Boarding Schools  Taft School

Taft School http://taftschool.org

Founded in 1890, The Taft School is a co-educational boarding school for nearly 600 students in grades nine through post graduate. Living where they learn, academically talented students from all over the world are guided by an extraordinary faculty on a 220-acre campus in Western Connecticut. With the motto, “Not to be served but to serve” as a moral foundation, Taft graduates matriculate to our nation’s leading colleges and universities.

When Mr. Taft established his school, he envisioned it as a place that would educate the “whole person.” That vision remains the guiding principle of the school today. Education at Taft is personal, moral and ethical, as well as academic. Nowhere is that belief clearer than in the Portrait of a Graduate the faculty created in 2003. In it they describe the mission as students and faculty live it in the 21st century. The school’s culture is inseparable from its mission, and its community is fundamentally shaped by this belief in helping young people become lifelong learners, thoughtful world citizens and caring people.

 Academics

Taft is a vibrant, diverse and exciting school, one of enormous academic challenge and extracurricular opportunities. The campus is a beautiful one, a mix of historic and modern buildings, and one that enhances our close community. Teachers and students live together, and teaching and learning take place at all hours of the day, in and out of the classroom. Our hope is that our students will graduate not only prepared to excel at the finest universities and colleges but also equipped to be responsible global citizens.

 Special Highlights

Honor System. One of the most respected tenets of the school is every student’s pledge of academic and personal honesty. The Honor System places in each student’s hands the responsibility for honorable conduct as a way of life. A student who comes to Taft accepts this responsibility. The Honor Code was developed by students. Taft students understand that the culture of the school is shaped by the students themselves, and they see it as a duty to uphold the central values.

Community Service. Taft’s Volunteer Program serves a variety of local constituencies including the Red Cross, the St. Vincent De Paul Homeless Shelter, Girls’ Inc., Children’s Community School, Casa Bienvenida, Watertown elementary schools, nursing homes, the YMCA and local affiliates of Habitat for Humanity. Students have the opportunity to participate in a program by choosing community service as their extracurricular activity.

 Top colleges attended by students

Bates College, Boston College, Bowdoin College, Bucknell University, Cornell University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Trinity College, Tufts University

 What the school looks for in students…

“The Admissions Committee seeks students who are curious, who will become involved, and who will commit themselves to a high standard of intellectual and personal growth.”