Groton, St Marks, Rivers in that order for academics--Groton is a top 12 school in country and super competitive to get in; St Marks and Rivers little easier go on boardingschoolreview.com for SSAT, acceptance rates, endowment etc...Hockey is different story. Rivers has great hockey and regularly makes it in NEPSAC tourney. St Marks good hockey...Groton is hit or miss although last year they did well and heard they are trying to get better with recruiting new players. End of day poster is correct with fit being most important,(and $$$ package) as if your kid needs to play and if he's a stud he will play d1 after a year or 2 in USHL, BCHL, or NAHL or go right to NESCAC if lucky and had grades...

Honestly it really depends on what you are looking for. In my opinion Groton has the best academics if your child can manage the workload. On the hockey front I would give the edge to Rivers and St. Mark's. However Groton did surprisingly well last year and I hear they have another great recruiting class joining them this year. St, Mark's is your all around school, good academics and decent hockey, I also hear they've had a good recruiting class and should be the better of all 3 teams. Rivers is a step above HS, not sure why you would have it on your list unless you are looking for a hockey school, if that is the case go to Dexter, St. Sebastian, Salisbury or Kimball.

I would argue Groton is top 3 in Academics in the country.

You read it here first! A bumper crop of freshman will power st. marks to a title!! They won’t even win the Eberhart...visit the schools, don’t take your advice from freshman st. Marks parents on the dboard.

St Mark's have 2 D1 commits, not sure I would be trashing them on the forums. Great school, great coach and very good hockey team.

thanks Coach.

Different poster, he's one of the few Prep coaches focused on development. I assume those two D-I commits don't include the kid that's over at Hahvahd that was in the NTDP. Ducks draft pick.

Too bad the academic fit wasn't right for my kid. Also was just a *BIT* too far in the wrong direction to commute every day for us.

If you haven't, I'd recommend having your student take the SSAT (or at least practice SSAT's) to get a general sense of where your student will be admissable. If the grades and the scores aren't really good, I wouldn't risk getting your kid all jazzed about Groton or St. Mark's. Plus, the admissions process (applications, essays, recommendations, interviews, etc.) can be time-consuming and energy-draining -- I'd recommend not wasting your time on schools where you don't have a reasonable likelihood of admission. (And yes, if your kid is a really good hockey player, the admissions process can be a bit more flexible. But, depending on the school, it's not that much more flexible.)

As others who have gone through the process will tell you: don't focus on the hockey too much. Find the right cultural and academic fit. You will likely approach each school with some sort of preconception, but you'll leave with a feel for whether it's the right kind of place for your kid. Follow your gut on that.

My oldest goes to Rivers now in the middle school and it's been a great fit thus far. The teachers know everyone individually, every kid has to do a sport every season and play an instrument- nobody can hide and just coast. I prefer the non boarding option as I'm not sure my kid would have the maturity to handle it that young.

Best advice is to go to open houses and see what's a fit. Do you want an all boys school or coed? Do you want boarding or no? Does your kid under no circumstances want to wear a jacket and tie every day? Do you not want any religious affiliation at the school? Do you want an old school lecture style chalkboard classroom experience or do you want a new school flipped classroom with a collaborative team based approach to learning using current digital tools? Do you want your kid rubbing elbows with the kids of old money railroad barons or children of the Chinese politburo? Do you need aid or are you a full payer? Certain schools have very large endowments so even if you make bank you often get something.

But what's more important is to not think of these schools as hockey levers but life levers! These schools open up more options than you can get even from top public high schools. Early birds get the worm but late bird owns the worm factory- be like late bird.