When Ellie Sangree ’20 stepped inside Pomfret’s Helios aquaponics greenhouse for the first time, she knew she had found a home. Growing up in rural Connecticut, not far from the Hilltop, Sangree spent most of her childhood roaming the Quiet Corner’s woods, fields, lakes, and streams. But it wasn’t until she came to Pomfret in 2016 that her love for biology really began to blossom. 

Now a PH.D. candidate in environmental studies at the University of California Santa Cruz, Sangree looks back at her time at Pomfret with a deep sense of fondness and appreciation. “The greenhouse was my own little scientific paradise,” she says. “Through aquaponics, I was exposed to novel research on bioremediation, and I remember thinking that I wanted to pursue this kind of research when I made it to college.”

Ellie Sangree conducting field research.
 

For Sangree, and so many other Griffins, the Pomfret Experience would not have been possible without financial aid. With a sticker price of almost $76,000, the cost of a Pomfret education is well beyond the reach of many highly qualified, mission-aligned students.

Today, less than 3 percent of domestic families can afford the full cost of boarding school. As a result, more than 42 percent of Pomfret students receive some kind of need-based aid, ranging from small partial awards to full scholarships. In total, Pomfret hands out roughly $5 million in financial aid each year.

Unfortunately, the full cost of a Pomfret education goes well beyond tuition. Textbooks, ski trips, DoorDash, prom dresses — they all add up. And little by little, these out-of-pocket expenses begin to separate those who can afford to participate in so-called “extra” activities from those who can’t.

When Head of School Tim Richards and Pomfret’s Board of Trustees announced Amplify: The Campaign for Pomfret School, access and affordability became a central priority with a direct tie to the strategic goal of reducing barriers and deepening belonging.

Clothes are just one of the many invisible expenses that can impact a student's experience. 

During Amplify: The Campaign for Pomfret School, the Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts launched a $250,000 challenge to expand the Full Experience budget at Pomfret to ensure that students, regardless of their ability to pay, can fully participate in everything Pomfret has to offer. For every $200,000 contributed to the endowment, $50,000 in immediate-use funds will be unlocked, up to $250,000, to support the highest-need students.

“I have had so many opportunities and experiences that simply wouldn’t have been possible without the financial aid program here at Pomfret,” a grateful student recently shared with us. “I am grateful to the students, the faculty, and everyone behind the scenes who has blessed me with the opportunity of being here in this ever-giving community.”

Pomfret students exploring Costa Rica.

Amplify is the largest fundraising campaign in the history of the School. To date, we have raised $78.7 million toward an $80 million goal. Of this, nearly $10 million has gone directly to financial aid endowment, significantly enhancing access and affordability at Pomfret.

For incoming Head of School Heather Daly, who chairs the National Association of Independent Schools Financial Aid Advisory Task Force, a robust financial aid program is critical to the long-term sustainability of Pomfret and one of the primary drivers of our mission, vision, and values. “The independent school market, especially the New England boarding school market, is incredibly competitive,” Daly says. “Having a substantial part of the endowment dedicated to financial aid allows Pomfret to compete at the highest level for the brightest students.
 
“The impact of a well-run financial aid budget cannot be overstated. It makes an enormous difference, not only to the individual beneficiaries, but to the financial and communal health of the institution as a whole. The generosity of this gift enables Pomfret to ensure students have access to all aspects of school life and can more fully engage in our robust offerings, by taking into account non-tuition expenses."