Choate Rosemary Hall

Choate Rosemary Hall was founded in 1890. It is a co-educational boarding and day school for students in grades 9-PG, located in the scenic New England town of Wallingford, Connecticut. The school spans 458 acres, boasts state-of-the-art facilities, and is dedicated to providing unique and transformative experiences.

School Advantages:

1. Choate Rosemary Hall is the alma mater of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

2. Choate offers a rich curriculum with over 300 courses, and also provides overseas study programs to various parts of the world, from China to France and Spain.

3. Choate places great emphasis on the arts; the school's magnificent arts center was designed by I.M. Pei. The school's STEM building has surpassed university levels, offering courses such as welding, computer programming, spray painting, sewing, and manufacturing.

4. The school's visual arts program is very strong. Works by professional artists and students are regularly exhibited in the Paul Mellon Arts Center Gallery, and over 80 performances and programs are held annually at the Paul Mellon Arts Center.

5. Dance is a prominent feature. Students can experience a variety of guest artists and masterclasses, and also have the opportunity to perform at the spring dance concert and various venues in the local community.

6. Graduate outcomes are excellent; some Chinese students have gone on to study at Columbia University.

Located in the New England town of Wallingford, near major cities like Boston/New York, it offers a more open and diverse culture, combining the convenience of a small town with that of a metropolis. The curriculum and programs are flexible (robotics, global projects, government and public service, etc.), with abundant club and research opportunities. The school community is diverse, international, and highly supportive. Current families generally report a close-knit community and abundant resources, but also note a fast academic and life pace and high admission requirements.

The name Choate Rosemary Hall comes from the merger of two schools. In 1971, the all-boys school Choate (The Choate School, founded in Wallingford in 1896) merged with the all-girls school Rosemary Hall (established in Wallingford in 1890, later relocated to Greenwich) to form a single institution, which is today's Choate Rosemary Hall. From 1971 onwards, Choate Rosemary Hall began admitting both male and female students. Also in that year, to accommodate more students, Choate Rosemary Hall built several modern-style dormitories on campus, most of them located on the east side of the campus. Choate Rosemary Hall has educated generations of the upper class in the New England region, including many American political elites.

The visit to Choate Rosemary Hall, a top ten boarding high school in the US, has concluded. In a word, Choate feels more like a university, whether it's the architecture, facilities, resources, or student demeanor.
Firstly, the admissions office's work is incredibly thorough. They send emails in advance to notify about parking locations, and the office environment is warm and comfortable yet exudes nobility and elegance. Some families were even assigned two tour guides, indicating a trainee tour guide mechanism. Throughout the tour, the guides made sure to space themselves out from other tours to avoid crowding, demonstrating very meticulous work to ensure a good impression on prospective families.
Secondly, the campus architecture is beautiful, blending modern and classical styles. I.M. Pei's designed art center is very modern and full of design sense. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the STEM building, along with the trees outside, create an excellent perspective, looking both modern and highly designed. In contrast, the library and humanities buildings retain an elegant classical style.
During the visit, he also shared many of the school's programs, whether it's robotics or environmental science. Learning in many areas has already surpassed basic high school studies and extended to the university level, so the challenging nature of the courses is imaginable. The school also offers abundant internship opportunities—the resources are truly excellent. Of course, while enjoying these high-quality resources, students are not relaxed; doing homework past 11:30 PM is also common at Choate.