Groton School facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Groton School
Address
282 Farmers Row Groton , Massachusetts 01450 United States
Coordinates	42°35′36.04″N 71°35′03.23″W / 42.5933444°N 71.5842306°W / 42.5933444; -71.5842306
Information
Type	Private day and boarding school
Motto	Cui servire est regnare ("In whose [God's] service is perfect freedom" / "To serve [God] is to reign")
Religious affiliation(s)	Episcopal Church
Established	1884; 141 years ago (1884)
Headmaster	Temba Maqubela
Grades	8–12
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	378 (2023–24)
Campus type	Suburban/rural
Athletics conference	Independent School League
Nickname	Zebras
Accreditation	NEASC
Endowment	$475 million

Groton School is a private school located in Groton, Massachusetts. It's a place where students live and study (a boarding school) or attend during the day. It helps prepare students for college. The school is connected to the Episcopal faith.

Groton has about 380 boys and girls. They are in grades 8 through 12, which the school calls Forms II-VI. Groton has a large fund of money, called an endowment, worth $475 million. This allows the school to offer "need-blind admission." This means they accept students based on their abilities, not on how much money their family has.

Around 40–44% of students get financial help. Students whose families earn less than $80,000 a year can attend for free. Families earning up to $120,000 usually pay no more than $5,000. In 2022, only 8% of students who applied were accepted. Famous people who went to Groton include U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Discovering Groton School's Past

Early Years: 1884–1940

Groton School was started in 1884 by Endicott Peabody. He was an Episcopal priest. Important people like Harvard president Charles Eliot and J. P. Morgan supported him. The Roosevelt family also helped, as Theodore Roosevelt was a close friend of Peabody.

The design of St. John's Chapel (1900) shows the school's simple church style.

Peabody was the headmaster for 56 years. He believed in "muscular Christianity," which meant being strong in body and spirit. He made students take cold showers and sleep in small cubicles, not private rooms. He wanted to make wealthy students tougher through this "corrective salutary deprivation" program.

Under Peabody, Groton aimed to inspire students to serve the public. Many graduates worked in public affairs during peacetime. In wartime, this idea of public service became even more important. About 475 of 580 military-age alumni served in World War I. Around 700 alumni served in World War II.

Peabody also wanted students to be ready for advanced college courses. He started entrance exams and scholarships in 1907. One scholarship student, Henry Chauncey, later helped make the Scholastic Aptitude Test popular. Peabody even helped some students pay for college.

Changes and Civil Rights: 1940–1965

John Crocker became headmaster in 1940. His time at Groton happened during the start of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1951, Groton accepted its first African-American student. In 1965, Crocker and 85 Groton students marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Boston.

Crocker also greatly increased the school's financial aid program. By the time he retired in 1965, about 30% of Groton students had scholarships.

Welcoming Girls: 1965–1977

After Crocker, Groton had three headmasters in a short time. During these years, there were many discussions about how to bring girls to Groton. One idea was to merge with a girls' school.

Eventually, a plan was made to slowly add girls to the student body. Groton welcomed its first female students in 1975. After that, applications tripled. Today, Groton has an equal number of boys and girls.

The new headmasters also made some of Peabody's strict rules more relaxed. They replaced the sleeping cubicles with proper bedrooms. They added more holidays and relaxed the dress code. Students also got more free time on weekends. However, some traditions remain, like serving the community and being connected to the Episcopal Church.

Groton Today: 1977–Present

Groton continued to grow under William Polk (1978–2003) and Richard Commons (2003–2013). They improved the campus buildings and brought in more international students. The current Headmaster is Temba Maqubela (2013–present).

Recently, Groton has focused on making school more affordable. In 2008, Groton and other schools started offering free tuition to families earning below $75,000 (now $80,000). A fundraising campaign from 2014 to 2018 allowed Groton to offer need-blind admission.

Many former Groton teachers are now leaders at other schools. This shows the school's strong influence in education.

Academics and Learning at Groton

The walls of the Schoolroom (study hall) show the names of every graduate.

What Students Learn

The average SAT score for the class of 2023 was 1490. Their average ACT score was 33.5. Groton has a 4:1 student-teacher ratio. This means there are only 4 students for every teacher. This allows for many different courses. Seniors can even do special projects if their interests go beyond the regular classes.

Groton students take many Advanced Placement (AP) exams. From 2018 to 2022, students took over 2,500 AP exams. They passed 93% of them.

Groton's Role in College Admissions

Historically, Groton was known for sending many students to Harvard College. From 1906 to 1932, almost all Groton students who applied to Harvard were accepted.

There were a few reasons for this. First, many top colleges accepted most applicants until after World War II. Second, Groton students often did well on college entrance exams. Third, even average students from Groton might get in due to their parents' connections or wealth.

However, things changed. In the 1950s, Harvard started looking for students with raw academic talent. They wanted to have a more diverse student body. As a result, the number of prep school graduates at Harvard decreased.

Other Schools Groton Helped Start

Groton has helped create other schools.

In 1909, a former Groton teacher helped found Baguio School in the Philippines. This school was for the children of Americans living there.

In 1926, Endicott Peabody founded Brooks School in Massachusetts. Groton was very popular, and Peabody didn't want to make it bigger. So, he raised money to build a new school. Brooks School was also Episcopal and small, like Groton.

Today, Groton supports Epiphany School in Boston. This is a tuition-free middle school for young people who need extra support. Epiphany students even spend time on Groton's campus in the summer.

Admissions and Student Life

How to Get In

Groton's acceptance rate is usually around 12%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, applications increased. This made the acceptance rate drop to 8% in 2022.

In 2016, Business Insider called Groton the most selective boarding school in the U.S. A website called Private School Review said the same in 2024.

Groton uses need-blind admission. This means a family's ability to pay does not affect whether a student is accepted. In 2018, the school announced that the acceptance rate was the same for all applicants.

Some students who get into Groton are siblings of current students. Others are children of school employees.

Student Grades and Numbers

In the 2022–23 school year, Groton had 377 students. This included 26 eighth graders (Second Formers). There were also 81 freshmen (Third Formers), 87 sophomores (Fourth Formers), 92 juniors (Fifth Formers), and 91 seniors (Sixth Formers).

Who Are the Students?

When Groton started, most students were from wealthy, white, Protestant families. However, Groton was open to students of different faiths.

In Groton's early years, most students came from rich families in New York and New England. These schools aimed to teach good values to those who would someday have power and influence.

In the 2023–24 school year, 46% of Groton students were students of color. About 15% traveled to school from nearby towns. Also, 7% of students were from other countries, coming from 25 different nations.

School Finances and Costs

Tuition and Financial Aid

In the 2023–24 school year, it cost $59,995 for boarding students to live and study at Groton. Day students paid $46,720. There are also other fees.

As mentioned, 40–44% of students receive financial aid. This aid covers a large part of the cost. Students from families earning under $80,000 pay nothing. Those earning under $120,000 usually pay no more than $5,000.

Groton tries to keep its tuition lower than other similar schools. In 2022, it was one of the least expensive among 40 peer schools. However, other schools might offer similar financial aid packages once a student is accepted.

School's Money and Spending

Groton has a large financial endowment of $475 million. This money helps the school operate and offer financial aid. In 2021–22, Groton reported total assets of $623.4 million. They spent $37.8 million on school programs. They also gave $7.8 million in grants, mostly for student financial aid.

How Groton School is Run

School Structure

Groton is an independent (private) school. It is approved by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The school is run by a board of trustees as a non-profit organization. This means it doesn't operate to make a profit.

Working with Other Schools

Groton does not belong to some big school groups like the Eight Schools Association. However, Groton has worked with other independent schools on specific projects. For example, they worked with other schools to create the Gateway to Prep Schools application portal. The current headmaster, Temba Maqubela, is on the board of the Heads and Principals Association.

Funding for the School

As an independent school, Groton does not rely on public money. However, private schools can still get government help. For example, the state of Massachusetts has helped Groton get special bonds. These bonds help finance new buildings or renovations. The school still pays back the money, but it gets tax benefits.

Groton School Campus

Groton School, seen from St. John's Chapel. Hundred House is on the left, and the Schoolhouse is on the right.

Groton has a large 480-acre campus. It includes school buildings, dorms, sports fields, and natural areas. The campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. He also designed Central Park in New York City. The main buildings are around a circular lawn, known as "The Circle." In 2018, Architectural Digest called Groton the most beautiful private high school campus in Massachusetts.

The oldest buildings on campus are around The Circle. Most were designed between 1884 and 1902. These include Brooks House (a dorm), the Fives Court, Hundred House (another dorm), the Schoolhouse, and the old gym (now the dining hall). The Chapel was finished in 1900.

Other architects have also worked on Groton's campus. Recently, the school built a solar battery farm. They also built a "net-zero emissions" faculty home. These projects help the school be more energy efficient.

The school has many sports facilities. These include an Athletic Center with two hockey rinks and three basketball courts. There are also squash courts, a swimming pool, and a boathouse on the Nashua River. The campus also has a track and field area and 18 tennis courts.

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  The Dining Hall (formerly the gymnasium).

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  A fun, three-story poster students put on the Chapel in 2008.

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  Most older students (grades 10-12) live in Hundred House.

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  Younger students (grades 8 and 9) live in Brooks House, Groton's first building.

Spiritual Life at Groton

Chapel Services

St. John's Chapel.

St. John's Chapel opened in 1900. It was a gift from William Amory Gardner, one of the school's first teachers. The Chapel was designed by Henry Vaughan. He also designed the Washington National Cathedral. The Chapel replaced an older building that the school gave to the local Catholic community.

The Chapel is very large because it serves as both a school chapel and a local church. In 1950, the school's church duties moved to a church in Ayer.

The Chapel has a special pipe organ built in 1935. It was one of the first American organs made to play Baroque music.

Since 1929, the school has held an annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. This is based on a famous service in England.

Episcopal Traditions and Other Faiths

At Groton, students must attend five religious services each week. Four are general services on weekday mornings. One is a specific religious service on weekends, chosen by the student.

The school's church services and building style show Endicott Peabody's simple church beliefs. The Chapel still does not have pews for students, except in the choir area. Some believe the simple services helped attract students from different faiths.

Groton still requires weekend religious services. This makes it unique among some Eastern boarding schools. However, students can find services that fit their own beliefs. For example, a Buddhist service has become popular for non-religious students.

School Motto

Groton adopted its motto, cui servire est regnare, in 1902. This Latin phrase means "in whose [God's] service is perfect freedom" or "to serve [God] is to reign." The school recognizes both translations.

The phrase was first linked to Saint Augustine. It has been used in Christian church services for a long time. The school chose the motto after a bishop used it in a sermon on campus.

Sports and Athletics

Groton's sports teams play in the Independent School League (ISL). This league includes other boarding and day schools near Boston. ISL schools only give financial aid based on a family's need, not for athletic talent. They also do not recruit students who have already graduated high school.

Sports Offered

Groton offers 47 teams in 22 different sports programs.

The 1894 football team.

The Groton football team has had three coaches who won national college championships. In 1905, when some colleges stopped playing football due to safety concerns, Endicott Peabody asked Theodore Roosevelt to make the game safer. This led to new rules, like the forward pass.

The 1912 ice hockey team.

The Groton boys' rowing team has won nine New England championships. They have also produced five Olympic gold medalists. The girls' rowing team has won four New England championships. Both teams often compete in big regattas like the Henley Royal Regatta.

Both the Groton girls' and boys' squash teams won the 2020 U.S. high school team national championship for their division.

School Rivalries

Team captains from Groton and St. Mark's shake hands in 1939.

Groton's main sports rival is St. Mark's School. Their football rivalry started in 1886. It is the fifth-oldest high school football rivalry in the United States. The rivalry began when St. Mark's turned down Endicott Peabody for a job.

Groton's rowing teams have competed against Noble and Greenough School since 1922. This rivalry grew because Groton and St. Mark's only played each other in a few sports at first.

Groton and St. Paul's School also play each other in all sports and compete for a trophy. Groton also plays its neighbor Lawrence Academy in various sports.