About Us
Why The Family Boarding School
Here at The Hill School, when students arrive on campus each fall they are greeted with a friendly “Welcome home!
Known as the family boarding school, The Hill is a home-away-from-home for young men and women from around the world. Hailing from 28 states and 21 countries, Hill students live and learn in a close-knit community with peers who are diverse, talented, and driven to excel.
Students and faculty at The Hill are inspired by one another to embrace a global worldview that is less commonly found at day schools. As a result, they rethink problems and shift their perspectives in order to discover new solutions in a more collaborative environment. Equally important is the distinctive family setting of boarding school life that ensures students feel safe, loved, and supported as they are challenged to explore new interests and discover new passions.
At Hill, our teachers are experts in their respective fields and support and mentor students in all aspects of their lives. By living in dormitories, our faculty members know and genuinely care for our students as individuals and treat one another like family
When I go home after classes, I go back to a house I share with 14 Hill students. When I eat dinner with my husband, our kids run around the dining hall saying 'hi' to their favorite students. Living together as a community means that we share all aspects of life together. We get to know one another not just in the classroom but during meals, on the stage, on the field, and over ice cream during a dorm feed. Hill is an exceptional place because it makes possible deep and lifelong relationships.The Rev. Anne Confer Martens '02, Hill School Warner Associate Chaplain
Respected traditions such seated meals and twice-weekly Chapel reinforce the importance of connectedness, with a focus on character development and continued learning outside the classroom. For more than 170 years, Hill students have gathered around Dining Room tables during seated meals, enjoying meals and building rapport with teachers and advisers, bonding with teammates, and forming life-long friendships. Although not a formal classroom setting, the Dining Room is a vital space for learning enduring life lessons.
During Chapel, students hear personal stories of determination and resilience from their peers and teachers that help illustrate what they are capable of achieving in their own lives. This authentic learning experience - coupled with Hill’s balanced structure in a supportive atmosphere - helps our students develop important personal skills essential to navigating the non-academic aspects of college life, such as independence, social life, and time management.
The Hill – like similar boarding schools - prepares our students for the next step in their academic and personal journeys, which is unmatched by other types of schooling. The Hill School’s extraordinary combination of rigorous academics, our supportive community, international diversity, real-world learning experiences, and time-honored traditions, make life-changing, transformative experiences a daily occurrence.