The Taft School

Focus

Educating the whole student

Day fees 2025/26

$60,100

Boarding fees 2025/26

$81,400

Term dates

• Term 1: 2 September to 17 December 2025
• Term 2: 6 January to 26 May 2026

Ages

13-18

Pupil count

592

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’. 

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, but development and understanding is a key focus. Therefore, there is plenty of one-on-one teaching.

Academics

Taft students consistently score highly in the SAT exams and move on to prestigious universities across the world.

Head teacher

Head of school Peter Becker began his tenure as Taft’s sixth head of school in 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. 

University and college destinations

Taft alumni go on to matriculate at prestigious universities; between 2023 and 2025 students were accepted into all eight Ivy League schools.

Notable alumni

• Trey Anastasio (musician)
• Thomas Ludlow Chrystie (first CFO of Merrill Lynch)
• Peter Berg (filmmaker)

Admissions

As part of an application, Taft requires 9th- and 10th-grade applicants to take the SSAT, a standardised aptitude test, while 11th grade applicants may submit scores from the SSAT, PSAT, SAT or ACT. Those applying to 12th grade must submit PSAT, SAT or ACT scores. The school also recommends that students complete a ‘character skills snapshot’ to showcase their character. Where applicable, a prospective applicant can also submit a portfolio along with their application. A campus visit is highly encouraged and is normally carried out at the same time as the in-person interview.

Accessibility

JFK Airport / Boston Logan International Airport: 2 hours

Location

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