Pomfret School
98 Pomfret Street, Pomfret, CT 06258
(860)963-6120
The core values are community, growth, and integrity. The mission is “Pomfret School cultivates a healthy interdependence of mind, body, and spirit in its students as it prepares them for college and to lead and learn in a diverse and increasingly interconnected society."
Pomfret School is an independent, coed, college preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12 and PG. The campus is located on a hilltop in the small town of Pomfret, Connecticut and has been recognized as one of the “Most Beautiful Boarding Schools Around the World” by Town & Country magazine. The campus is ~40 miles from Hartford and ~70 miles from Boston.
The school was founded in 1894 and is located on a 500 acre campus. There are ~350 students of which 20% are international. Students come from 21 countries and 25 states. Limited day student population as 85% of students board. The average class has 12 students. There is a 1:6 Teacher/Student Ratio and 85% of the faculty have advanced degrees.
Tim Richards - Head of School; he and his wife are very active on campus, attending sporting events to cheer students on, inviting groups of students over to their house for a family-style dinner, and developing a close relationship with everyone on campus. Susan Mantilla-Goin is Dean of Enrollment Management.
Curriculum: Pomfret School’s curriculum is student-centered with 54 honors and advanced courses to choose from. Each class is 70 minutes long. Some course options are forensic science, aquaponics, economics and entrepreneurship, astronomy, coding, animation, anthropology, and ceramics. Students in 11th and 12th grade may get approval to pursue an independent study as an elective course. Teachers are always available to meet during Office Hours, a twice weekly, 30-minute extra help period offered during the academic day on Mondays and Thursdays.
Project: Pomfret: A two-week learning laboratory that takes place each year at the end of the winter term. Students work in small teams and investigate complex, ill-defined problems shaping industries like science and technology, the arts, the environment, health and wellness, media and communications, and community building. One Project: Pomfret group even travels to Costa Rica to immerse themselves in the culture. At the end of the period, students share their work with the Pomfret community at a Project Fair.
QUEST: Pomfret’s cornerstone of student life curriculum is QUEST (Question - Understand - Engage - Share - Transition). This program focuses on four pillars: character; community; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and health. Students meet regularly by grade level for workshop presentations, speakers, and group discussion. QUEST equips students with skills, values, perspectives, and habits of mind they need to survive and thrive in a world that is always changing.
Sports/Activity Requirements: Students may choose from 15 sports of which there are a total of 42 teams on campus. All students are required to participate in afternoon programs, which occur six days a week. Activities are categorized by either Core, which is interscholastic sports, dance, musical, and outdoor adventure, or Group, which is drama, weight training, yearbook, recreational sports, independent project, and community service. Third and Fourth Forms must participate in at least two seasons of Core Activity and participation in the third season may be in a Group Activity. Fifth and Sixth forms are required to participate in at least one season of Core Activity each year and the remaining seasons may be in a Group Activity.
Dress Code: Students are required to be in Chapel Dress Code on Mondays and Fridays when Chapel is held, which consists of collared shirts or finished blouses and proper dress pants or dresses/skirts. Academic Dress Code is required on school days without a Chapel service and students must be in neat, clean, and in good repair clothing. For special occasions, Formal Dress Code entails more formal attire, such as a coat and tie with dress pants or a skirt or dress. When not in class or at events that require a specific dress code, students can be in Relaxed Dress Code, which is any clothing that is appropriate and not offensive.
Seated Meals: Periodically, there will be formal, all-school meals with assigned tables.
Study Hall: Students are required to be in Study Hall from 8-10pm Sunday through Thursday. If there is Saturday class, study hall on Friday begins at 8:30pm.
Saturday Programming: On select Saturdays, students must participate in QUEST programming from 9-11am.
Residential Life: There are 28 clubs and affinity groups for students to choose from, like student ambassadors, cooking club, investment club, relay for life, or robotics club. Outside of the academic day, students may walk to nearby locations, such as The Vanilla Bean Cafe to grab a coffee or meal. On the weekends, there are plenty of activities for students to participate in off- and on-campus. Some of the on-campus traditions are the Winter Olympics, the Griffin Open, Soaker, Pep Rallys, Casino Night, and Quad Cookouts. Off-campus activities may be shuttles to Target and McDonalds, day trips to Boston, or getting on a Pomfret super fan bus to cheer on Griffin sports at away games. Advisory is a very important part of residential life at Pomfret. Every Monday, students meet for an advisory dinner, which is either a home-cooked meal at the advisor’s house or eating out at a local restaurant. During the academic day on Thursday, students meet with their advisory during a designated advisory block.