The School:
Number of students: 560
Number of faculty: 80
Tuition: $39,900 for boarders, $31,300 for day students
Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 32%
Acceptance Rate: 50%
Admissions Deadline: January 15
School Website: Kent School
Kent School is a coeducational boarding school located on 1200 acres in Kent, Connecticut about 90 miles north of New York City. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Chapel is required of all students.
The Founder And His Successors:
Kent School was founded in 1906 by an Episcopal monk, The Reverend Frederick Herbert Sill. He was a visionary who defined education in the sober terms of the school's Latin motto: Temperantia, Fiducia, Constantia. (Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose, and Self-Reliance) The school has had only four headmasters since Father Sill retired in 1941. The current head is The Reverend Richardson Schell, himself an alumnus of the school.
A resolute, steady hand at the helm is one of several reasons why Kent School is a great school.
A Brief History:
Kent School was founded as a school for boys. It prospered over the years as a boys' school and developed an enviable reputation for solid academics and a decent sports program, especially in the area of hockey and crew. 1960 saw the addition of a separate campus for girls on Skiff Mountain. The boys' and girls' schools shared many facilities and resources for a little over three decades. In the late '80s it became apparent that the survival of the school was dependent on a consolidation of the two campuses. The girls' and boys' schools became a completely coeducational, boarding institution in 1991.
Program:
Kent offers serious academics balanced with some equally serious athletics supplemented by a rich array of extracurricular activities. I have always admired Kent's ability to do this ever since the days my daughter Heather attended. The school offers 25 AP courses, 22 sports, and 27 extracurricular activities. 70% of the faculty has advanced degrees.
Facilities:
Kent's campus located on the banks of the Housatonic River in scenic Litchfield County, Connecticut is about 90 miles from Manhattan. The school is just a few steps from the main street of Kent, a charming New England town.
The school buildings were purpose built and offer the latest amenities. These include playing fields, a hockey arena, a performing arts theater and dozens of other specialized facilities. Saint Joseph's Chapel is the focal point of the campus geography as well as the center of the school's spiritual and community life.
Financial Strength:
With an endowment of $73 million Kent School has the kind of financial strength which allows it to award substantial financial aid to deserving students. The Board is concerned for the present as well as taking care to plan for the future. As a result Kent sails through the kind of crises which have closed many a school in the past.
Technology:
Kent has been in the
vanguard of technology for over a decade. The school adopted technology and forged partnerships with major technology providers years before other schools recognized the need so to do. As a result, the faculty and administration have created a climate in which technology marries with teaching in a positive, useful manner.
Matriculation:
Kent takes its stated purpose as a college prep school seriously. The
list of colleges and universities to which its graduates matriculate is a tribute to the depth and breadth of Kent's graduates attainments and interests.
The matriculation results also underscore the strength of Kent's faculty which combines solid academic attainments with genuine love and passion for all the subjects taught.
Alumni & Alumnae:
Pulitzer Prize winners, stars of stage and screen, business leaders, government leaders, educators, professionals and other notables litter the glittering list of Kent alumni and alumnae.
An Appraisal:
I will make this disclaimer up front: I interviewed for a faculty position at Kent back in the '70's. And, more importantly, my daughter Heather graduated from Kent in 1988.
Kent School is a classic example of a school which has had the good sense to move with the times. It began as a boys' school back in the days when that was the fashion. The separate girls' school, a creation of the 1960's, was consolidated into the main campus in the 1990's yielding numerous efficiencies of scale and better utilization of resources. Kent embraced technology and zero tolerance policies on drugs and alcohol back when in the days when such stances took great courage and vision.
Father Sill (Pater) had vision. He instilled vision into his students. Vision exudes from every corner of Kent in my opinion. Explore Kent School's Web site for yourself. Visit the school. You will appreciate why Kent School is one of the top American prep schools.
