Rock Point School
Rock Point School is a small, supportive day and boarding school for high school students who have not found success in other more traditional school settings.
Rock Point is a place where young people - who have found themselves off-track academically, socially, and personally - are seen for who they are, take healthy risks, grow, find success, and discover their passion. Located in beautiful and culturally rich Burlington, VT, we offer high school students small, engaging classes, experiential learning, close relationships with staff, and ongoing opportunities to discover who they are.
Academically, we support a range of learning styles, and work with students to improve their organization, self-advocacy, and study skills.
In our dorm program, we encourage our students to have fun, laugh, try new things, make friends, and discover what excites them -- whether it be snowboarding, digital animation, or playing music.
Top Rankings
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Rock Point School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 303 schools) for:
- Category Attribute
- Community Size Small student body (number of students)
- Student Attention Small average class sizes
| Definition of Terms | 2021 School Data | Rock Point School | Boarding School Avg. |
| School Focus | College Prep | College Preparatory |
| Grades Offered | 9-12, PG | 9-12 |
| School Type | Co-ed | Co-ed |
| ADD/ADHD Support | Yes | Yes |
| Supports Learning Differences (LD) | Yes | Yes |
| Religious Affiliation | Non-denominational | Non-denominational |
| Year Founded | 1928 | 1907 |
| Campus Size | 130 acres | 125 acres |
Student Body
| Enrollment | 30 students | 300 students |
| % Students of Color | 17% | 25% |
| % International Students | 5% | 20% |
| % Students Boarding | 90% | 70% |
| Average SAT Score | n/a | * National Avg. »View |
| Offers Post-Grad Year | Yes | No |
Academics and Faculty
| Saturday Classes | No | No |
| Classroom Dress Code | Casual | Casual |
| Average Class Size | 8 students | 12 *National School Avg. » 20 |
| Student : Teacher Ratio | 5:1 | 7:1 |
| ESL Courses Offered | Yes | Yes |
| % Faculty with Advanced Degree | 75% | 70% |
| Summer Program Offered | Yes | Yes |
| Summer Program Cost | $9,500 (Tuition is for a full six week session. We also offer half sessions.) | |
| Summer Program Details | Link to Summer Program Details | |
Tuition Cost
| Endowment Size | $2.1 million | $25 million |
| Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) | $63,345 | $59,500 |
| Yearly Tuition (Day Students) | $31,800 | $33,500 |
| % Students on Financial Aid | 25% | 40% |
| Avg. Financial Aid Grant | $18,000 | $25,000 |
| Merit Scholarships Offered | No | No |
Acceptance Rate
| Application Deadline | None / Rolling | Jan. 15 |
| Accepts Standardized Application | Yes | No |
| SSAT Required | No | Yes |
| Acceptance Rate | 75% | 58% |
| Director of Admissions | Hillary Kramer | |
| Associate Director of Admissions | Laura Abrams | |
Course Listings
| List of Courses Offered | Link to List of Courses |
Sports
| # Interscholastic Sports Offered | 2 | 16 |
| Sports | Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee | |
Extracurriculars
| Total Extracurricular Organizations | 10 | 23 |
| Extracurriculars | Club or Organization: Creative Writing, GSA, School Play Arts and Music Programs: Stained Glass Recreational Athletic Programs: Skateboarding, Skiing, Snowboarding, Ultimate Frisbee, Year Book Committee, Yoga | |
School Notes
- Academic Courses: Each year, Rock Point students take a class in each of our five core content areas: English, Math, History, Science, and Art.
- During the day, students have one hour of supervised study hall when all teachers are available to continue to provide support and instruction.
- Students also take electives (in the past we have offered photography, drama, Spanish, stained glass, architecture, maple syrup making, honey production, and fiber arts). Students often look forward to these electives classes as a chance to connect with their core classroom teachers and their peers in a more relaxed and creative setting.
- Core Learning Skills: Some skills are practiced primarily in the classroom, although they can be applied more broadly: writing, critical thinking, note-taking, test-preparation, and test-taking. Other skills are practiced everywhere in our program, as we help students learn to manage their time, maintain healthy relationships, and develop essential character traits like compassion, creativity, and resilience. More and more current educational research is discovering that these are the skills that most reliably lead to success in any learning environment; at Rock Point School, we have been operating on that belief for decades.
- Tailored to the Individual: At Rock Point School, we are serious about considering the particular strengths and challenges of each individual student in every aspect of our program. Our small size allows us to be more flexible, responsive, and nuanced than larger institutions. While we believe that all students benefit from a learning environment where they are more fully known by their teachers, experience has shown us that certain students seem to need this more than others. For some, being truly known allows them to grow and change in ways they had never dreamed were possible.
- Life outside of class: The dorm staff shares their love for outdoor adventure and the arts, as well as just spending time with students. Every weekend there is a range of activities offered at the school, in the amazing college town of Burlington, and throughout Vermont and upstate New York. These include skiing/snowboarding, hiking, biking, cooking and baking, gardening, community service projects, watching sporting events, and attending art shows, poetry slams, music events, and plays. We also go backpacking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, whitewater rafting on the Hudson River, and exploring in Montreal. Students even have the chance to run a "leg" in the Burlington Marathon.
- Trips: We travel both far afield and close to home. Students have opportunities to go on trips throughout Vermont, as well as to Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine. Each year, usually during February vacation, we offer an international trip. We have travelled to Japan, Cambodia, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua. Each trip has included cultural exchange and, as often as possible, a strong service-learning component.
- Teaching Healthy Living: The personal, emotional, and social wellbeing of every student is as important as his or her achievement in the classroom. In everyday life at Rock Point School, students explore their physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Through work crews, study halls in the evening, and all kinds of fun activities, students learn to manage their time and find a healthy balance between work and play. Our activities in the dorm are geared toward art and culture, outdoor recreation, and community service. Throughout these areas, we teach students about the basics of self-care: getting enough exercise, getting enough rest, paying attention to nutrition, and having healthy ways to relax and de-stress.
- Summer Session: At Rock Point, we offer a fun, exciting, and supportive place for students to spend their summer. Whether they need to make up academic credit, or simply want to build organizational skills, study habits, and social skills, as well as live in a structured community setting, our summer session is a great option. The summer consists of outdoor adventures and classroom work that is inspired by nature, including reading, writing, research projects, and making art. We especially enjoy the way Burlington, Vermont comes alive in the summertime. And, just as in our regular-year program, the summer session emphasizes healthy relationships with staff, learning to be good members of a community, a range of fun activities, and a chance to build academic skills.
- LD types supported: ADHD/ADD, Executive Functioning, slower processing, Mild Learning Differences, Language-based learning differences, Math-based learning differences, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia
- Rock Point School accreditations: NEAS&C, TABS, ISANNE,
- Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
- James Graham - CEO and Founder of Community Phone
- Jo Dee Messina - Country Singer, winner of Academy of Country Music's Top Female Artist of the year, and the CMA's Horizon Award.
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