Overview

The Hotchkiss School is a private, coeducational college-preparatory day and boarding school located in northwestern Connecticut. Founded in 1891, it serves high-school age students with a focus on academic rigor, residential life, and broad extracurricular opportunities. Hotchkiss is a member of international and independent-school networks including the G20 Schools Group and Round Square.

Campus and facilities

The campus combines academic buildings, science and arts centers, athletic fields, and residential houses for boarders. Facilities typically support visual and performing arts, laboratory work, and competitive interscholastic sports. Residential life is organized around houses or dormitories that provide study spaces and community programming.

Academics and student life

Hotchkiss emphasizes a liberal-arts curriculum designed to prepare students for selective colleges. Course offerings often include humanities, mathematics, sciences, languages, and studio and performing arts, along with advanced electives. A range of student clubs, performing ensembles, and varsity teams are central to daily life, and many students participate in community service and international programs through Round Square affiliations.

History and development

Established in 1891 by Maria Harrison Bissell Hotchkiss to prepare young men for college, the school evolved over time into a coeducational institution and expanded its academic and residential programs. Its long history includes growth of campus facilities, faculty specialization, and increased global engagement with peer schools.

Admissions, cost and support

Admission is selective and includes review of academic records, recommendations, and interviews. For boarders the published cost in recent materials was $49,940, a figure that typically covers tuition plus specified fees for technology and health services; actual charges and financial-aid offerings vary year to year. Hotchkiss offers need-based aid to qualified families.

Quick facts and distinctions

  • Founded: 1891
  • Type: Independent boarding and day preparatory school
  • Affiliations: G20 Schools Group, Round Square
  • More information: official site