St. Paul's School vs. Phillips Exeter Academy
Should you attend St. Paul's School or Phillips Exeter Academy? Visitors to our site frequently compare these two schools. Compare their rankings, scores, reviews and more to help you determine which school is the best choice for you.
School Overview
Top Rankings
St. Paul's School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 280 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
Boarding Focus
School Resources
School Resources
Selectivity
Student Test Scores
Student Test Scores
Phillips Exeter Academy ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 280 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Faculty Education
Selectivity
Offering Breadth
Student Test Scores
School History
Overview
St. Paul's School is committed to educating the whole person and preparing students to make contributions to a changing and challenging world.
The philosophy of St. Paul's School defines education as all of the structured experiences in which students participate: course work, athletics, activities, and our life together as a fully residential school.
These opportunities involve valuable interaction between faculty, students, and staff.
Phillips Exeter Academy has a tradition of academic excellence, a distinguished faculty, and a long history of educating young people to find their place in the world. The heart of Exeter is its signature Harkness method of instruction.
The Harkness philosophy, developed at Exeter over 80 years ago, is centered on a way of thinking and engaging with others that requires preparation and provides a sense of readiness for learning, for college, for life. Exeter is a school for teenagers who want to be surrounded by peers who share their intellectual curiosity and raw excitement about learning.
The school is alive with learning: spirited conversations spill out of classrooms and make their way to the playing fields, theater stages, laboratories, the dining halls and the dorms.
Students are given the freedom to explore and know their intellect, to challenge themselves in new ways, and enjoy the richness of human interaction.
School Focus
College Preparatory
College Preparatory
Grades Offered
9-12
9-12, PG
School Type
Co-ed
Co-ed
ADD/ADHD Support
No
No
Supports Learning Differences (LD)
No
No
Year Founded
1856
1781
Campus Size
2000 acres
700 acres
Students Body
Enrollment
540
1106
% Students of Color
49%
57%
% International Students
22%
10%
% Students Boarding
100%
81%
Average SAT Score
1430
n/a
Average ACT score
32
n/a
Offers Post-Grad Year
No
Yes
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes
Yes
Yes
Frequency of Saturday Classes
Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Casual
Average Class Size
10
12
Student : Teacher ratio
5:1
6:1
ESL Courses Offered
No
No
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
79%
93%
Summer Program Offered
Yes
Yes
Finances
Endowment Size
$673 million
n/a
Tuition (Boarding Students)
$65,410
$67,315
Tuition (Day Students)
n/a
$52,577
Avg. Financial Aid Grant
$57,000
$56,135
Admission
Application Deadline
Jan. 15
Jan. 15
Accepts Standardized Application
No
No
SSAT Required
No
Yes
Average Percentile SSAT
n/a
94
Acceptance Rate
16%
17%
Director of Admissions
Dana Anselmi
Matti Donkor
Associate Director of Admissions
Tim Caryl-Klika
n/a
Sport
Total Sports Offered
19
28
Sports
Alpine Skiing, Ballet, Baseball, Basketball, Crew, Cross Country, Dance, Field Hockey, Football, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Nordic Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Squash, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Wrestling
Ballet, Baseball, Basketball, Crew, Cross Country, Cross Country Running, Cycling, Dance, Diving, Fencing, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Track, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Water Polo, Winter Track, Wrestling
Extracurricular
Total Extra-curric.Total Extracurriculars
27
n/a
Extra-curric.Extracurriculars
Angler’s Society, Asian Society, Chess Club, Chinese Society, Classics Society, Debate, Deli Line, Eco Action, Engineering and Robotics Club, Entrepreneurs Club, Funkdefied, GAINS, GSA, Horae Scholasticae, Indian Society, International Society, Japanese Society, Justice and Social Equity for Asians and Asian Americans, LatinX, Model UN, Onyx, The Pelican, Women of Color, Young Democrats, Young Independents, Young Republicans, Young Women’s Club
n/a