Loomis Chaffee School

The Loomis Chaffee School (/ˈluːmɪs ˈtʃeɪfi/; LC or Loomis) is a selective independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, including postgraduate students, located in Windsor, Connecticut, seven miles north of Hartford. Seventy percent of Loomis Chaffee's 726 students reside on the school's 300-acre campus and represent forty-four foreign countries and thirty-one U.S. states. 71% of Loomis Chaffee's student body are boarding students while 29% of Loomis Chaffee's student body are day students.

The Loomis Chaffee School
Address
4 Batchelder Road

Windsor
,
Connecticut
06095

United States
Coordinates41°50′24″N 72°38′26″W
Information
TypePrivate, independent, boarding, day
MottoNe Cede Malis
(Yield Not to Misfortunes)
Established1914 (1914)
CEEB code070945
Head of schoolSheila Culbert
Faculty177
Grades9–12, PG
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment700 total
490 boarding
210 day
Average class size12 students
Student to teacher ratio5:1 (4:1 boarding student-to-residential faculty)
Campus size300 acres (1.2 km2)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Maroon and gray
  
Athletics55 interscholastic teams in 18 sports; 19 intramural offerings
Athletics conferenceNEPSAC
Founders League
MascotPelican
RivalKent School
AccreditationNAIS
TABS
NEASC
NewspaperThe Loomis Chaffee Log
Endowment$250 million[1]
Budget$55.7 million (2019)[2]
Tuition$61,760 (boarding)[2]
$47,440 (day)[2]
AffiliationsTen Schools Admissions Organization[3]
Websitewww.loomischaffee.org

Founded in 1914, Loomis Chaffee is a member of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization along with Choate, Andover, Exeter, Deerfield, St. Paul's, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Taft, and The Hill School.[4] Loomis had an acceptance rate of 18% for the 2021–2022 school year.[5]

History
Loomis Homestead (1640), one of the oldest houses in the state, still remains on campus (1910 postcard)

The school was chartered in 1874 as The Loomis Institute by five Loomis siblings, who had outlived all their children. Stating that it was their hope that "some good may come to posterity, from the harvest, poor though it be, of our lives," the school was intended as a memorial to their deceased children and a gift to future children.[6] The original 1640 Loomis Homestead was chosen as the site for The Loomis Institute, which opened in 1914.[7] The forty-year gap between chartering and the opening of the school was due to the estate of the Loomis siblings being reserved for the siblings' retirement.[8]

In 1910, John Mason Loomis's widow left over $1.1 million as an endowment to The Loomis Institute for charitable purposes.[9] This donation allowed the school to remain tuition-free for its first four decades. In addition to being tuition-free, The Loomis Institute was distinguished from other New England preparatory schools by its lack of religious affiliation, offering of vocational education alongside college preparatory courses, and admission of both boys and girls.[10]

The Loomis Institute ended coeducation in 1926 when The Chaffee School was incorporated to educate girls on an adjacent campus. In 1970, the boys and girls schools merged to form The Loomis Chaffee School.[10] Since then, the school has expanded as its endowment, financial aid budget, faculty, and campus increased in size.[6]

Overview
Grubbs Quadrangle looking toward the Dining Hall (circa the 1950s)
Cupola atop Founders Hall

Academics

Loomis Chaffee offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, psychology, writing workshop, videography, English, Latin, Spanish, French, art, dance, history and social science, mathematics, music, philosophy, religion, science and theater arts. Noncredit diploma requirements include library skills, and physical fitness and health. Advanced Placement courses are offered in 20 subjects.[11] The Norton Family Center for the Common Good and the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies work to engage the student body with the wider community and world by means of visiting speakers and international study opportunities.[11]

College guidance

Five full-time college counselors guide students through the college search and application process. Eighty-six percent of the members of the Class of 2010 were admitted to colleges and universities deemed most competitive or highly competitive by Barron's Profiles of American Colleges, with sixty-six percent matriculating at the most competitive institutions.[12]

The Senior Path, Grubbs Quadrangle looking toward Founders Hall

Athletics

Loomis Chaffee competes in sports against schools from all over New England and adjacent states.[13] The school is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and competes in the Class A large school division. Additionally, Loomis is a member of The Founders League which comprises private schools located mainly in Connecticut.[13]

Student Publications

The Loomis Chaffee Log

The Loomis Chaffee Log is a student-run, school-sponsored newspaper. Established in 1915, the Log is published monthly by a team of student editors. In 2015, the Log editorial staff launched an online edition.[14]

The Hourglass and World Bulletin

The Hourglass and World Bulletin are two student-run publications. The Hourglass strives to inform the Loomis Chaffee Community of global news and their connection to the past through discussions and tri-quarterly publications where students feel informed, heard, and acknowledged.[15] Founded in 2011, the World Bulletin is the Loomis Chaffee School's scholarly journal on contemporary politics and international relations.[16]

Heads of school
  • (1914-1949): Nathaniel Horton Batchelder[17]
  • (1949-1952): William Speer[17]
  • (1952-1967): Francis Olmsted Grubbs[17]
  • (1967-1976): Frederick G. Torrey[18]
  • (1976-1996): John Ratté[19]
  • (1996-2008): Russell H. Weigel[20]
  • (2008–present): Sheila Culbert

Notable alumni
Main article: List of Loomis Chaffee School alumni

See also

References
  1. "Loomis Chaffee Profile (2022) | Windsor, CT".
  2. "Loomis Chaffee - Key Facts". Loomis Chaffee. July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  3. "Ten Schools". www.tenschools.org.
  4. "Loomis at a Glance". November 24, 2019.
  5. "LC's Prestige Improves as Acceptance Rate Drops".
  6. "History & Origins of Loomis Chaffee". Loomischaffee.org. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  7. Atlantic Reporter: Cases Argued and Determined in the Courts of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont. West Publishing Company. 1923. pp. 33–35.
  8. Hill, Rachel. "A look back at the start of Loomis Chaffee School". courant.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  9. Together We Served.com, Essay
  10. Martin, David Jerner; Loomis, Kimberly S. (2013-06-25). Building Teachers: A Constructivist Approach to Introducing Education. Cengage Learning. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-285-53011-6.
  11. "Key Facts 2011–12". Loomischaffee.org. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  12. "College Guidance". Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  13. "Athletics Overview - The Loomis Chaffee School". www.loomischaffee.org.
  14. Loomis Chaffee Log, thelclog.org; accessed June 6th, 2017.
  15. "About Us – LC Hourglass". Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  16. "World Bulletin – LC Hourglass". Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  17. Margolick, David (April 15, 1982). "Francis O. Grubbs Is Dead at 74; Headed Loomis-Chaffee School". The New York Times.
  18. "Ex‐French Teacher To Retire as Head Of Loomis‐Chaffee". The New York Times. February 25, 1973.
  19. Writer, STAN SIMPSON; Courant Staff. "LOOMIS CHAFFEE HEADMASTER RETIRING". courant.com.
  20. "Loomis Headmaster to Retire After 2007-08 Year". April 1, 2007.
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