JUNIOR BOARDING SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (JBSA): AN ELITE SELECTION OF MIDDLE SCHOOLS IN THE NORTHEAST

The Junior Boarding School Association (JBSA) is a small grouping of select, highly prestigious boarding schools from New England and New York state. They are considered to be the leading feeder schools for pupils intending to apply to the leading college-preparatory boarding schools in the region. The schools were historically regarded as essential stepping stones for the boys and girls of America’s social classes before attending premier boarding schools and, ultimately, matriculating into Ivy League universities and Little Ivy colleges. Today, the schools are renowned as academically and athletically elite schools that are working hard to meet the demands of modern families seeking a diverse student body, curriculum and a rigorous preparatory program open to all, regardless of background.

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ABOUT

The Junior Boarding School Association was founded in 1989 bringing together a community of boarding, middle schools that already collaborated in many respects and shared a common ethos and reputation and standing. These schools are unique in that they offer a boarding programme at middle school and do not have a high school component. Indeed they are considered to be pre-preparatory schools in the American sense (in that they offer an educational programme intended to facilitate the transition into traditional boarding college-preparatory high schools). The schools share a similar history as being amongst the leading private elementary and middle schools in the Northeast of the United States and have long-been the preferred feeder schools to the region’s elite private schools (see the so-called Elite Eight, St Grottlesex and Select 16 schools for examples).

The group initially consisted of 12 schools from the Northeast with the exception of one school in Illinois, namely: The Bement School; Cardigan Mountain School; Eaglebrook School; Fay School; The Fessenden School; Fox River Country Day School; Hillside School; Indian Mountain School; Linden Hill School; North Country School; Rectory School; and Rusmey Hall School. Fox River and Linden Hill have subsequently closed bringing the group’s membership down to 10. All of the member schools are accredited independent schools and are members of the National Association of Independent Schools and The Association of Boarding Schools. In this respect, the JBSA is similar to the older Oxford Group in the United Kingdom whose members are the equivalent elite tier of boarding schools preparing children for entry into the top “Public Schools” (private schools in the British tradition).

The association’s members were historically boys-only schools, however many have since expanded to offer co-educational admissions. Typically, most of the schools also offer a range of flexible boarding or day admission options. Whilst all have a middle school programme, some also offer education at pre-school and elementary level, albeit boarding tends to be available to middle school pupils only.

The Junior Boarding School Association is a non-profit that fosters a cohesive network for member schools seeking to benefit from a common knowledge-pool and who can work together to represent their common interest in local and national matters. Members are able to avail of extensive resources, ideas and training (inclduing an annual new faculty conference hosted by Eaglebrook School every August). Parents of prospective applicants are offered a wide array of useful materials to help them understand their options and to make the most of their child’s time at these schools. The JBSA works with a number of other national educational bodies and is the leading voice advocating for junior boarding schools and demonstrating the value of junior boarding school as an education alternative for parents both nationally and internationally.

JBSA schools adhere to strict criteria to ensure that safeguarding standards and pastoral care are of the highest quality and beyond nationally mandated requirements. The member schools recognise the importance of the duty of care they have to those children in their charge and their responsibility acting in loco parentis. They are committed to creating welcoming, engaging homes that reflect the diversity of their wider communities. Each school embraces an international outlook and counts a wide range of nationalities amongst their respective student bodies.

You can find out more about the Junior Boarding School Association here (please note that the historic website associated with the JBSA – www.jbsa.org is no longer active) or by contacting any of the member schools listed below.

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MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES

CHOOSE LIST VIEW FOR A SIMPLE LIST OF ALL LISTED SCHOOLS. ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN SELECT SCHOOLS USING THE MAP BELOW.

FORMER OR LAPSED MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES

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