This week Pomfret welcomed accepted students back to campus for one final visit. Over two days, next year’s class got the chance to explore the Hilltop, sample courses, experience a chapel talk, share a meal, meet up with future classmates, and connect with current students and faculty.

“What truly distinguishes Pomfret from many other great schools is our commitment to deep human relationships,” said Dean of Enrollment Susan Mantilla-Goin. “Today, our goal is to pull back the curtain and show you what those relationships look like, and how they make everything else we do here possible.”

Across the country, independent schools are experiencing a demographic and cultural squeeze. At Pomfret interest is still high and demand is still healthy, but the math has changed. Since 2008 the national birth rate has dropped by nearly 13 percent. International enrollment, once a stabilizing force, is down 15 percent. The average tuition for a Northeast boarding school now exceeds $70,000 per year, causing many families to question the value of what was once considered the default "next step."


See Photos from our Accepted Students Days

How then does Pomfret keep attracting and enrolling great families?

Conversation after conversation, this year’s accepted families told us that in a market where many schools can credibly claim excellence, the differentiator isn't what a school offers, it's what a school stands for. 

So what does Pomfret stand for? Here is a small sampling of what we've been hearing:

• “Pomfret values achievement, but not at the expense of self-worth.”
• “It’s a school where freedom and responsibility coexist.”
• “Teachers prioritize confidence-building over résumé-building.”
• “They have high expectations, but without the pressure culture."
• “The school feels ambitious without ever feeling performative.”

For some families, choosing the “right” school quickly devolves into an exercise in optimization, but you can’t optimize for being human. At Pomfret we put student growth and well-being at the center of everything we do because student growth and well-being is what we do. In a world saturated by data but starved for meaning, learning to become the best version of yourself may be the most meaningful measure of all.

Do you know someone who is considering Pomfret? Share this essay with them.
Their deadline to reply is Friday, April 10.
 

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