The Taft School

Focus

Not to be served but to serve

Day fees

$53,500

Boarding fees

$72,000

Pupils

580

Ages

13–18

Academics

Average SAT score: 1371

Spear’s Review

The Taft School’s motto, Non ut sibi ministretur sed ut ministret, (Not to be served, but to serve), crafted by the school’s founder, Horace Dutton Taft ,125 years ago, continues to shape the school and its ethos. The vast majority of the school’s student body are boarding pupils, in line with the founder’s belief that ‘a great advantage of boarding school is that it gives opportunities for students to get out of themselves’. That premise lies at the heart of the Taft School motto, and is a hallmark of a Taft education. 

Set in a beautiful 226-acre campus in Western Connecticut, the school’s facilities are state-of-the-art. They include a vast library, a 45,000-square-foot science and maths building, two theatres, two ice hockey rinks and an 18-hole golf course. Academic life is rigorous, with more than 200 courses on offer every semester and plenty of one-on-one teaching.

Head teacher

Head of school Peter Becker began his tenure as Taft’s sixth head of school in mid-2023. After working briefly as an investment banking analyst, Becker held roles at the Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools, the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and the Frederick Gunn School in Connecticut. A Taft graduate, Becker holds a BA in religious studies from the University of Virginia and an MA in history from Yale University. 

Accessibility

JFK Airport; 2 hours

Location

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