Phillips Academy Andover
A Place of Limitless Opportunities -- you come to Andover because of the 1,100 other students who come to Andover.
They are, as our founding charter calls for them to be, "youth from every quarter." They`re talented in quirky and serious ways, they have ideas and opinions like- but mostly unlike-yours, they have fascinating histories and surprising ambitions and generous hearts.
They come because they love ideas and learning and discovering.
And they come because maybe you will be here too. One of the Latin mottoes on our seal translates as "the end depends on the beginning." Andover is a place where we`re always beginning.
We`re always discovering new opportunities, experimenting with a new approach, finding courage to take risks.
We`re always looking for new ways to reach out to people in need, to work together with new communities.
Always making room for you to be your most honest, authentic, daring self. Imagine teachers who give you the freedom to think openly and deeply, to question and make mistakes.
With more than 300 dynamic courses, Andover's rigorous academic program offers a strong foundation in the arts, humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences.
Our more than 150 electives include student-faculty research, independent projects, and immersive learning opportunities locally and abroad.
There is no single teaching method. Faculty share a philosophy of "learning by doing" and a zeal for using technology to inform and empower.
The Academy's approach to teaching not only prepares students superbly for college, but also instills a lifelong love of learning.
Alumni Reviews Review School
- Review Description
- Rutgers As I look back on my life, I found the English Department profoundly brilliant. The level of reading (weekly) was extraordinary. The level of commitment of the faculty was genuine.. . .
- Smith College Phillips Academy Andover has a nonsibi day in April. We don’t have any classes but instead volunteer for special events and for each grade it is a different theme. One of the schools mottos is. . .
- Stanford Andover has a need-blind admissions policy, which means that they don't take into account someone's ability to pay for the school when deciding whether or not to admit them. This makes the school much diverse. . .
- Show more reviews (13 reviews)
Top Rankings
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Phillips Academy Andover ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 301 schools) for:
- Category Attribute
- Community Size Large student body (number of students)
- School Resources Large financial endowment
- School Resources Highest endowment/student
- Selectivity Low acceptance rates
- Offering Breadth Most sports offered
- Offering Breadth Most extracurriculars offered
- Offering Breadth High # of AP/advanced courses offered
- Student Test Scores High average SAT scores
- School History Oldest founding date
| Definition of Terms | 2021 School Data | Phillips Academy | Boarding School Avg. |
| School Focus | College Prep | College Preparatory |
| Grades Offered | 9-12, PG | 9-12 |
| School Type | Co-ed | Co-ed |
| Religious Affiliation | Non-denominational | Non-denominational |
| Year Founded | 1778 | 1907 |
| Campus Size | 500 acres | 125 acres |
Student Body
| Enrollment | 1146 students | 300 students |
| % Students of Color | 50% | 25% |
| % International Students | 12% | 20% |
| % Students Boarding | 75% | 70% |
| Average SAT Score | 1446 | * National Avg. »View |
| Average ACT score | 31 | *National Avg. » View |
| Offers Post-Grad Year | Yes | No |
Academics and Faculty
| Saturday Classes | No | No |
| Classroom Dress Code | Casual | Casual |
| Average Class Size | 13 students | 12 *National School Avg. » 20 |
| Student : Teacher Ratio | 5:1 | 7:1 |
| # of AP / Advanced Courses Offered | 70 | 18 |
| ESL Courses Offered | No | Yes |
| % Faculty with Advanced Degree | 80% | 70% |
| Summer Program Offered | Yes | Yes |
| Summer Program Details | Link to Summer Program Details | |
Tuition Cost
| Endowment Size | $1134 million | $25 million |
| Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) | $61,950 | $59,500 |
| Yearly Tuition (Day Students) | $48,020 | $33,900 |
| % Students on Financial Aid | 47% | 40% |
| Avg. Financial Aid Grant | $40,800 | $25,000 |
| Merit Scholarships Offered | No | No |
Acceptance Rate
| Application Deadline | Feb. 1 | Jan. 15 |
| Accepts Standardized Application | No | No |
| SSAT Required | No | Yes |
| Acceptance Rate | 13% | 58% |
| Director of Admissions | Jill Thompson | |
Course Listings
| List of Courses Offered | Link to List of Courses |
AP / Advanced Courses
| # of AP / Advanced Courses Offered | 70 | 18 |
| Courses | A Room of Their Own: Women's Studies and Literature, A Social History of Latin America, Accelerated Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Biology, Advanced Chinese, Advanced College Chemistry, Advanced courses in painting, ceramics, drawing, photography, video, Advanced Electronic Music, Advanced Fourth-Level German, Advanced Latin Authors, Advanced Theory & Composition, Advanced Topics in French, African Literature, An Introductory Survey of African American Literature, AP AB Calculus, AP Accelerated AB Calculus, AP Accelerated BC Calculus, AP BC Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP Statistics, Applied Logic, Architecture, Asia (history), Atomic America: Service Learning, Calculus-Based Physics, California Dreaming, Chamber Music Performance Seminar, Children in Literature: Growing Up in a Changing World, Community Engagement in the City of Lawrence: We, the People (Spanish), Comparative Government, Contemporary American Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Creative Writing: Fiction, Creative Writing:Poetry, Critical Race Theory: The American Dream Deferred, Current Events and Multimedia: Approaches to the Hispanic World (Spanish), Economics Research Colloquiem, Ethics:The Environment, Foundations of Modern Physics, Haunted by Shadows:Viewing African Independence through Lens and Literature, History of Art, Honors Computer Science Seminar: Software Design; Computer Graphics; Data Structures & Algorithms, Honors Math Seminar: Differential Equations; The Genius of Euler; Bayesian Statistics, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Introduction to Hispanic Literature (Spanish), Introduction to Theory and Composition, James Joyce, Justice and Globalization, Macroeconomics and the Global Consumer, Medieval Literature, Microeconomics and the Developing World, Molecular and Cellular Biology: Indepdendent Laboratory Research, Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra, Nonviolence and Social Change, Our Americas: Crossing Borders (Spanish), Out of Tune: Music and the State in the 20th Century, Playwriting, Race and Comparative American Literatures, Religion and Pilgrimage, Shakespeare, The American Civil War, The Internet in Print, The Middle East, The World in Pieces:Poetry and Cinema of the Avant-Garde, Twentieth Century Drama, U.S. History, Understanding Latin America (Spanish), Writers in Depth | |
Sports
| # Interscholastic Sports Offered | 29 | 16 |
| Sports | Ballet, Baseball, Basketball, Climbing, Crew, Cross Country, Cross Country Running, Cycling, Dance, Diving, Fencing, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Nordic Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Water Polo, Winter Track, Wrestling | |
Extracurriculars
| Total Extracurricular Organizations | 178 | 23 |
| Extracurriculars | Club or Organization: 3D Printing Club, Academy Manor Nursing Home volunteers, ActiveMinds Andover, Activism, AdoptaPlatoon, Afro-Latino-American Society (Af-Lat-Am), Alianza (Latino Student Alliance), Amnesty International Club, and Mentoring (DREAM), Andover Ambassadors, Andover Japanese Connection, App Development, ARC Buddies, Archaeology and History Club, Asian Society, Astronomy Club, Babel Foreign Language Magazine, Backtracks Magazine, Baking Club, Bancroft Elementary Teachers Aides, Big Idea Club, Birding Club, Blue Key Society, Boss Magazine, Bread & Roses community kitchen volunteers, Bread Loaf Pen Pel Program, Bread Loaf Writing Workshop, Calliope (female a capella), Campuses against Cancer, Catholic Student Fellowship, Chess Club, Chinese Language & Culture Club, Chinese Taiwanese Student Association, Christian Fellowship Club, Classical Physics Club, Classics Club, Clutch Collaborative, Community Awareness For Everyone (CAFE), Computer Science Club, Constructed Languages Club, Courant Art & Literary Magazine, Culinary Appreciation Club, Culture Politics & Religion (CPR), Cyber Security and Forensics Club, Dear Sam Wellness Club, Deerfield Dance Club, Deerfield Scroll -- Student Newspaper, Disability Rights, Diversity Task Force, Documentary Society, Drug Alcohol Awareness Committee, EAT Club, Eco-Action, Education, Elements, Entrepreneurship Club, Environmental Action Group, Fashion Design Club, Figure Skating Club, Film Makers Society, Finance & Politics of Sports, Finance Club, Fitness, French Club, Frontline Political Magazine, Games Club, Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), German Club, Girls Global Health, GirlUp Andover!, Global Health Initiative, Global Nomads, Grill Club, Hindu Student Union, Indo-Pak, International Club, International Review online publication, Japanese Animeshon Club, Jewish Student Union, Junto, Justice NOW, Model UN, Modern Engineering Forum, Motorsports Club, Moviemakers Club, Muslim Student Union, Non sibi Society, Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Friends of the Orphans), Out of the Blue, Over the Hills and Farther Away, OXFAM, PA Democrats, PA Liberal Action, PA Republican Society, Philomathean, Philosophy, Photography Club, Physical Health Information Team, Physics Club, Political Union, Pot Pourri Yearbook, Project V.O.I.C.E. (ESL), Psychology Club, Quiz Bowl, Real World Challenge aeronautics, Red Cross, Robotics Club, Science & Technology Club, Science and Medicine Journal Club, Science Club, Science Club for Girls, Se Puede After-School Tutoring Program, SIS Female Empowerment program, Sketchy comedy writing club, South East Asian Club, Spanish, Speech Club, Sports Forum, Sports Medicine Club, Student Activities Board, Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, Students in Medicine, Techmasters, The Childrens Place volunteers, The Fellowship (FOCUS), UNICEF Club, VOICE-Foreign Language Magazine, Women's Forum, Word slam poetry club, WPAA Radio, Youth Development Organization volunteers Arts and Music Programs: Andover Art Society, Andover-Lawrence String Program, Architecture Club, Art Exchange, Art for Expression, Art Music Society, Azure, blue.print, Classical Music Forum, DJ Factory-Electronic Music Production, DramaLabs, Drum Line, Footnotes tap dance group, Frisbee Club, Gospel, Handbell Choir, Hypnotiq, Music MDs, Unaccompanied Minors, Under the Bed, Yorkies Recreational Athletic Programs: Ballroom Dance Society, Blue Strut, Cluster Ultimate Frisbee, Coed Crew, Cross Country, Dance Instruction, Disc Golf, Double Dutch, Fencing Club, FIT (Fundamentals in Training), Hip Hop Club, Instructional Swim, Intramural Hockey, Intramural Sports, Outdoor Pursuits, Paddle Tennis Club, Pilates, Ping Pong Club, Skating, SLAM cheer team, Spinning, Sports and Games Club, Squash instruction, Tennis Instruction, Volleyball Instruction, Yoga | |
College Matriculation
| Year: 2014 - 2016 | 10 Most Popular College Choices (# Enrolled) | |
| Brown University | ||
| Columbia University | ||
| Cornell University | ||
| Georgetown University | ||
| Harvard | ||
| Princeton Unversity | ||
| Stanford University | ||
| University of Chicago | ||
| University of Pennsylvania | ||
| Yale University | ||
School Notes
- Why Andover? Because you`ll be welcomed into an inspiring community of smart, motivated, curious, open-minded, and genuinely nice people from across the country and around the world. Because this is a high school that celebrates difference and prizes originality. Because at Andover you can be your most honest, authentic, daring self.
- Phillips Academy, a residential secondary school, seeks students of intelligence and integrity from diverse cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds.The school`s residential structure enables faculty to support students in their personal, social, and intellectual development. The academic program fosters excellence in all disciplines within the liberal arts tradition. Faculty members guide students in mastering skills, acquiring knowledge, and thinking critically, creatively, and independently. The school strives to help young people achieve their potential not only intellectually, but also artistically, athletically, and morally, so that they may lead responsible and fulfilling lives.The Academy is committed to establishing a community that encourages people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to understand and respect one another and to be sensitive to difference of gender, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. In its programs, the school seeks to promote a balance of leadership, cooperation, and service, together with a deeper awareness of the global community and the natural world.Andover`s 1778 Constitution charges the Academy to prepare "Youth from every quarter" to understand that "goodness without knowledge is weak- yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous." This obligation challenges students in mind, body, and spirit to see beyond themselves and to go beyond the familiar; to remain committed to developing what is finest in themselves and others, for others and themselves.This revised version of the Statement of Purpose, voted by the faculty in winter 2000, reaffirms the Academy`s goals set forth in the Constitution of 1778.
- Phillips Academy Andover accreditations: NEASC
- Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
- President George Bush - 41st President of the United States
- Oliver Wendell Holmes - Poet, literary leader and doctor
- Benjamin Spock - Author; authority on child-rearing; anti-war activist
- Jack Lemmon - Academy Award-winning actor
- President George W. Bush - 43rd President of the United States
- Julia Alvarez - Poet, novelist, and author
- Frederick Law Olmstead - designed NYC's Central Park
- Christopher Hughes - co-founded Facebook and served as online strategist for Obama campaign
- Rebecca Dowling Adams - US's first female Top Gun pilot
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