Lake Forest Academy

1500 West Kennedy Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045 - View a map of this school Map
Tel: 847-615-3267
Grades: (Boarding) 9-12, PG | 430 students
Founded in 1857, Lake Forest Academy is a coed, boarding and day school serving 390 academically bright and motivated students. The Academy is located in a National Historic Landmark 30 miles north of Chicago on a 150-acre wooded campus. The Academy offers a challenging curriculum focused on academic excellence and characterized by small classes and close faculty/student interaction. The community provides the support and caring needed to develop confidence and strong values and makes learning a constant adventure.

Top 20 Placements: All Schools, Similar Size Schools

Listed among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 316 schools) for:

Definition of Terms 
| 2012 School Data
Lake Forest Academy
Boarding School Avg.
School Focus College Preparatory College Preparatory
Grades Offered. 9-12, PG 7-12
School Type Co-ed Co-ed
Support for ADD/ADHD Students No No
Religious Affiliation Non-denominational Non-denominational
Year Founded 1857 1906
Campus Size 150 acres 125 acres
Student Body
Enrollment 430 students 300 students
Percent Students of Color 18% 18%
Percent International Students 27% 19%
Percent Students Boarding 50% 67%
Average SAT Score n/a * National Avg. »View
Average ACT score 28 *National Avg. » View
Offers Post-Grad Year Yes No
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes No No
Classroom Dress Code Formal Casual
Average Class Size 12 students 12
*National School Avg. » 20
Teacher : Student Ratio 1:7 1:7
# of AP/Advanced Courses Offered 26 14
ESL Courses Offered Yes Yes
% Faculty with Advanced Degree 65% 65%
Summer Program Offered No Yes
Finances
Endowment Size $21 million $14 million
Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) $47,000
(International students pay an additional $1800)		 $44,700
Yearly Tuition (Day Students) $34,700 $24,600
Percent Students on Financial Aid 31% 33%
Average Financial Aid Grant $18,000 $19,000
Merit Scholarships Offered No No
Admission
Application Deadline Jan. 31 / rolling Jan. 15
SSAT Required Yes Yes
Average Percentile SSAT 74% -
Acceptance Rate 53% 60%
Director of Admissions Loring Strudwick  
Associate Director of Admissions Caroline Pugliese  

Course Listings:
List of Courses Offered Link to List of Courses

Sports:
Total Interscholastic Sports Offered 16 13
Interscholastic Sports
Baseball Basketball
Cheering Cross Country
Field Hockey Football
Golf Ice Hockey
Sailing Soccer
Softball Swimming
Tennis Track and Field
Volleyball Wrestling

Extracurricular:
Total Extracurricular Organizations 41 24
Extracurriculars
African American Heritage Choir Asian Exploration
Black Awareness Table (BAT) Bridge Club
Caxy Keys Chess Club
Chinese Club Cooking Club
Cultural Diversity Club Current Events Club
Dance Debate Club
Foreign Film Club Forensics Club
Free the Children French Club
Gay Straight Alliance Global Awareness Club
History Club Hot Wings Club
Interact Investment Club
Japanese Club Knitting Club
Lacrosse Library Club (TALK)
Literary Magazine (Lit Mag) Mah Jong Club
Mock Trial Club Newspaper
Paintball Photo & Graphics = Art 2
Photography Club Poets & Writers
Sailing Salsa
Ski Club Unidos
Water polo Yearbook
Yoga

College Matriculation:
Year: 2006-2009
10 Most Popular College Choices  (# Enrolled)
Northwestern University 17
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign 16
University of Michigan 13
Carnegie Mellon University 7
Duke University 7
Lake Forest College 7
Tufts University 7
University of Pennsylvania 7
Vanderbilt University 7
New York University 6

School Notes:

  • Lake Forest Academy is located on a beautiful 150 acre wooded campus in the northern Chicago suburb of Lake Forest. The campus features academic buildings, residence halls, a gymnasium and ice hockey rink, playing fields and faculty homes.
  • LFA's mascot is the Caxy, which is ancient Greek for the croaking sound made by a frog.
  • 75% of the Faculty live on campus and the majority of our faculty members have graduate degrees.
  • Lake Forest Academy offers 24 Advanced Placement courses, 23 varsity sports, and a wide range of artistic options.
  • 100% of our graduating seniors matriculate to college.
  • LFA graduates attend the best colleges in the country, including Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, Columbia, George Washington, Georgetown, Cornell, Middlebury and Wesleyan, Northwestern, University of Chicago, UCLA, Williams, as well as many other excellent colleges and universities.
  • Many extracurricular opportunities are offered, including more than 30 student-run clubs, newspaper, yearbook, student dances, and many trips off campus to places like Chicago and Milwaukee.
  • Lake Forest Academy is a diverse community - we have students from all corners of the globe. 27% of our students come from outside the United States.
  • The LFA student body represents 16 states and 22 countries.
  • We are committed to making this education affordable. 31 percent of the student body receives financial aid ($2.8 million awarded annually).
  • Important Traditions at LFA:

    Move-Up Day
    Move-Up Day began as a tradition at Ferry Hall in 1906, originally called Ivy Day, commemorating the annual planting of Ivy at the base of Smith Hall. Over time, this tradition evolved into its current form, usually being held the day before Graduation. Departmental awards and speeches are given, and at the end of the ceremony, each class is invited to "move up" and literally take the place that they will occupy the next year: seniors move to sit with the alumni, juniors take the former spots of the seniors, and so on.
    All-School Handshake
    At the beginning of each year every student, faculty member, and administrator gathers in the formal gardens and participates in the all school handshake. The entire school arranges themselves in a line around the periphery of the Formal Gardens and the Head of School begins by shaking the person's hand next to him. As he moves down the line the next person shakes his hand, and the next, and the next. The procession behind the Head Master snakes around until every member of the school shakes the hand of everyone else.
    The House Cup
    The House Cup Competition was established under Dean Colley Bell in 2004. The students are divided up into four houses (Lewis, Sargent, Welch, and Bird) and compete in various events throughout the year. The house with the most event points at the end of the year gets their name inscribed on a trophy that is located in Reid Hall, and the colors of their team are used in the student handbook.
  • School accreditations: The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
  • Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
    • Jean Harlow - Actress
    • Bix Biederbecke - Jazz cornet player
    • Bradley Russell Weinberger, - Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
    • Bill Ayers - Political activist and professor at the University of Chicago
    • David Bradley - Film director
    • Bill Schulz - Panelist, writer, and producer on Fox News Channel's late night show, Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld
    • Judy Baar Topinka - Former Illinois State Treasurer
    • Frances Perkins - First female Secretary of Labor

Nearby Schools:

Lake Forest Academy
Gr. 9-12 | Co-Ed | 0 mi. away
St. John's Northwestern Military Academy
Gr. 6-12 | All-Boys | 62.1 mi. away
La Lumiere School
n/a - n/a | | 71.1 mi. away
Wayland Academy
Gr. 9-12 | Co-Ed | 96.0 mi. away

View all schools in: Illinois, Midwest Region

Recent Articles:

12 Boarding Schools Costing Less Than $20,000
12 Boarding Schools Costing Less Than $20,000
Published April 13, 2013
Here then are a dozen boarding schools which charge approximately $20,000 per year or less for tuition, room and board.

An Overview of Paying for Boarding School An Overview of Paying for Boarding School
This hub is designed as a guide to the financial side of things as you explore boarding schools.

Financing Options at a Glance Financing Options at a Glance
You can pay for private school several different ways.

  • More articles: Why Boarding School, Choosing a School, Admissions, School Life, Financing

    • REQUEST FREE
    ADMISSIONS INFORMATION:

    I am a: Parent   Student  
    Email:
    Parent or guardian name:
    First name:
    Middle name:
    Last name:
    Student date of birth:
    Country of citizenship:
    Student is:
    Male   Female  
    Currently grade:    Seeking entry grade:
    Target start date:
    Name of current school:
    School type:
    Public   Private   Parochial  
    Applying for financial aid?:
    Yes   No   Don't Know  

    Please describe academic, athletic, and extracurricular interests of the student.

    Address:
    City:
    Country:
    State:
    Zip:

    (enter "N/A" if not applicable)
    Phone:

    Allow other schools to send me information. Share your information with all schools on our site and let them send you brochures.

    Save this data and create your user profile. Create your own user account so you don't have to re-type your user data each time you request information.You'll also be able to track your information requests, get reminded of application dates, and more!

    Most Popular Articles: