Education has been a top priority for the United States government since its founding. Some argue that the country’s elite private education system provides the highest quality schooling available. To be considered an elite private school, there are a lot of categories that must be satisfied: the school has to be typologically, scholastically, historically, geographically, and demographically elite. To be scholastically elite, the school has to out-perform public schools academically. To be historically elite, the school has to have a long history. For instance, most elite schools were founded during the 18th or 19th century. These schools are all located in the New England area to be geographically elite. To be demographically elite, most students attending the school must be from a privileged socioeconomic class. However, most Americans’ knowledge about elite private boarding schools only reaches as far as popular stereotypes. The most prominent stereotype is that students of these schools dress up every day and wear suits and ties. But it goes beyond clothing. These schools are trying to portray themselves as the most progressive schools in the nation. Being progressive would mean that the staff and students are primarily left-leaning and politically liberal. At its root though, elite boarding schools maintain their conservatism because of their founding ideas, separation from minority groups, and structural system.  

People might argue that elite boarding schools have been moving toward a more progressive standpoint over the years. In the classrooms, students are open to discussing issues related to gender, race, and other sensitive topics. The English department in these elite schools recommends books that are politically liberal novels such as The Nickle Boys and Passing. Elite private schools, including Choate, also provide students with platforms like “community conversations” to talk about their personal struggles in the oppressive system of the United States. Social justice activists such as Juju Chang and Angela Davis are invited to speak at Choate’s Rosemary Hall.  These are all signs of focusing on human rights and making changes to the current society, which means these schools are being progressive. To some people, opportunities like these might seem far from those provided by public schools because they don’t have as many resources. They may think there are fewer resources with which to educate students on humanitarian liberal beliefs. Nemo Zhang, currently enrolled in Manhattan High School, has exposed racism present in public schools. He states that racial slurs are used regularly by some in the student population. The teachers often ignore these incidents and do not educate students otherwise, as they should. There are rarely outside guest speakers invited to share ideas because of limited resources.  Thus, making public schools more conservative because of the student’s actions.

Although claims are valid regarding the liberal image these elite schools are trying to portray, the founding ideas of these schools were conservative. Despite appearances, these ideologies remain unchanged, which excludes the majority of Americans, making these schools conservative. The upper class in the U.S. first came to wealth through increased involvement in manufacturing and banking during the post-Civil War period. Members of this class introduced anti-democratic measures in the 1870s to decrease tax payments and maintain their wealth. Elite private schools became a way to connect future generations and keep power in the hands of this old upper class. For instance, one of the most famous Choate alumni, John F. Kennedy, met his best friend Lem Billings during his years there. They carried their friendship all the way to the White House. This was an example of an elite boarding school allowing members of the upper class to form lifelong relationships and keep power within their families. To limit access to the wealthy, such schools demand extremely high tuition from student families. These elite boarding schools could be considered undemocratic and conservative because the school only educates those who can afford such tuition. This fact remains.  Today, tuition averages around sixty-thousand dollars a year. According to a graph by the Pew Research Center, the average yearly household income in 2020 is around ninety-thousand dollars. This means these elite schools are almost impossible for children from middle-class families to attend.

Not only were the founding ideas of these elite boarding schools conservative, but more specifically, these schools long excluded immigrants and women and separated themselves from city life. These practices affect student experiences even now. One of the primary reasons that the upper class founded boarding schools was to create separation from Irish immigrants who were seen as a threat to their power. The intention was to create schools that only the upper class could attend, so they could maintain superiority. As immigrant populations rose in public schools in the Northeast, the upper class only wanted to distance themselves further. In New York and Boston, the public school immigrant population was around 70 percent. Beyond separating themselves from immigrants, these schools were also excluding students based on gender. In elite schools such as Choate Rosemary Hall, only males were allowed to attend. Females did not have the same opportunity to obtain an elite education. At Choate, it was not until 1971 that principal Seymour St.John made the decision to put a halt to the separation by merging with Rosemary Hall (the all-girl school) to form a co-educational elite private school. These schools not only limited entrance but also controlled their student populations geographically. These elite institutions were all established in rural areas in the New England region, where the schools became the towns themselves. For instance, Lawrenceville School is in Lawrence, New Jersey, and Phillips Andover Academy is in Andover, Massachusetts. These schools established themselves in this way so they could further separate themselves from the general public population and city life. Bryant Figueroa, a junior at Choate Rosemary Hall, describes feeling distanced from the public and feeling disconnected from his friends at home when I interviewed him regarding his experiences. Whenever he went back to New York, he felt like he needed to learn about what happened recently in order to have any common ground with his friends.  The school itself is disconnected from Wallingford town as well.  The school community always separates itself from the Wallingford community.  For instance, there are minimal opportunities for Choate to engage in bonding with the residents in Wallingford.  Even if there are volunteer opportunities to tutor in the public library, Choate students rarely sign up for them.  The schism between the Choate community and Wallingford creates tension between the two parties, in which Choate students are labeled by the Wallingford residents as rich and selfish students. To him, Choate is a different world than Wallingford town.

Another aspect that makes obvious the conservative roots of elite boarding schools is their history of student protests. Some feel that these schools care more about their reputations than their students. In many cases, student complaints go unheard. One of the most famous protests in elite boarding school history was in April of 1968 at Choate Rosemary Hall. The students gathered in front of the chapel at 7:15 A.M. on National Student Protest Day, wanting a space to share concerns about problems confronting the United States. One of their complaints was that the school was not preparing them well enough for what the country was facing. Some students directly told headmaster Seymour St.John that they were dissatisfied with the school. Although the headmaster made promises the following day, some felt their voices were ignored and questions left unanswered. Additionally, most of the suggestions brought by students only made minimal changes. Even when its own student body expressed concern, it seemed the elite boarding school system was highly resistant to change. The difficulties to apply changes to the school make the school conservative, which the school always holds on to the traditional values. As a result, history repeated itself in February 2022, again at Choate Rosemary Hall. It happened in almost the exact same manner as the 1968 protest. The gathering place was the same: in front of the chapel garden. Students and teachers alike gathered in the morning and skipped classes to voice their concerns to the administration. The main complaint from students was that their mental health was not being considered and that the school did not provide enough support. Teachers were concerned that new teachers were being underpaid in light of recent inflation. Instead of acknowledging these suggestions, the school decided to hide the students from the public eye. Only one public news source, run by former Choate employee Joel Backon, reported the incident. The official school news article was stifled, and teachers were not allowed to discuss the event freely. The teachers who started the protest were fired immediately. Students expected significant changes to follow this protest, but three months later, the only change made by the administration was the addition of a new full-time counselor. The general benefit of the school takes precedent over the individual student's well-being which is another sign of conservatism.  Also, these student protests are reminders that the conservative structures beneath elite boarding schools make change practically impossible. 

The system may be impossible for the student body to change, but may be possible for established members of the upper class to do so by providing donations. One of the most prominent people from the upper class who has changed the boarding school system is Edward Harkness. He changed classroom and dorm structures after donating seven million dollars to Phillips Exeter Academy. His change to the classroom has been applied in almost all elite boarding schools. The famous Harkness round-table discussion changed the teacher-student power dynamic and made students and teachers more equal to each other in discussions. It also made everyone participating in discussions visible to each other. The seven million dollar donation was most definitely the main reason these changes were implemented and named after him. Exeter would not have changed the system without the incentive Harkness provided. Another figure who changed some aspects of the system is Andrew Mellon, who has donated seven million dollars to Choate Rosemary Hall, which proved once again money can change the system. He allowed the construction of multiple student facilities at Choate. The most popular of these is the Andrew Mellon Library, which embodies his goal of making students feel comfortable and warm. Again though, he made these changes by providing a large sum in donations. It’s possible that the only way to cause any change within the elite boarding school system carries a dollar sign. 

Although private boarding schools try to portray themselves as progressive, they remain conservative at their core. These conservative roots continue to affect the student experience today. These schools were created to keep the wealth within the upper class, and evidence would suggest they have not wavered from this goal. The philosophy of equal education is that every individual is provided the chance to gain a quality education. The system of these schools is structured to prevent this. The exclusion of certain groups in earlier years was a clear example of this. Only the socioeconomic privileged can be admitted into these schools, which means the connection that they build with other such students keeps the power within the next generation of the upper class. Causing change in the system is nearly impossible from a student's perspective. The school administrations are unwilling to make revolutionary changes to the system even when the student body speaks as a united front multiple times. Responses from the administration are always shockingly similar. The only way to change the system seems to be by donating large sums. The donor clearly has to be in the upper class to have this kind of wealth. It puts these elite boarding school systems in a never-ending cycle, in the control of the upper class. Of course, the future of these schools remains to be seen, but trends show that unless radical action is taken, their futures will remain conservative no matter what image they try to put out to the public. 

Bibliography:

Backon, Joel, Mary Pashley, Ryan Williams, and Charles J McDonald. “A Cry from the Heart of All Independent Schools & an Elite School Meltdown: Joel Backon.” Intrepid ED News, May 13, 2022. intrepidednews.com/a-cry-from-the-heart-of-all-independent-schools-an-elite-school-meltdown-joel-backon/. 

Burkett, E.. “women’s rights movement.” Encyclopedia Britannica, November 6, 2020. britannica.com/event/womens-movement.

Choi, Riley. “Andrew Mellon Library: Where the Historical Things Are.” Choate News, January 26, 2018

Figueroa, Bryant. Interview by the author. Wallingford, CT. May 21, 2022.

Gaztambide-Fernández, Rubén. “What Is an Elite Boarding School?” Review of Educational Research, vol. 79, no. 3, 2009, pp. 1090–128, jstor.org/stable/40469090. Accessed 12 May 2022.

Hannon, Mike. Interview by the author.  Wallingford, CT. May 21, 2022

Gilfoyle, Timothy J. Review of Making an American Upper Class, by Sven Beckert.  Reviews in American History 30, no. 2 (2002): 279–87. jstor.org/stable/30031278.

“Harkness.” Phillips Exeter Academy. Accessed May 19, 2022. exeter.edu/excellence/how-youll-learn. 

Kochhar, Rakesh, and Stella Sechopoulos. “How the American Middle Class Has Changed in the Past Five Decades.” Pew Research Center, April 20, 2022. pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/04/20/how-the-american-middle-class-has-changed-in-the-past-five-decades/. 

Levine, Steven B. “The Rise of American Boarding Schools and the Development of a National Upper Class.” Social Problems, vol. 28, no. 1, 1980, pp. 63–94, doi.org/10.2307/800381. Accessed 12 May 2022.

MacDonald, G. Jeffrey. “Bulletin 125 Combined History.” Issuu, 10 June 2016, pp.56-57. issuu.com/choaterosemaryhall/docs/125_combined_history_final_issuu. 

Manson, Malcolm. “The Story of Choate’s Student Protest.” Choate Archive, 1968.

Richardson, Jaime, and Matt Porter. “JFK’s Best Friend Lem: Transcript.” JFK’s Best Friend Lem: Transcript | JFK Library, www.jfklibrary.org/about-us/social-media-apps/jfk35-podcast/season-2-episode-3-jack-and-lem/transcript.

Saveth, Edward N. “Education of an Elite.” History of Education Quarterly 28, no. 3 (1988): 367–86.  doi.org/10.2307/369088.

The New Haven Register. “Choate Students Support Ideals With Silent Vigil.”

April 27, 1968.

Yuan, Claire. “Departing Faculty – Over Nearly 30 Years, Mr. Joel Backon Fused

Academics and Technology.” Choate News, May 17, 2019.

Zhang, Nemo. Interview by the author. Wallingford, CT. May 21, 2022.