Phillips Exeter Academy

The result was the "Harkness method", in which a teacher and a group of students work together, exchanging ideas and information in a seminar setting. In November 1930, Harkness gave Exeter $5.8 million (approximately $110 million in February 2024 dollars) to support this initiative. Today, all classes are taught using this method, with no more than 12 students per class.

More recent history

William Saltonstall '24 (p. 1946–63) succeeded Perry and continued Perry's successful fundraising record. He began his tenure by completing a $5.6 million ($72 million in February 2024 dollars) fundraising drive, ending in 1948. and in 1957, it produced 11 of the 30 incoming Harvard students with enough AP credit to enter as sophomores. In addition, in 1963 Exeter produced 73 National Merit Scholarship finalists, the most in the nation. However, elite universities relentlessly pushed Exeter to tighten academic standards even further, as Harvard's appetite for Exeter graduates meant that the top cut of Exeter students did not reflect the full breadth of the academy's contingent at Harvard. (In 1955, Harvard admitted 79% of applicants from Exeter and Andover; by contrast, in 1957, 30% of recent Exeter graduates made the dean's list at Harvard, compared to 40% for the entire freshman class. the academy responded by broadening its student body. In 1969, Exeter stopped requiring students to attend a weekly religious service. In 1970, it became coeducational; it later appointed its first female principal (Kendra Stearns O'Donnell) in 1987. In 1996, to reflect the academy's coeducational status, a new gender-inclusive Latin inscription Hic Quaerite Pueri Puellaeque Virtutem et Scientiam ("Here, boys and girls, seek goodness and knowledge") was added over the main entrance to the Academy Building. This new inscription augments the original one—Huc Venite, Pueri, ut Viri Sitis ("Come hither boys so that ye may become men"). In 1999, 55% of incoming Exeter students came from public schools.

On January 25, 2019, William K. Rawson '71 was appointed by the academy's trustees as the 16th principal. He is the fourth alumnus of Exeter to serve as Principal, after Gideon Lane Soule (1838–1873), Harlan Amen (1895–1913), and William Saltonstall (1946–1963). In 2021, Rawson announced that Exeter would adopt a need-blind admissions policy, following a $90 million fundraising campaign to support financial aid. In 2025, Rawson announced that he would retire at the end of the 2025–26 school year.

Jennifer Karlan Elliott, a 1994 graduate of Phillips Academy, was announced by the Exeter trustees on November 14, 2025, to be the principal to succeed Rawson.

College admissions

In the later half of the 20th century, criteria for U.S. college and university admissions evolved to include more meritocratic considerations and an emphasis on wider demographic factors. Exeter reports that 10 or more students attended seven of the eight Ivy League colleges (ex. Dartmouth), as well as Boston College, Bowdoin, GWU, Georgetown, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UChicago, USC, and Wesleyan, between 2022 and 2024.

Academics

Courses and grading

Exeter uses an 11-point grading system, in which an A is worth 11 points and an E is worth 0 points. The academy's student-teacher ratio is 6:1, and 93% of Exeter faculty have postgraduate degrees.

Students who attend Exeter for four years are required to take courses in the arts, classical or modern languages, computer science, English, health & human development, history, mathematics, religion, and science. Most students receive an English diploma, but students who take the full series of Latin and Ancient Greek classes receive a Classical diploma.

Although Exeter administrators helped originate the Advanced Placement program,

Harkness teaching method

All classes at Exeter are taught seminar-style around Harkness tables with no more than 10–12 students per class period. No classrooms have rows of desks or chairs, and lectures are uncommon. The completion of the Phelps Science Center in 2001 enabled all science classes, which previously had been taught in more conventional classrooms, to be conducted around the same Harkness Tables. Elements of the Harkness method, including the Harkness table, are now used in many independent schools around the world.

Test scores

The class of 2024's average combined SAT score was 1440 (717 reading, 723 math). Although Exeter does not offer AP courses, its students may take AP exams if they wish; the class of 2023's pass rate was 94%.

Instructor in history Michael Golay, historian and author
Instructor in English Todd Hearon, poet
Instructor in English Willie Perdomo, poet and children's book author
Instructor in mathematics Zuming Feng, U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad Program team coach from 1997 to 2013
Instructor in mathematics Gwynneth Coogan, Olympic athlete
Instructor in music Marilinda Garcia, former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and harp player

Off-campus study

During the tenure of Exeter's tenth principal, Richard W. Day, the Washington intern program and the foreign studies program began. Exeter offers the Washington intern program, where students intern in the office of a senator or congressional representative. Exeter also participates in the Milton Academy Mountain School program, The academy currently sponsors trimester-long foreign study programs in Grenoble, Tema, Tokyo, Saint Petersburg, Stratford-upon-Avon, Eleuthera, Taichung, Göttingen, Rome, Cuenca, and Callan; as well as school-year abroad programs in Beijing, Rennes, Viterbo, and Zaragoza. The academy also offers foreign language summer programs in France, Japan, Spain, and Taiwan.

Student body

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; style="float:right;" text-align:right; font-size:80%;"

|+ style="font-size:90%" |Student body composition (2024–25)

Diversity

Exeter enrolls a racially and ethnically diverse student body. In the 2024–2025 school year, 57.1% of Exeter students identified as students of color.

In September 2024, the Exeter student body included students from 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and 32 countries. 9.9% of students are international students, and another 6.2% are U.S. citizens residing outside the United States. 45% of Exeter students are on financial aid,

Exeter admits students on a need-blind basis and commits to offering financial aid that covers 100% of demonstrated financial need. Since 2008, Exeter has also guaranteed free tuition for families with incomes under a certain threshold. In 2024, Exeter raised the threshold from $75,000 to $125,000.

Endowment and expenses

Exeter's financial endowment stands at $1.65 billion as of February, 2, 2026. In its Internal Revenue Service filings for the 2021–22 school year, Exeter reported total assets of $1.91 billion, net assets of $1.71 billion, investment holdings of $1.22 billion, and cash holdings of $242.6 million. Exeter also reported $124.0 million in program service expenses and $25.3 million in grants (primarily student financial aid).

Campus facilities

thumb|Aerial view

thumb|upright|The Academy Building

thumb|upright|[[Phillips Exeter Academy Library|The Class of 1945 Library]]

Academic facilities

The Academy Building (1914) is the fourth such building, and was built after the third burned down. Designed by Exeter alumnus Ralph Adams Cram, the Academy Building houses the history, math, religion and classical languages departments, along with an archaeology/anthropology museum. In the 1920s and 1930s, Lewis Perry expanded the building to add the Assembly Hall (formerly the Chapel) and connect it to the Mayer Art Center (formerly Alumni Hall).
Mayer Art Center (1903) houses the art department and the Lamont Gallery, as well as the college counseling office. It contains a large ceramics studio with approximately twenty wheels and three kilns on the first floor, two printmaking studios and three drawing/painting studios on the second floor, and an architectural and 3-D design studio on the third floor. The school purchased a 3-D printer in 2013.
The Class of 1945 Library (1972) is the largest secondary-school library in the world, In 2007, a public vote ranked Louis Kahn's Brutalist design #80 on the 2007 list of America's Favorite Architecture. The New York Times architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable called the building a "stunning paean to books".
Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center (EPAC) (2006), formerly the Phelps Center, serves as the academy's student center. It houses a student commons, post office, day student lounge, academic support center, student grill, and the Forum (a 300-person auditorium). It also hosts several student organizations.
Goel Center (2018) houses the theater and dance departments.
Phillips Hall (1932) houses the English and modern languages departments. It was purpose-built for the then-new Harkness system.
Phelps Science Center (2001) houses science laboratories and classrooms. In 2004, Centerbrook Architects & Planners received the American Institute of Architects New Hampshire's Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture for its work on the center.
Forrestal Bowld Music Center (1995) houses the music department, the music library, a recital hall, three rehearsal halls, faculty offices, and dozens of rehearsal rooms. It received the honor award in architecture design by the Boston Society of Architects in 1996.

Athletic facilities

The George H. Love 1917 Gymnasium (1969) contains 10 international-sized squash courts, a swimming pool, three basketball courts, a weight-training room, a sports-science lab, and two hockey rinks.
The William Boyce Thompson 1890 Gymnasium (1918) contains a basketball court, a dance studio, a cycling training room, a second swimming pool, and a media room. The site previously hosted the Thompson Cage (1931), which contained wrestling, gymnastics, and track facilities.
The Downer Family Fitness Center (2015) contains weight lifting resources, aerobic machines, and turf space.
Roger Nekton Championship Pool is named for the long-serving former swimming and water polo coach.
The William G. Saltonstall Boathouse (1990) is a rowing facility on the Squamscott River.

Other facilities

Phillips Church was built as the Second Parish Church in 1897 and was purchased by the academy in 1922. It was designed by Ralph Adams Cram.

Athletics

Exeter offers 65 interscholastic sports teams at the varsity and junior varsity level, 27 intramural sports teams, and various fitness classes. All students are required to participate in athletics.

Basketball, water polo, wrestling, swimming, cycling, soccer, squash, cross country, crew, and ice hockey teams have won recent New England championships.

Exeter has graduated multiple elite athletes in the past few decades. For example, crew Olympians include Anne Marden '76, Rajanya Shah '92, Sabrina Kolker '98, and Andréanne Morin '02. Georgia Gould is an Olympic medalist in mountain biking, while Joy Fahrenkrog is a member of the United States Archery Team. Duncan Robinson plays for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. Tom Cavanagh played in the National Hockey League. Sam Fuld played 8 years of Major League Baseball, and became the General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020.

Exeter's main athletic rival is Phillips Academy, better known as Andover. The two schools have been competing against each other in both baseball and football since 1878 (in those first games, Exeter defeated Andover 12–0 in baseball, while Andover won the football game, 22-0). Today, Exeter-Andover weekend is still a large tradition in both schools.

Student life

The academy has over 100 clubs listed. The Exonian is the school's weekly newspaper. It is the oldest continuously running preparatory school newspaper in the United States, having begun publishing in 1878. Recently, The Exonian began online publication. The Exonian has been a finalist for a National Pacemaker Award several times, winning in 2007. Other long-established clubs include ESSO, which focuses on social service outreach, and the PEAN, which is the academy's yearbook. Exeter also has the oldest surviving secondary school society, the Golden Branch (founded in 1818), a society for public speaking, inspired by PEA's Rhetorical Society of 1807–1820. Now known as the Daniel Webster Debate Society, these groups served as America's first secondary school organization for oratory. The Model UN club has won the "Best Small Delegation" award at HMUN. Exeter's Mock Trial Association, founded by attorney and historian Walter Stahr, has since 2011 claimed seventeen individual titles, five all-around state titles, and a top-ten spot at the National High School Mock Trial Championship.

Close to 80% of students live in the dormitories, with the other 20% commuting from homes within a radius. Each residence hall has several faculty members and senior student proctors. There are check-in hours of 8:00 pm (for first- and second-year students), 9:00pm (for third years), and 10:00 pm (for seniors) during the weekdays and 11:00 pm on Saturday night.

thumb|center|750px|Student body, Phillips Exeter Academy, ca. 1903

Religious life on campus is supported by the Religious Services Department, which provides a vintage stone chapel and a full-service ministry for the spiritual needs of students. The chapel was originally built in 1895 and has been updated. It accommodates worship for "twelve religious traditions including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Quaker, Buddhist, Catholic among others" as well as Secular Humanism.

Sexual misconduct

An incident of student misconduct that occurred in the basement of Phillips Church in late 2015 brought criticism to the Academy. An in-depth investigation uncovered sexual misconduct that had occurred at Exeter since the 1970s and involved at least 11 members of the faculty and staff. The report harshly criticized the school for not supporting victims when they reported incidents and for a pattern of not including these allegations in faculty members' files. In April 2016, Exeter hired the law firm of Holland & Knight LLP to investigate allegations of past misconduct by Exeter faculty and staff. A report was released in August 2018 providing an overview of the investigation and its findings.

Through this process, Holland & Knight was assigned and completed 28 investigations. Of those 28 matters, 26 involved reported misconduct of a sexual nature by an Exeter faculty or staff member towards an Exeter student occurring at various points from the 1950s to the 2010s. During the course of these investigations, Holland & Knight conducted approximately 294 interviews of over 170 individuals. The persons interviewed were located in various states, as well as overseas. According to the findings, the school maintained two sets of files, and would keep the more sensitive material away from Human Resources and prospective employers. Some of these faculty members would then leave Exeter but get hired at other boarding schools. In at least one case, the teacher then molested students at their next school. The allegations involve staffers who have since been fired, left the school or have died. Several have been named in the past by the school. In a 2018 letter, senior Exeter officials apologized to the school community, including victims who had come forward and those who had remained silent.

Emblems

Academy seal

Exeter has two chief symbols: a seal depicting a river, sun and beehive, incorporating the academy's mottos; and the Lion Rampant. The seal has similarities to that used by Phillips Academy—an emblem designed by Paul Revere—and its imagery is Masonic in nature. A beehive often represented the industry and cooperation of a lodge or, in this case, the studies and united efforts of Academy students. The Lion Rampant is derived from the Phillips family's coat of arms, and suggests that all of the academy's alumni are part of the "Exonian family".

Exeter has three mottoes on the academy seal: Non Sibi (Latin 'Not for oneself') indicating a life based on community and duty; Finis origine pendet (Latin 'The end depends on the beginning') reflecting Exeter's emphasis on hard work as preparation for a fruitful adult life; and Χάριτι Θεοῦ (Greek 'By the grace of God') reflecting Exeter's Calvinist origins, of which the only remnant today is the school's requirement that most students take two courses in religion or philosophy.

School colors and the alumnus tie

There are several variants of school colors associated with Phillips Exeter Academy that range from crimson red and white to burgundy red and silver. Black is also a color associated with the school to a lesser extent. The official school colors are lively maroon and gray. The traditional school tie is a burgundy red tie with alternating diagonal silver stripes and silver lions rampant. The school's athletic teams today wear the Pantone Matching System color PMS201.

Notable alumni

thumb|right|upright|Letter from President [[Abraham Lincoln to Mary Todd Lincoln, written from Exeter, where Lincoln's son Robert Todd Lincoln was a student, March 1860]]

Early alumni of Exeter include US Senator Daniel Webster (1796); John Adams Dix (1809) a Secretary of the Treasury and Governor of New York; US President Franklin Pierce (1820); physician and founder of Sigma Pi Phi Henry McKee Minton (1851); Abraham Lincoln's son and 35th Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln (1860); Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. (1870); Richard and Francis Cleveland; "grandfather of football" Amos Alonzo Stagg (1880); Pulitzer Prize-winning author Booth Tarkington (1889) and Hugo W. Koehler (1903), American naval attache' and intelligence agent during the Russian Revolution.

Exeter publishes a quarterly alumni magazine, The Exeter Bulletin, previously called The Bulletin of the Phillips Exeter Academy (1905-1931) and The Phillips Exeter Bulletin (1932-1994).

Other academic programs

Summer school

Each summer, Phillips Exeter hosts over 780 students from various schools for a five-week program of academic study. The summer program accommodates a diverse student body typically derived from over 40 different states and 45 foreign countries.

Exeter's summer school is divided into two programs of study: Upper School, which offers a wide variety of classes to students currently enrolled in high school who are entering grades ten through 12 as well as serving postgraduates; and Access Exeter, a program for students entering grades eight and nine, which offers accelerated study in the arts, sciences and writing as well as serving as an introduction to the school itself. Access Exeter curriculum consists of six academic clusters; each cluster consists of three courses organized around a focused central theme. Some of Exeter's summer school programs also give students the opportunity to experience studies outside of Exeter's campus environment, including interactions with other top schools and students, experience with Washington D.C., and travel abroad.

Workshops

The academy offers a number of workshops and conferences for secondary school educators. These include the Exeter Math Institute; the Exeter Humanities Institute; the Math, Science and Technology Conference; the Exeter Astronomy Conference; and the Shakespeare Conference.

The "On Beyond Exeter" program offers one-week seminars for alumni. Most courses are held at the academy, but some meet in the locations central to the course's topic.

Historical endeavors

In 1952, Exeter, Andover, Lawrenceville, Harvard, Princeton and Yale published the study General Education in School and College: A Committee Report. The report recommended examinations that would place students after admission to college. This program evolved into the Advanced Placement Program.

In 1965 Exeter became the second charter member (after Andover) of the School Year Abroad program. The program allows students to reside and study a foreign language abroad.

In popular culture

Several works are based on Exeter and portray the lives of its students. Many are written by alumni who disguise Exeter's name, but not its character, such as the novels A Separate Peace by John Knowles and A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.