How to Choose the Right Boarding School According to Your Extracurricular Interests

Each of the members of the Eight Schools Association (ESA), such as Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, and Choate, offers incredible extracurricular resources with their own strengths and approaches. Personally, during my time at Exeter, I had the chance to explore my interests in theater, music, writing, and even crew. The William G. Saltonstall Boathouse housed Exeter’s crew program, just minutes away from campus on the Squamscott River. Exeter's wealth of facilities made many activities more accessible for students, including sports like crew.

The trick is to understand the various strengths of each school, often overlapping, so that you are equipped to choose the right one based on extracurricular interests. Below is a guide to the strengths of top U.S. boarding schools, particularly in the ESA, to help you match your child’s passions with the environment that will support them enthusiastically. 

Best Boarding Schools by Extracurricular Activity Area

Arts and Performance

For students passionate about theater, music, or visual arts, these top boarding schools provide professional-level resources:

1. Choate Rosemary Hall (CT) - Exceptional performing arts center and arts concentration program 

Also known as Choate, this school, located in Connecticut, offers 32 sports and 81 interscholastic teams, but they are also known for a strong performing arts program. Their strong arts philosophy encourages all students to discover how the arts “impact their life in a personal, social, economic, and cultural context.” 

Their arts facilities include the Paul Mellon Arts Center, designed by award-winning architect I. M. Pei, the Ann and George Colony Hall for amplified music, the Joan Harris Gelb Theater, and many dance and arts practice studios for students. 

Choate’s Arts Concentration program offers students the chance to create their own schedule with concentrations in Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, or Dance, culminating in recital, project, or portfolio presentations. 

2. Hotchkiss School (CT) - Known for its music training and visual arts facilities

The Hotchkiss School, located in Lakeville, Connecticut, also has a long tradition of supporting student artists at the highest level. Its arts programs emphasize self-expression and collaboration between the dance, music, photography, theatre, and visual arts programs. 

It is particularly renowned for its music program that supports all levels of involvement and interest with private lessons, chamber ensembles, a philharmonic orchestra, and jazz groups. Students who aspire to a serious music performance career will find the resources to meet their goals. 

Facilities include the Esther Eastman Music Center and Katherine M. Elfers Hall, a state-of-the-art 713-seat concert hall with professional acoustics. Hotchkiss also hosts the Summer Portals, a free concert series, which brings internationally recognized musicians like Boaz Sharon and Leonel Morales 

Students can visit five free art shows per year at the professional exhibition space in the Tremaine Art Gallery. Hotchkiss also offers a unique photography & film program, with the Film Club hosting an annual film festival every spring. 

3. Interlochen Arts Academy (MI) - the U.S.’s first premier boarding arts high school 

In northern Michigan, Interlochen Arts Academy is the only ESA peer school that is completely dedicated to the arts in a conservatory-level environment. There are seven artistic divisions–Music, Theatre, Dance, Creative Writing, Film & New Media, Visual Arts, and Interdisciplinary Arts. Each division offers intensive daily training with professional faculty, while also balancing students’ experiences with strong academic work. 

About 82% of students matriculate at top schools and arts conservatories like Juilliard, CMU, Columbia, and more. The community offers an excellent chance to interact with creative professionals, with 140+ high-profile guest artists visiting the campus to teach students in the past year. Alumni include Pulitzer Prize winners, Tony and Grammy recipients, and hundreds of professionals across the arts. 

Athletics and Competitive Sports

For student-athletes who want to train and compete at the highest level:

1. Deerfield Academy (MA) - Renowned for Olympic-level facilities

Deerfield is exceptional for its athletics. Its Olympic-level facilities include 132,000-square-foot Athletics Complex, opened in 2018, with a crew tank, field house, ice rink, fitness center, and squash courts. On more than 90 acres of outdoor fields, they also have a Major League-quality baseball field, natural grass fields for football and soccer, and 18 tennis courts in the Morsman Tennis Pavilion. 

Overall, Deerfield’s athletics offers 21 sports, 69 teams, 80+ coaches, 3 full-time athletic trainers, and has been crowned New England Champions 14 times in the past 5 years. Their motto is Go Big Green! 

2. Lawrenceville School (NJ) – Strong across varsity sports with a unique on-campus golf course 

In the Mid-Atlantic Prep League, the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey offers over 70 teams in 21 sports. Their athletics program fosters camaraderie, fairness, and the pursuit of excellence. Their state-of-the-art facilities include a golf course that supports four golf teams, the Tsai Field House with an ice rink, wrestling arena, squash courts, and indoor Track and Field arena, among others. 

For Lawrenceville’s Big Red athletics, 100% of students participate in their athletics offerings, and 1 in 5 go on to play college sports. There are 73 interscholastic teams and 32 Varsity teams to support their scholar-athletes. Go Big Red!  

3. St. Paul’s School (NH) – Strong in ice hockey, rowing, and lacrosse 

In rural New Hampshire, the 100% boarding St. Paul’s School integrates athletics into daily life by requiring all students to participate in a sport or physical activity each season. St. Paul’s values sportsmanship, respect, and kindness at every level of play. There are 51 interscholastic teams, 17 sports, 8 outdoor athletics fields, over 25 miles of on-campus trails, and a 98k square-foot athletic center. 

St. Paul’s strongest sports include ice hockey, rowing, and lacrosse, with several Olympians in ice hockey and rowing from 1924-2024. Student athletes, or Pelicans, benefit from an intensive strength and performance program with specific coaches and coordinators.

STEM and Innovation

For budding scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers, these three schools offer the most well-rounded and supportive extracurricular programs: 

1. Phillips Exeter Academy (NH) – State-of-the-art facilities and strong mentorship 

With cutting-edge facilities, strong mentorship, and diverse course offerings, Exeter is a top choice for aspiring scientists. PEA’s philosophy is oriented towards collaborative discovery thanks to its Socratic-style Harkness teaching method, where students discuss their ideas around round tables located in every classroom. 

Exeter’s science curriculum offers many advanced levels in physics, chemistry, biology, and earth and environmental sciences. Students benefit from state-of-the-art technology in the Phelps Science Center, with 22 classroom-labs, and the Grainger Observatory for astronomical research. The facility is also open to students on clear Fridays for celestial viewing, and curious students can follow Exeter’s Astro Blog. Phelps also features a hanging humpback whale skeleton, a 900-gallon tropical marine aquarium, and a biology wet table. 

There is no limit to the discoveries and mentorship students can explore at Exeter, as seen by some of the students’ accomplishments. Recently, an Exeter senior was a top finisher in the 83rd Regeneron Science Talent Search. 

2. Phillips Academy Andover (MA) – Molecular biology, natural sciences, and more 

Exeter’s rival, Phillips Academy Andover, is also a stellar choice for students with a passion for STEM, with its labs, coding clubs, and research opportunities. Andover’s science program philosophy is simple: “Do science.” 

Facilities encourage student participation and observation, such as the Richard L. Gelb Science Cente, which features three floors of lab and classroom spaces with an observatory dome on its roof for astronomy discoveries. 

Andover is known for its Molecular Biology Research Program, which allows students to design experiments and actively collaborate with professional scientists from U.S. institutions. Recent student accomplishments include cancer-research breakthroughs. 

With its emphasis on independent research seen in its Abbott Independent Scholars Program (AISP), Andover offers students a top chance at developing their own projects in whichever scientific field they choose.

Outdoor Learning and Global Leadership 

Finally, for students who thrive in more unconventional global or outdoor environments, these two schools in the ESA stand out: 

1. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) - A campus farm and strong sustainability programs

NMH’s idyllic location near the Connecticut River on a 1,000-acre campus weaves outdoor learning and sustainability into every facet of student life. Through its working farm, students can learn about agriculture, ecology, and environmental stewardship. Each term, approximately 30 students work on the farm, helping to run a greenhouse, a sugar house that produces maple syrup, and a cider house. 

Sustainability is one of the core tenets of the NMH community, and it is woven into every aspect of campus life. Clubs like the Climate Justice Coalition and EcoLeaders run activities ranging from lobbying lawmakers to creating compost and hosting upcycling workshops. For students interested in the environment and farming, NMH offers a wealth of programs exploring climate change, natural sciences, global energy, and food systems. 

2. Hotchkiss School (CT) - Language immersion and on-site solar arrays 

Hotchkiss seeks to be a leader in sustainability among independent boarding schools, incorporating environmental stewardship into their community. Sustainability initiatives include two on-campus solar arrays, composting, and LED lighting. After moving away from AP Environmental Science, Hotchkiss has also created new electives for students curious about ecosystems and climate change. For clubs, students can participate in Students for Environmental Action (SEA) and the Fairfield Farm Ecosystems and Adventure Team (FFEAT), learning how to grow food for use in the dining halls or exploring the nearby forest. 

Additionally, students with an interest in global leadership can foster their skills in and out of the classroom with Hotchkiss's strong Classical & Modern Languages department, complemented by a wide range of global initiatives. Students can choose to study classical Latin and Greek or contemporary languages like Chinese, French, German, or Spanish. The Language & Culture Center (LCC) celebrates Hotchkiss's cultural diversity by creating a safe space for students to explore language immersion. Its study abroad and exchange programs allow students to become global citizens, with opportunities to attend international programs year-round. 

Final Thoughts

Choosing a boarding school is about finding the best environment for your child’s passions to thrive so they develop a strong sense of identity and connection to their community. By researching and aligning extracurricular interests with the school’s unique strengths, families can get one step closer to ensuring their child thrives at boarding school. 

Want expert guidance on finding the perfect boarding school according to extracurricular activities? Book a consultation with Crimson here. 

And continue your exploration of how to choose the right school for your child with our blog articles here:

• Extracurricular Activities to Boost College Applications 
• An Introduction to US Boarding Schools: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Which boarding school is best for STEM-focused students?
Phillips Exeter, Andover, and Choate stand out with advanced labs, robotics clubs, and faculty mentorship.

2. Which schools have the strongest athletics programs?
Deerfield, Lawrenceville, and St. Paul’s lead with competitive varsity teams and Olympic-level training facilities.

3. Which schools have the strongest arts programs?
Choate, Interlochen, Hotchkiss, and Andover all feature strong arts programs, supported by state-of-the-art facilities and professional faculty. 

What if my child hasn’t chosen a clear extracurricular passion yet?
Schools like Andover and Hotchkiss offer the widest variety of programs, allowing students to explore before committing.

4. Do extracurriculars really make a difference in college admissions?
Yes, top colleges seek students who have shown commitment, leadership, and impact in their chosen fields.