a personalized plan by email. Tell us your child's grade, school, and interests, and we'll tell you which schools look realistic. If your child's counselor already has this covered, you may not need us.
If the student is under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to send this first message.
