Phillips Exeter Academy

Focus 

Intellectually curious explorers

Day fees 

$50,604

Boarding fees 

$64,789

Pupils 

1,078

Ages

14–18

Academics

Average SAT scores: reading and writing 713; math 721.

Average ACT scores: English 32, mathematics 30, reading 32, science 30.

AP exams: 81 per cent score 5 or 4

Spear’s Review

One of the elite boarding schools of New Hampshire, Phillips Exeter Academy offers a traditionally top-class American education. Its philosophy, known as the Harkness method, holds active speaking, listening and thinking as paramount. The school’s former pupils include giants of American business and culture, such as Mark Zuckerberg and the novelist John Irving. 

With more than 600 acres of grounds, there is more than enough space for the great range of sports and outdoor activities on offer, complementing the high academic standards.

Head teacher

Bill Rawson was appointed principal of Phillips Exeter Academy in January 2019, following a six-month tenure as interim principal. An Exeter alumnus, Rawson received a BA in American studies from Amherst College and a law degree from Stanford Law School. He then spent more than 30 years as a lawyer before returning to Exeter as head.

Accessibility

Boston Logan International Airport; 1 hour

Location

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