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National Study Shows Boarding Schools Are Socially and Academically Better for Students

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

SALTSBURG, Pa., July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- If you want to give your children an advantage in college and later life, consider sending them to a private boarding school.

That's the provocative conclusion of a study of how boarding school students perform in the real world.

"This study fully confirms what all of us at boarding schools have known for some years," said Christopher Brueningsen, headmaster of The Kiski School, a highly regarded boys boarding school here in Saltsburg. "Boarding schools today offer a lot of diversity in the student body and abundant opportunities for students to learn to be well-rounded leaders in the larger community. As a result, students going to a school like Kiski are better prepared than ever for the challenges of college and for life."

"This is in addition to the traditionally rigorous preparation in academics," he noted.

The study was conducted by the Art and Science Group of Baltimore, Maryland, a company that does education-related market research. It was carried out for The Association of Boarding Schools, which wanted to find out how well its members were doing in producing results for parents who often make a considerable sacrifice to send their children to a boarding school.

Statistics from the study show that students do better socially, culturally and academically in a boarding school environment than in private day schools or public institutions.

Here are some statistics from the study, for which some 2,700 students and adults were interviewed:

- 87% of the graduates of boarding schools say they were very well prepared academically for college, compared to 71% of private day school graduates and just 30% of public school graduates. - 78% of those graduates say they were better able to handle the independence and time management aspects of college life, compared to only 36% of private day school graduates and 23% of public school graduates. - 50% of boarding school graduates go on to earn advanced degrees as opposed to 36% at private day school and 21% at public schools. - After college, by mid-career, 44% of boarding school graduates have reached positions in top management versus 33% of private day graduates and 27% of public school graduates. - By late career, 52% of boarding school graduates held positions in top management as compared to 39% of private day alumni and 27% of public school graduates. - Moreover, by mid-career, boarding school graduates are more philanthropic and more involved in their communities: 60% of boarding school graduates give to social service organizations, compared to 46% of all others; 58% donate to political parties by mid-career, versus 33% of others; and 52% donate to their colleges, versus 35% of others.

"At Kiski, we try to provide a balance between academics, athletics, creative pursuits and community responsibility," says Brueningsen, "and it all seems to be paying off -- particularly when you see that our students receive outstanding college preparation as well as a chance to develop the kind of character that leads to career success, community leadership and life satisfaction."

A 50-minute drive from Pittsburgh, The Kiski School is an independent boarding school with a 118-year tradition of preparing boys for college. The Kiski philosophy is to nurture a well-rounded young man ready to take a leading role in the community and in whatever career he pursues. The school provides rigorous academic instruction based on a liberal arts curriculum of the humanities, sciences and fine arts, with extensive training in computer technology.

For more information on The Kiski School and the institution's 118-year tradition of preparing boys for college and later life, please contact The Kiski School at 724-369-3586.

The Kiski School

CONTACT: John Conti, +1-412-471-2463, for The Kiski School

Web site:

Source: PRNewswire

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