Ages: Grades 9-12

Admissions: Online application, standardised test results, school report, recommendations plus interview. Application deadline is January 10.

No. of Pupils: 865

Curriculum: Dynamic balance characterises the Choate Rosemary Hall experience, both in and out of the classroom, preparing students especially well for success in a world filled with challenges and opportunities.

Campus and facilities: Rosemary Hall, a school for girls, was founded in 1890 by Mary Atwater Choate; in 1896, she and her husband, William Choate, established the Choate School for boys on the same family property in Wallingford. The two institutions merged in 1974 to become Choate Rosemary Hall, a college- prep, co-educational private boarding school that sits on a 185-hectare campus.

Noteworthy: The school’s traditional matriculation ceremony requires each student to sign a pledge card of commitment “to personal growth, to integrity, to self- discipline and to caring for others.” Choate offers 32 different sports and puts forth 81 teams in interscholastic competition. Intramural programmes include aerobics, dance, weight-training, yoga, winter running, rock climbing and volleyball.

New: Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Colony Hall is a 50,000sqft auditorium dedicated to community gatherings and the arts that is scheduled to open in 2019.

Fees: US$59,110 (boarding); US$45,710 (day)

Choate Rosemary Hall, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, Connecticut, choate.edu