Blair Academy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blair Academy |
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| Old Academy Building
Venite, Studete, Discite
("Come, Study, Learn") |
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| Location | |
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| Blairstown, New Jersey, Warren County, United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°59′06″N 74°57′50″W / 40.98500°N 74.96389°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Boarding, Day |
| Established | 1848 |
| NCES School ID | 00869091 |
| Enrollment | 462 (as of 2017–18) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 5.4:1 |
| Campus | Rural, 463 acres (1.87 km2) |
| Color(s) | Navy blue White Gray |
| Athletics conference | Mid-Atlantic Prep League |
| Team name | Buccaneers |
| Rival | Peddie School |
| Tuition | $66,500 boarding; $46,500 day (2020-21) |
Blair Academy is a coeducational, boarding and day school for students in high school. The school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades as well as a small post-graduate class. The school's campus is situated on 463 acres (1.87 km2) in Blairstown Township, in rural Warren County, New Jersey, United States, approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of New York City.
As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 462 students and 85.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 5.4:1. The school's student body was 74.5% (344) White, 13.6% (63) Asian, 4.5% (21) Black, 3.7% (17) two or more races and 3.0% (14) Hispanic.
Contents
Academics
Blair's academic program follows the traditional four-year college-preparatory plan. Diploma requirements are governed by college entrance requirements.
Athletics
Blair primarily competes in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (which includes Blair Academy, The Peddie School, The Lawrenceville School, The Hill School, Hun School of Princeton and Mercersburg Academy). The school's traditional mascot is the "Buccaneer" (with the team called the Bucs) and the school colors are navy blue, white and grey. Blair's traditional arch-rival is The Peddie School of Hightstown, New Jersey. Since 1903, Blair and Peddie have competed in football, and the rivalry constitutes New Jersey's oldest continuous prep football competition. Each November, the two schools vie for the coveted Kelley-Potter Cup by playing against one another in a fall sports competition.
During the days leading up to Peddie Day, spirit abounds at Blair. The campus is bedecked with banners hanging from windows, often poking fun at Peddie's Falcon mascot (known to Blair as the Peddie Chickens). On Peddie Day "Eve," a spirited pep rally, torch procession and stories-high bonfire pave the way for a day of athletic competition. The Bonfire at Blair in the past has been over 80 feet (24 m) tall, however fire regulations prohibit such large fires now. On Peddie Day held at Peddie in November 2013, Blair claimed the Kelly-Potter Cup for the fourth straight year.
The most successful athletic program is wrestling. Under previous head wrestling coach Jeff Buxton, the team won 31 consecutive National Prep Titles (from 1981–2012) and produced a number of NCAA champions and Olympic gold medalist Robert B. Weaver. Most recently, Blair has produced PAC12 Champion Evan Martin Silver. He has gone on to wrestle for Stanford University after leading as wrestling team captain at Blair. The academy's wrestling team is considered one of the most successful high school wrestling programs in the nation, winning 10 National Team Championships.
The boys swimming team won the NJSIAA state Non-Public state championship in 1926, 1932 and 1935-1940.
Blair's basketball program has developed alums including NBA players Luol Deng, Charlie Villanueva, and Royal Ivey.
Former Blair football player Dion Lewis was drafted in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has received numerous honors in 2010 such as, Sporting News Top 5 Heisman Trophy Candidate, Top 25 Overall Players (No. 6), All America Team (first team), All-Big East, as well as ESPN.com "Big East's 25 Best" No.1.
Facilities
Almost all campus architecture is in the Richardson Romanesque style, and modern buildings reflect the features and themes of the older structures. There are five major academic buildings: Clinton Hall, Bogle Science Center, Timken Library, Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts and the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration. Bogle Science Center, dedicated in 1989 and expanded and renovated in 2019, provides laboratories and classrooms for the science department and includes the 100-seat Cowan Auditorium. Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts was dedicated in 1997 and includes the 500-seat DuBois Theatre, the black box Wean Theatre, and practice rooms. The renovated Timken Library opened in 1998. Annie Hall, a girls' dormitory, opened in the fall of 1999. The Romano Dining Hall was completed in the fall of 2000, and renovation of Insley Hall was completed in 2001. A major expansion and renovation of the School's athletic and activities facilities and fields occurred between 2006 and 2009: a lighted, synthetic turf field for football, field hockey and soccer, with new stands, press box, and 400 meter all-weather track; ten new tennis courts (five lighted), a new junior varsity baseball field, and expansion of the existing, natural grass fields. The renovation and expansion of the existing athletic center, including a new student center, concluded in March 2009. This facility, known as Hardwick Hall, houses seven squash courts, three gymnasiums, wrestling facilities, aerobic space, a fitness center, a training room, and locker rooms, and also includes Blair Commons, home of the School's bookstore, The Black Canteen, and college counseling offices. Blair's athletic facilities also include a nine-hole golf course. The School's pedestrian campus was completed in 2010, making the center of campus vehicle-free. In 2015, the School opened Kathryn Hall, an upper-school girls' dormitory, and Lakeside Hall, an upper-school boys' dormitory, each of which includes three faculty apartments. The Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration, a modern, technology-rich academic facility was completed in 2017 and serves as home to Blair's technology and fine arts departments. Also in 2017, Weber Hall was renovated to best facilitate the teaching of math. In 2018, Blair added the J. Li Golf Training Center and seasonal winter sports complex to its athletic facilities.
Statistics
Enrollment
Characteristics of the student body:
- Total Enrollment: 460 (80% boarding / 20% day)
- Male/Female Ratio: 49% / 51%
- Number of postgraduate students: 8
- Number of countries represented: 26 (17% of student body)
- Number of states represented: 25
Tuition and fees
For the 2020–2021 academic year, Blair charges $66,500 for tuition, room and board. Day students are charged $46,500, which covers tuition, study rooms, and meals at school.
In rankings based on tuition, room and board and required fees for the 2013–14 school year, Business Insider ranked the school as the 29th-most-expensive boarding school in the United States. The school was 26th-most expensive based on the publication's rankings based on 2012-13 data.
Faculty
- Student/Faculty Ratio: 6:1
- Head of School: Christopher Fortunato
Accreditation
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (since 1928).
School memberships
- ADVIS – Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools
- CASE – Council for Advancement and Support of Education
- NAIS – National Association of Independent Schools
- NJAIS - New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
Endowment
- Current Market Value (approximate): $101 million as of August 28, 2018.
Campus
- The campus, set among 463 acres (1.87 km2) of rolling hills in the shadow of the Delaware Water Gap, is home to numerous grand old buildings and in 1992 was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historic and architectural significance.
- In the 1960s and 1970s, the campus was used in the summer by Camp Racquet, a tennis camp run by Charlie Lundgren, then the coach of the tennis team at Upsala College.
