United States · Exeter, New Hampshire · Founded 1781
Phillips Exeter Academy
The Harkness table: twelve pupils and a teacher around an oval table, no lectures, and one of the largest endowments of any school in the world.
The character
Exeter is the intellectual capital of American boarding: classes are discussions around a table, the library was designed by Louis Kahn, the endowment makes it need-blind and the pupils are frighteningly articulate. It is competitive, diverse and demanding; children who love to argue flourish.
Good for
Very academic children, families who want the American Ivy pipeline, debaters
Less suited to
Children who need structure and lectures, those who dislike competition
Getting in
Application by 15 January for September entry, SSAT, essays, interview; admission rate around 10 percent. Entry at grades 9 to 11.
What it costs in total
At about $ 70,000 a year for boarding, the 4 years from 14 to 18 add up to roughly €287,000 in today’s money including typical extras, before fee increases, tutoring and flights. The Education Cost Calculator adds inflation, extras and a second child.
Fees are rounded 2025/26 figures from the school’s own schedule and change every year. The school’s current fee sheet prevails. The picture is an impression of the setting, not a photograph of the campus.
Schools like this
