Lake Forest Academy

5.00 5 1 (2 reviews)
Tel: 847-615-3267
1500 West Kennedy Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045
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Lake Forest Academy is on the grounds of the former J. Ogden Armour estate. The Armour mansion has been transformed into our main academic building, Reid Hall, while maintaining its old world charm and character.
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Lake Forest Academy is on the grounds of the former J. Ogden Armour estate. The Armour mansion has been transformed into our main academic building, Reid Hall, while maintaining its old world charm and character.
An average class size of 12 students and a faculty to student ratio of 7:1, LFA provides an intimate and engaging learning environment.
The Lake Forest Academy school year begins with the annual All-School Handshake, whereby everyone at the school - faculty, staff, and students - shake hands with everyone else.
100% of our graduating seniors are college bound, and they often have their choice of the best colleges in the nation.
Everyone at LFA (students, faculty, and staff) belongs to one of four houses - Bird, Lewis, Sargent, or Welch. The four Houses compete in a series of mini competitions throughout the year and the House that earns the most points WINS!
LFA offers a variety of performing arts opportunities through courses, extra-curricular groups and the Arts Concentration. Some of the musical groups include Coax (rock band), VOX (glee club), choir, orchestra, and jazz band. Students also have several individual and small group performance opportunities throughout the year.
About half of the student body lives on campus in one of five dormitories. Over 80% of faculty live on campus and serve as dorm parents, building strong relationships with students inside and outside of the classroom. LFA offers an extensive weekend activity schedule so students can relax with their friends both on and off campus.
LFA offers 27 sports during the three athletic seasons in addition to PE options such as yoga, bowling, dance, and fitness.
The Cowart Media Commons includes a Mac computer lab, color printer, 3-D printer, small recording studio, and a large collection of DVDs and video games for students to check-out. The Media Commons is open for students to use throughout the day as well as during Study Hours from 7:30-10:00pm.
LFA has developed an innovative class schedule that rotates classes and allows for non-class time within each student's school day. This schedule adds an energizing twist to each student's school day and offers free periods to get a head start on homework, attend a club meeting, get extra help from a teacher or just hang out with friends.
  • Lake Forest Academy is an independent, co-educational, 9-12 college-preparatory school for boarding and day students located on 150 acres in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest.
  • Lake Forest Academy strives to embody in its practices and to cultivate in its students excellence of character, scholarship, citizenship, and responsibility.

Alumni Reviews
  Review School

  • Review Description

  • Class of 2011
    5 Stars   1/18/2017
    University of California, Irvine
     One of the most unique things about Lake Forest Academy are the state of the art facilities. Many buildings have been added and renovated since my time attending, and the campus truly is remarkable now. . .

  • Class of 2003
    5 Stars   10/11/2005
    Northwestern University
     Lake Forest Academy is a caring and nuturing place to learn. Each student is assigned to an advisor. Students meet in advisories. Advisors serve as mentors to students, monitor students' academic progress as well as. . .
Definition of Terms 
2017 School Data
Lake Forest AcademyBoarding School Avg.
School FocusCollege PrepCollege Preparatory
Grades Offered9-12, PG9-12
School TypeCo-edCo-ed
Religious AffiliationNon-denominationalNon-denominational
Year Founded18571910
Campus Size150 acres105 acres

Student Body

Enrollment430 students300 students
% Students of Color
30%
20%
% International Students
26%
20%
% Students Boarding
50%
66%
Average SAT Scoren/a* National Avg. »View
Average ACT score29*National Avg. » View
Offers Post-Grad YearYesNo

Academics and Faculty

Saturday ClassesNoNo
Classroom Dress CodeFormalCasual
Average Class Size12 students12
*National School Avg. » 20
Teacher : Student Ratio1:71:7
# of AP / Advanced Courses Offered2116
ESL Courses OfferedYesYes
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
75%
70%
Summer Program OfferedNoYes

Finances

Endowment Size$30 million$17 million
Yearly Tuition
(Boarding Students)		$55,350
(International students pay an additional $2000)		$52,698
Yearly Tuition
(Day Students)		$41,600$28,270
Tuition international students$2,100$47,400
% Students on Financial Aid
33%
36%
Merit Scholarships OfferedYesNo

Admission

Application DeadlineJan. 31 / rollingJan. 15
SSAT RequiredYesYes
Average Percentile SSAT63%-
Acceptance Rate
30%
57%
Director of AdmissionsCarolyn Gorowski
Associate Director of AdmissionsCaroline Pugliese

Course Listings

List of Courses OfferedLink to List of Courses

AP / Advanced Courses

# of AP / Advanced Courses Offered2116
CoursesAP Art History, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Chinese Language and Culture, AP Computer Science, AP Economics, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature, AP Environmental Science, AP French Language, AP Latin Vergil, AP Music Theory, AP Physics C, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish Literature, AP Statistics, AP U.S. History, AP World History, Formal Logic, Multivariable Calculus

Sports

# Interscholastic Sports Offered2114
SportsBadminton, Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cheering, Cross Country, Cycling, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Sailing, Soccer, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball

Extracurriculars

Total Extracurricular Organizations3823
ExtracurricularsAfrican American Heritage Choir, Asian Exploration, Black Awareness Club, Bridge Club, Caxy Keys, Chess Club, Chinese Language & Culture Club, Co-ak - LFA's rock band, Cooking Club, Cultural Diversity Club, Current Events Club, Dance Club, Debate Club, Foreign Film Club, Forensics Club, Free the Children, French Club, Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), Global Awareness Club, History Club, Interact Club, Investment Club, Japanese Club, Knitting Club, Lacrosse,

College Matriculation

Year: 2010 - 201310 Most Popular College Choices  (# Enrolled)
University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign23
New York University9
University of California Los Angeles8
Cornell University7
George Washington University7
University of Michigan7
Washington University in St. Louis7
Carnegie Mellon University6
Colorado College6
University of Pennsylvania6
Link to Matriculation Data

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.
  • 82% of the Faculty live on campus and 75% of our faculty members have a Master's degree or higher
  • Lake Forest Academy offers 21 Advanced Placement courses, 27 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 Babson, Bowdoin, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, George Washington, Northwestern, Stanford, University of Chicago, UCLA, University of Michigan, Williams, as well as many other excellent colleges and universities.
  • Many extracurricular opportunities are offered, including 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. 26% of our students come from outside the United States.
  • The LFA student body represents 14 states and 37 countries.
  • We are committed to making this education affordable. 33 percent of the student body receives financial aid..
  • 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
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Quick Stats
  • Grades: (Boarding) 9-12, PG
  • Students: 430 students
  • Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students): $55,350
  • Yearly Tuition (Day Students): $41,600
  • Acceptance rate: 30%
  • Average class size: 12 students
  • Application Deadline: Jan. 31 / rolling
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