October 21, 2022

By Amy Jolly, Head of School

There are only 11 junior boarding schools in the United States, and these schools specialize in the unique academic and social-emotional needs of residential students in grades four through nine. There are many compelling developmental and educational reasons why families choose middle school boarding but one of the top reasons is overall secondary school preparation and placement.
JUNIOR BOARDING PREDICTS SECONDARY SCHOOL AND COLLEGE SUCCESS
The secondary schools are predisposed to favorably view our junior boarding graduates because if a student can successfully manage a junior boarding program, the odds of the student being successful on their campuses are high. In short, accepting a junior boarding graduate reduces the risk for the secondary school because the student has demonstrated the stamina and perseverance needed to live and learn in a rigorous environment. With this stamina comes confidence that is born from competence developed over time in our thoughtful program. At Applewild, we have a long tradition of placing students at top secondary schools and 90% of our graduates receive acceptance at their first or second choice school. We have found that our 9th-grade students do better in their placements and leave with more confidence and success at their next school.
ACADEMICS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT A SEAMLESS TRANSITION TO SECONDARY SCHOOL
Junior Boarding schools have thoughtful curricula that are carefully crafted to scaffold learning in developmentally appropriate ways to “launch” students powerfully to secondary schools. For example, Applewild School teaches 8th and 9th-grade students together in a thematic, interdisciplinary loop. This means students are grouped by ability for math but otherwise placed into dynamic pods of learners. These learners pursue all their curriculum through the lens of the thematic questions so no curriculum is repeated over a two-year period. Students are given agency in their coursework by having the ability to choose humanities electives by the trimester which they take in addition to their year-long humanities course. These electives are faculty “passion projects” that allow students to see their teachers as people with real interests and specializations which is inspiring. Our students had the choice of The History of Musical Theater, The History of Tea, and The History of Street Art for the first trimester electives! The agency that comes from choosing some of their coursework allows students to feel optimistic about their abilities and interested in their ongoing studies.
ABUNDANT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
All Junior Boarding schools offer a program with large chunks that are “non-optional.” All students “get to” do everything and are challenged to try things they already believe they may not like or be good at. Middle school is a wonderful time to try a new sport, experience a wide range of arts, and generally learn to take intellectual risks. Junior Boarding students have the opportunity to lead in sports, in student government, and in other venues such as clubs. Our club program occurs within the school day and allows students to engage in activities of mixed 6-9th grade cohorts. Applewild’s club program also gives our most senior students opportunities to grow and demonstrate organic leadership in areas beyond traditional leadership-development venues such as student council and athletics. Being given multiple areas to “shine” as a leader among their peers is a key element of preparing our students for secondary school placement success. We know they often reflect on the challenges and joys of club leadership experiences in their secondary school interviews. More importantly, they go on to be leaders on their secondary school campuses because they have had the opportunity to repeatedly practice these skills in an encouraging environment.
WE CARE FOR EACH CHILD AS AN INDIVIDUAL
We know that top secondary schools want empathetic, active, eager leaders of school life, and to bring out these skills we must know each child very well. Most Junior Boarding schools make an effort to carefully nurture individual interests by providing personalized opportunities. For example, one of our students shared that she enjoyed our Big Buddy program and asked if she could do more with younger students. We worked with her and her teachers to identify times in her day to assistant teach in our K-3 program. She is having the opportunity in the course of her normal school week to explore an interest and she will be able to reflect on these experiences in her secondary school interviews.
DEEPLY PERSONALIZED SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT
We view supporting our students' matriculation to their dream secondary school as our last gift we give our students. As such, some Junior Boarding schools offer two “exit” points after 8th or 9th grade. This means students graduate after eighth grade and apply for ninth-grade seats, or attend ninth grade at the Junior Boarding school and apply for tenth-grade seats, or attend Junior Boarding for ninth grade and apply to repeat ninth grade. Some students choose to apply “9 to 9” if academic or developmental reasons indicate that repeating is a healthy option and sometimes this helps a student obtain acceptance from a more selective institution.
Last year one of my secondary school advisees told me in our first meeting that he was only interested in attending Phillips Academy Andover. While well qualified, I urged him to consider adding other schools to his list so he would have options. He immediately shared that he loved Applewild and would be completely happy returning for ninth grade if he was not accepted at Andover. My role is to support students and families in the choices they make so so I reached out directly to the admission office at Andover to advocate on his behalf. This is the personal touch of our secondary school advising program. Ultimately, he was accepted as a freshman!
THE NINTH-GRADE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
Many families worry that selective schools won’t have tenth-grade seats available but almost every secondary school has openings for sophomores. Many boarding schools intentionally grow their sophomore class significantly knowing that many of the junior schools end at ninth grade and to capture top talent they need to make these spaces available. I was speaking with Kelly Sheehan, Senior Associate Director of Admission of The Pomfret School and Schools to Know who shared that Pomfret intentionally adds 35-40 sophomores each year. Kelly shared, “while we love welcoming our freshmen students and have a special dormitory for them, we find there is a talented cohort of students who are ready for boarding school in the tenth grade and we don’t want to miss that pool of amazing talent.” For additional reference, an informal survey showed that Tabor takes about 30 sophomores, Holderness 15, Northfield Mount Herman 50-60, and Westminster takes between 15-20 so we can generalize that most schools take a nice cohort at the tenth grade.
The number of available 10th-grade seats may sound small, but there are many fewer applicants so statistically a well-qualified candidate will typically have twice the chance at admission applying to 10th grade than at 9th. This means that students applying from a position of strength, with solid grades and co-curricular experiences to offer the secondary schools, are at a competitive relative advantage.
Students who choose to stay for ninth grade receive the gift of time and the additional maturity that another year brings so they will often apply more “boldly” to secondary schools. Our 9th graders approach the secondary school process with a more critical eye, and ultimately a more reasoned approach with leads to more solid selections!
NINTH GRADERS ARE THE OLDEST STUDENTS ON CAMPUS
For both our day and boarding students, we help each student identify a list of schools and prepare them to write their application essays and interviews. As head of school, it is my pleasure to stand at the threshold of the next educational step for our students and to assist them and their families in finding an appropriate next school. I work collaboratively with our assistant head of school and dean of students in this effort to make sure our students present well and feel confident. While students can go off to secondary school after the 8th grade, staying to enjoy being the campus leader, the person that every other student looks up to, allows our 9th-grade “seniors” to simultaneously develop to their fullest potential for the strongest possible secondary school experience, and to thread the needle between independence and preserving childhood for one last year. In the absence of teen-normative behavior from 10th to 12th graders, ninth graders have the freedom to focus on themselves for an additional year which results in more holistic development.
Junior Boarding schools give students an opportunity to practice in a family-like atmosphere the skills they will need for secondary school and beyond. Peers that are more like siblings. Faculty that you live with, and share their passion for learning beyond the classroom. Teachers that care enough to remind students to practice table manners at dinner, and are happy to sled down a hill with a student in winter. Junior Boarding School, provide a home away from home and relationships that nurture a child's growth. We know that a child’s education through the ninth grade is the most important time in their lives — when habits of mind and heart are firmly established — and we are ready to help our students take that next big step in their educational journey!