In the United States, where wealth and influence often emerge with remarkable speed, a handful of institutions have long served as anchors of continuity—schools where legacy matters, and where admissions decisions have as much to do with heritage as academic performance. These schools don’t just prepare students for college; they prepare them for power, reputation, and inheritance.
Below is a closer look at the oldest and most exclusive schools in the U.S., where children of presidents, CEOs, and old money lineages have studied for over a century.
1. Phillips Academy Andover
Founded: 1778
Location: Andover, Massachusetts
Notable Alumni: George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Olivia Wilde
Andover is the oldest incorporated boarding school in the United States and perhaps its most prestigious. Founded during the American Revolution, it has served as a finishing school for presidents, scholars, and global elites.
- Tuition: ~$69,000 per year (boarding)
- Admissions: Extremely selective; legacy students still factor in
- Notable Features: 500-acre campus, world-class athletics, and a museum-quality art collection
While the student body is now more diverse and merit-based, Andover remains a pillar of the New England elite.
2. Phillips Exeter Academy
Founded: 1781
Location: Exeter, New Hampshire
Notable Alumni: Mark Zuckerberg, Dan Brown, Franklin Pierce
Known for its Harkness method—a roundtable discussion format that encourages critical thinking—Exeter has long produced graduates destined for Ivy League universities and leadership roles in nearly every sector.
- Tuition: ~$65,000 (boarding)
- Culture: Academic rigor with understated prestige
- Network: Arguably the most powerful of any American prep school
Exeter doesn’t shout. It cultivates confidence through intellect and inquiry—a favorite among East Coast legacy families with a scholarly bent.
3. The Lawrenceville School
Founded: 1810
Location: Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Notable Alumni: Malcolm Forbes, Huey Lewis, Michael Eisner
Just a short distance from Princeton, Lawrenceville combines the grandeur of a boarding school campus with the intimacy of a traditional house system. It’s long been a favorite of Wall Street families and political insiders.
- Campus: 700 acres, gothic architecture, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
- Tuition: ~$70,000 (boarding)
- Known For: High academic standards, elite athletics, and social polish
Lawrenceville graduates are known for their quiet confidence and upper-echelon professional mobility.
4. Groton School
Founded: 1884
Location: Groton, Massachusetts
Notable Alumni: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dean Acheson, Sam Waterston
Founded by an Episcopalian minister to educate the sons of America’s upper class, Groton has stayed intentionally small and exclusive. Its deep ties to East Coast aristocracy remain intact, even as it admits students from wider backgrounds.
- Student Body: ~380 students
- Tuition: ~$64,000
- Distinctive Features: Chapel-centered campus life, deep emphasis on service and tradition
Groton continues to embody “blue-blood with backbone”—a subtle blend of privilege and public purpose.
5. St. Paul’s School
Founded: 1856
Location: Concord, New Hampshire
Notable Alumni: John Kerry, Robert Mueller, Cornelia Guest
Set on 2,000 acres, St. Paul’s is one of the most beautiful—and most insular—boarding schools in America. Entirely residential, it fosters a cloistered world of traditions, rituals, and lifelong friendships.
- Admissions: Competitive; legacy presence still strong
- Culture: Deeply traditional, with a high regard for the arts and humanities
- Reputation: Intellectual rigor wrapped in Episcopal heritage
Though quieter in the press than Exeter or Andover, St. Paul’s holds tremendous weight in social and political legacy circles.
6. Deerfield Academy
Founded: 1797
Location: Deerfield, Massachusetts
Notable Alumni: King Abdullah II of Jordan, David Souter, Dick Wolf
With its red brick colonial architecture and pastoral setting, Deerfield evokes the essence of old New England. Known for its discipline and formality, it has long been a favorite for families who value structure, prestige, and tradition.
- Tuition: ~$68,000 (boarding)
- Dress Code: Still upheld in many contexts
- Atmosphere: More reserved than Exeter or Andover, with deep ties to establishment circles
Deerfield isn’t where you’d go to be loud—it’s where you’d go to become trusted, polished, and connected.
7. The Hill School
Founded: 1851
Location: Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Notable Alumni: Donald Trump Jr., Oliver Stone, James Baker
A stalwart of Pennsylvania boarding tradition, The Hill is more intimate and conservatively structured than some of its East Coast counterparts. Known for discipline, athletics, and grooming for business leadership, it remains a legacy stronghold.
- Boarding Ratio: ~80%
- Tuition: ~$67,000
- Tradition: Emphasis on honor codes, chapel attendance, and alumni loyalty
The Hill is perhaps the most “clubby” of the American elite prep schools—a place where values, rituals, and networks are reinforced over decades.
The Gatekeepers of American Legacy
These schools are not just places of education—they are cultural institutions, responsible for transmitting a particular kind of American privilege. Though many have modernized their campuses, curricula, and diversity goals, their influence still lies in the alumni networks, family legacies, and access they afford.
In a country often associated with social mobility, these institutions represent the opposite: continuity, stability, and embedded power. For those within the gates, the experience is not just academic—it’s generational.
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