Boarding Schools West Nottingham Academy

West Nottingham Academy www.wna.org

Founded in 1744, West Nottingham Academy (WNA) is the oldest boarding school in America. WNA offers a rigorous college-preparatory program on a beautiful campus near the Chesapeake Bay, just an hour from Baltimore & Philadelphia. With small classes, faculty that love to teach, and students from throughout the region and around the world, we invite you to learn more about our vibrant and rewarding learning community.

West Nottingham’s early roster of graduates includes many of the most prominent colonial Americans, and the school has for centuries featured the same interest in each student’s development of excellence that typified those early years. The Academy sees the individual in the midst of the crowd, and goes about making responsible, intelligent women and men from the adolescents entrusted to it. That is the school’s heritage, and the framework from which we teach.

Academics

At West Nottingham our students are challenged, yet not overwhelmed. They nestle into a curriculum that is designed just for them. Our academic program has both traditional and progressive elements. The Chesapeake Learning Center, the Skating Program, and our ESL offerings provide our students with the support the additional support that assures success. Our athletic program guarantees participation; our clubs, activities, Culture Credit and Service Learning programs make the boarding (or day) experience complete.

Special Highlights

Activities & Weekends. Every day at West Nottingham students participate in a variety of activities: examining concepts in the classroom, competing in athletics, and developing life-long connections with friends, faculty, and staff. A sense of community is at the heart of life at WNA. Student activities include live bands, movies in Helena Hall, talent shows, Xbox and table tennis tournaments.

Student Government. West Nottingham also offers a Culture Credit program. Each student attends two culturally enriching events per trimester, experiencing music, history, art and theater—something new. Past activities included trips to Lancaster Symphony, the Smithsonian, Walters Art Museum, Holocaust Museum, and more. After the event, students compose a written report which is then credited to their English grade.

Top colleges attended by students

Syracuse University, Dickinson, Wellesley, Emory University, Lehigh University, Ithaca College, Rochester Institute of Technology, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, James Madison University, University of Maryland, Michigan State University

What the school looks for in students…

“We seek engaged, active students who work hard, have basic English skills, and desire to be fully immersed in the school community.”