Portsmouth Abbey School

Our child graduated this year, 2025, with excellent grades and was admitted to their desired university. We are extremely satisfied with our decision to choose PAS school initially. We appreciate the style of this church school, and based on our experience over these past few years, it has several advantages:
First, the school is very strict and conservative, yet its teaching style is not inflexible (for example, if you truly excel academically in a certain area, the school gives you a green light and is not rigid). In fact, a conservative style is very important in the current US environment, free from those chaotic "woke" progressive ideologies, which is especially crucial for teenagers.
Second, the curriculum is advantageous for a deeper understanding of Western culture. For instance, studying Latin is actually very helpful for understanding Western history and even the origins of science. From our observation, the requirements for literature and writing here are also very strict.
Third, the school is not large, which provides more opportunities for Chinese students from afar to interact with the school's teachers. I personally feel the kind and warm atmosphere here. Regarding the 2025 graduation, Chinese students generally achieved outstanding results.
Furthermore, the faculty here is very strong, with many teachers holding PhDs from prestigious universities (I haven't compared this, but perhaps this is common in American private high schools).
Finally, there is safety. Because the school is located in Rhode Island, the campus scenery is beautiful, and it's a distance from dense urban areas, making it quite reassuring in terms of safety.
(The photo was taken during Chinese New Year 2024, showing Chinese Spring Couplets posted on the school cafeteria entrance.)

The campus is definitely one of the most beautiful US high school campuses. The school is very large, the humanities courses are excellent, and the teachers are highly qualified; many of them are graduates of this school, and many couples also teach there. The school's ethos is very upright; drug use and theft lead to immediate expulsion. Chinese students' university placements are excellent, generally attending top 30 ranked universities. Academics here are quite rigorous, and students are relatively down-to-earth.

Portsmouth Abbey is a severely underestimated school, yet it is highly prestigious in the United States, especially considered the best school for upper-middle-class Catholic families. While its rankings on FS have declined for various reasons, the school places immense importance on Chinese families and, despite its low-key approach, also values the rankings that Chinese families care about. It has an excellent reputation among parents.
The school boasts a large campus and comprehensive facilities, comparable to top-tier American high schools. For children who enjoy sports, it's an excellent choice with numerous sports fields and many home games. The school advocates for a balanced education in both humanities and sciences; humanities are traditionally strong subjects. Religion is only taught in 9th grade. Religious requirements are quite flexible: support is offered to students interested in religious exploration, but it's not compulsory for those without such requirements. In terms of arts, the school offers many activities; surprisingly, many Chinese students are very active in drama, and Chinese students frequently achieve recognition in choir, instruments, performance, and painting. Regarding university placements, the vast majority of Chinese students matriculate into top 30 universities, with several students each year getting into top 10 and top 20 institutions. In the current highly competitive environment, these results are very solid. Many families mistakenly believe the school is lacking in STEM subjects, but this is not true. Students consistently win awards in Olympiads and receive research accolades.
In terms of climate, being near the bay means winters are not too extreme. Geographically, it's a convenient one-hour drive from Boston Airport, making it easily accessible for a boarding high school in the US. The scenery is exceptional, truly a gem among American high schools, offering a seven-star ocean view year-round. It's an excellent place to study, and safety is also guaranteed, ensuring parents' peace of mind while their children are at school.

(III) Besides the meticulous care for student life, what I want to underline more is that with Abbey’s remarkable management team and extraordinary teachers, as well as the mutual-help spirit of student parents, Abbey cultivates teenagers’ love of reading and sports, trains logical ability, develops critical thinking that transcends typecasting, and shapes them into young people who go beyond selves. I wish every current student have a fruitful year, our Abbey flourish, peace and joy to all.