How safe is the school, really — beyond what the marketing says?
Based on the school’s guidance page and press coverage, safety officers at Choate Rosemary Hall monitor the campus 24 hours a day and its doctor, nurses and counselors are on call 24/7; the school publishes no incident, discipline or climate-survey counts, and independent reports in 2017 and 2018 found sexual misconduct by former faculty dating from the 1960s, for which the school apologised.
| Record | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Security and care | Safety officers monitor the campus “24 hours a day on foot, by car, and by bike”; the school says it prepares the community for emergencies and that its health staff are on call 24/7 | School guidance page |
| 2017 report | A report released in April 2017 found that at least 12 former instructors engaged in sexual misconduct with students, with allegations dating from the early 1960s; 24 victims were documented anonymously; the school did not report the allegations to Connecticut’s child-welfare agency until 2010; the school apologised | NBC News |
| 2018 report | A second review, released in October 2018 by a different law firm, corroborated allegations against two former faculty members and a faculty member’s wife; two of the three have died; the school’s leadership apologised and acknowledged that it failed to address some reports appropriately | The Washington Times (AP) |
| 2022 dismissal | In July 2022 the school dismissed an employee accused of sexual misconduct involving a former student; it said it had notified state and local authorities and commissioned a third-party investigation, and that the further allegations it received all dated from many years earlier | NBC Connecticut |
| Reporting a concern | The school’s safety and guidance pages do not describe how a student or parent reports one | — |
The school’s own pages give no count of incidents, disciplinary actions or police calls, and no climate-survey result, so the record above shows its systems and its history and not how safe a student has been this year. The 2017 and 2018 findings concern former faculty from decades ago, and the 2022 case concerns an employee and a former student; the press reports are third-party accounts, and the school’s own community letter and the reports themselves could not be read because its site blocks automated access.
Ask the school for its latest student climate-survey results, how a student or parent reports a concern and who receives it, and what its current safeguarding training for adults covers.
What’s the true total cost — tuition plus fees, room/board if applicable — and how has it moved over the last 3–5 years?
Based on the school’s 2026–27 tuition page, a year at Choate Rosemary Hall costs $74,530 for a boarding student and $57,610 for a day student, made up of tuition and a $1,000 technology fee; we found no earlier year on the school’s site, so how the price has moved is not shown.
| 2026–27 | Boarding | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $73,530 | $56,610 |
| Technology fee | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Total | $74,530 | $57,610 |
The school adds about $1,000 a year for books and supplies and requires health insurance, whose cost the page does not state; travel and music lessons are extra, and every student needs a phone with a US data plan. Families can pay in one payment on or before 1 June with a 1% discount, in two payments (half by 15 July and the balance by 15 November), or through a nine-month plan with monthly deductions from July to March that needs enrolment by 15 June and carries no interest or credit check; every plan starts with a 10% non-refundable deposit.
The school says it meets 100% of demonstrated need. Its homepage reports a $17 million annual financial aid budget, an average of 79% of tuition offset and 36% of students receiving aid, and the aid application is due 15 January.
Ask the school what tuition was in each of the last five years, how much it expects to raise it next year, and what a family at your income would pay after aid.
How qualified and stable are the teachers — credentials, average tenure, turnover?
Based on the school’s teaching-faculty page and a third-party profile, 90% of the faculty at Choate Rosemary Hall live on campus, 75% hold advanced degrees and the student-to-teacher ratio is 6 to 1; the school itself publishes no faculty count, degree share, tenure or turnover.
| Measure | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty living on campus | 90% | Choate, teaching-faculty page |
| Advanced degrees | 75% | Boarding School Review (third party) |
| Student-to-teacher ratio | 6 to 1 | Boarding School Review (third party) |
| Average class size | 12 | Boarding School Review (third party) |
| Faculty count, tenure at Choate, turnover | Not published | — |
The third-party figures are labelled “2026 School Data” on that site and sourced to a school update, but the school’s own pages do not repeat them, and the site’s enrolment (859) differs from the school’s 2026–27 profile (861). The school says its approach to curriculum has been recognised by the National Association of Independent Schools; that is not a measure of teacher qualification.
Ask the school how many teachers hold advanced degrees, how many have taught there five years or more, how many positions it filled last year, and what its average class size is by grade.
What’s the graduation rate, and how college-ready are graduates?
Based on the school’s 2026–27 School Profile, the middle half of the Class of 2026 scored 1280 to 1510 on the SAT and 27 to 34 on the ACT composite; Choate Rosemary Hall publishes no graduation rate, and its profile lists the 92 colleges where three or more graduates of the classes of 2022 to 2026 enrolled.
| Measure | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | Not published | — |
| SAT, Class of 2026 | Middle 50% 1280–1510 (reading and writing 640–750; mathematics 620–780) | School Profile |
| ACT, Class of 2026 | Middle 50% composite 27–34 | School Profile |
| National Merit, Class of 2026 | 34 Commended, 11 Semifinalists, 8 Finalists | School Profile |
| Advanced Placement | 210 students from the classes of 2026 to 2029 took 389 exams; 79% scored 4 or 5 and 92% scored 3 or above | School Profile |
| Most common colleges, 2022–2026 together | Chicago 66, New York University 47, Columbia 42, Yale 41, Cornell 41, Georgetown 28, Brown 26, Boston University 25, Northeastern 25, Southern California 25 | School Profile |
| Spread of colleges | 35 colleges with 10 or more graduates, 26 with 5 to 9 and 31 with 3 or 4 | School Profile |
| Science and engineering colleges | MIT 10; Purdue 8; Case Western Reserve 7; Carnegie Mellon 6; Georgia Tech 5; Caltech 4; Worcester Polytechnic 3 | School Profile |
The profile reports an unweighted grade-point average on the transcript, ranks no student, and shows the Class of 2027’s distribution as of September 2026: 37% at 4.00 or above and 39% from 3.75 to 3.99. It gives counts for five classes combined and lists only colleges with three or more graduates, with no class sizes or percentages, so a count cannot be turned into a share of graduates.
Ask the school what share of each class graduates, how many students leave before graduating, and where students who apply outside the list above enroll.
Which future-critical STEM fields is this school genuinely strong in—and which ones are major gaps?
Robotics, biotechnology, computer science and Earth systems are in the Excellent band at Choate Rosemary Hall, each at Level 4 (advanced); AI and data, clean energy and advanced manufacturing are Developing at Level 3 (structured); cybersecurity and aerospace are Weak at Level 2 (thin); and battery storage is Weak at Level 0 (absent). The review’s overall readiness figure is 69/100, which reads Developing.
| Field | Provision | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Robotics | Excellent | 4.0/5 |
| Biotechnology | Excellent | 4.0/5 |
| Computer science | Excellent | 4.0/5 |
| Earth systems | Excellent | 4.0/5 |
| AI & data | Developing | 3.0/5 |
| Clean energy | Developing | 3.0/5 |
| Advanced manufacturing | Developing | 3.0/5 |
| Cybersecurity | Thin | 2.0/5 |
| Aerospace | Thin | 2.0/5 |
| Battery storage | Absent | 0.0/5 |
Level 4 means sustained progression into sophisticated work. Robotics reaches it through an Advanced Robotics Concentration and a FIRST team with a Championship appearance every year from 2023 to 2026; biotechnology through honors cell and molecular biology and genetics and a Science Research Program with a university mentor; computer science through a sequence from introductory programming to machine learning; and Earth systems through a geology sequence and a yearlong research programme at a LEED Platinum environmental center. The Level 3 fields rest on named courses, and the lower fields on a single elective, a club or nothing; the review does not count a facility as teaching.
Seven of fifteen future-critical domains reach Level 3 or above, and the readiness figure is 11 points short of Strong. Ask the school which of these courses and teams run this year.
How strong is it in robotics, engineering and hands-on problem solving?
Based on FIRST’s event record, the Wired Boars of Choate Rosemary Hall (FIRST Robotics Competition Team 7407, rookie year 2019) played at the FIRST Championship in every season from 2023 to 2026 and won the Archimedes Division in 2026, and the school runs an Advanced Robotics Concentration of honors courses with required winter labs.
| Season | What the record shows | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023, Charged Up (Toben) | Excellence in Engineering at the Southeastern Massachusetts Event, the Industrial Design Award (General Motors) at the Hartford Event, a Dean’s List Finalist award at the New England District Championship, the Gracious Professionalism Award in the MEIR Division and the Innovation in Control Award in the Hopper Division at the FIRST Championship | FIRST |
| 2024, Crescendo (Perry) | The Gracious Professionalism Award at the Hartford Event, the Quality Award at the Western New England Event and Excellence in Engineering in the Ganson Division of the New England Championship; the Archimedes Division at the FIRST Championship, with no award listed | FIRST |
| 2025, Reefscape (Griptide) | First in qualification at the Waterbury Event (12–0) and the Hartford Event (10–2), winning both, with Excellence in Engineering and the Autonomous Award; a Sosik Division win at the New England District Championship; third of 75 teams in qualification in the Milstein Division at the FIRST Championship; third of 220 teams in district points | FIRST |
| 2026, Rebuilt (Biggie Cheese) | The Autonomous Award (Google.org) and a finalist place at the Pine Tree Event; Excellence in Engineering (Littelfuse) and a finalist place at the Hartford Event; Championship Division Winner in the Archimedes Division, then, by the school’s account, elimination in the third round of the Einstein finals | FIRST; Choate news |
The team’s site says Choate has offered robotics since 2009 and that the FIRST team was founded in 2019. The Advanced Robotics Concentration page names three courses, Robotics Design and Fabrication, First Robotics Competition and Autonomous Robotics; the catalogue lists Robotics Design and Fabrication and Competition Robotics as required and Autonomous Robotics as an elective. Beyond robotics, the course list has Topics in Engineering, Reverse Engineering, Electronics and Material Science, Honors, and the Lanphier Center houses the school’s first purpose-built i.d.Lab.
FIRST’s record gives no student count, and no robotics competition other than FIRST Robotics Competition was found. Ask the school how many students are in the concentration and on the team, who coaches it, which three courses a concentrator takes, and what robotics offers a student who does not join.
How strong is this school in AI, data science and computer science compared with other schools?
Based on the school’s course list and department page, Choate Rosemary Hall teaches a computer science sequence from Introduction to Programming through Computer Science, Honors and Advanced Projects in Computer Science to Machine Learning, Honors, with Data Science, Data Analysis and Visualization and Cryptography alongside; the review grades computer science at Level 4 (Excellent) and AI and data at Level 3 (Developing), and found no AI or computing competition.
| Offer | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Programming | Introduction to Programming (CS200), from Alice and Scratch to Python; Application Development for iOS in Objective-C | Department page; course list |
| Computer science | Computer Science, Honors (CS550HO, CS551HO); Advanced Projects in Computer Science, Honors (CS557HO) | Course list |
| Machine learning | Machine Learning, Honors (CS580HO), a spring course: “students will use powerful software libraries to construct adaptive and predictive models” | Department page; course list |
| Data and mathematics | Data Science, offered in several terms; Data Analysis and Visualization, Honors (AS450HO); Statistics, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus and Applied Differential Equations, all Honors; Cryptography, Honors (MA585HO) | Course list |
| AI policy | A ten-member Generative AI Policy Group formed in fall 2024 and guidance for students, families, faculty and staff; no student-facing AI course | Choate Generative AI pages |
| Competitions | No USACO, hackathon or other computing competition result found | — |
The review grades every school on the same ladder and does not rank one against another, so this answer places Choate on the ladder and not against named schools: computer science at Level 4 is advanced, AI and data at Level 3 is structured with one machine-learning course, and cybersecurity, graded separately, is Thin. The catalogue PDF’s text stopped before the computer science and science sections, so most of these courses have titles, codes and terms but no descriptions here.
Ask the school how many sections of Machine Learning and Data Science run, who teaches them, what they require beforehand, and whether any student has entered a computing competition.
Do students get access to advanced coursework, specialist electives and serious competitions?
Based on the School Profile, Choate Rosemary Hall lists more than 300 courses with Honors and Advanced designations, eight Signature Programs including an Advanced Robotics Concentration, a Science Research Program and an Environmental Immersion Program, and a Directed Study option for students who have exhausted a department’s coursework; 210 students took 389 Advanced Placement exams, and the one serious competition record found is the FIRST robotics team.
| Offer | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | Calculus AB; Calculus BC, Honors; Multivariable Calculus, Honors; Linear Algebra, Honors; Applied Differential Equations, Honors; Game Theory and Cryptography, Honors | Course list |
| Science | Advanced Physics (calculus), Honors; Advanced Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, Honors; Cell and Molecular Biology, Honors; Genetics, Honors; Material Science, Honors; Astrophysics, Honors | School Profile; course list |
| Science Research Program | A mentor scientist at a university research facility in the summer before senior year, a manuscript, a conference-style poster and a 15-minute seminar; Scientific Research I (three credits, full year) and II (fall) | Program page; course list |
| Advanced Robotics Concentration | Three-term honors program with required winter labs, built around the FIRST Robotics Competition | Program page |
| Environmental Immersion Program | A yearlong, interdisciplinary program at the Kohler Environmental Center with a yearlong research project | Program page |
| Advanced Placement | 210 students from the classes of 2026 to 2029 took 389 exams; 79% scored 4 or 5 | School Profile |
| Competitions | FIRST Robotics Competition: Championship appearances 2023–2026 and the Archimedes Division in 2026; no other academic competition found | FIRST |
The School Profile names no Advanced Placement courses, and the catalogue text that could be read mentions none, so which exams the 389 sat for is unknown. The Science Research Program page gives no student count, mentor institution or published result, and the Environmental Immersion Program page gives no enrolment or output beyond presenting findings.
Ask the school which Advanced Placement courses run this year, how many students enter each signature program and where research students were placed last summer.
Will your child be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Here’s what the evidence actually shows for Choate Rosemary Hall — not what the brochure claims.
69/100 — Developing overall. Choate’s robotics, biotechnology and computer science provision is advanced: an Advanced Robotics Concentration of honors courses with required winter labs, beside the Wired Boars FIRST Robotics team, which won its division at the 2026 FIRST Championship and reached the Einstein finals; honors cell and molecular biology and genetics courses beside a Science Research Program in which students spend a summer with a mentor scientist at a university research facility and write a manuscript to professional standards; and a computer science sequence that runs from introductory programming through honors and advanced projects to machine learning.
But: battery storage is absent, and cybersecurity and aerospace are thin.
Best positioned forRobotics, Biotechnology, Computer Science
Underdeveloped inBatteries, Cybersecurity, Aerospace
Future-critical exposure7/15 domains
Very strong
- None
Strong
- Robotics
- Biotechnology
- Computer Science
- Earth & Geospatial
Limited
- AI & Data
- Clean Energy
- Advanced Manufacturing
Little / no pathway
- Cybersecurity
- Aerospace
- Batteries
Best fit for
Less ideal for
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No AI-literacy course or unit identified for students.
Where the school is stronger than its marketing suggests
Curriculum
- Machine Learning, Honors (CS580HO), a spring course: “students will use powerful software libraries to construct adaptive and predictive models” (Mathematics and Computer Science page; 2026–27 course list)
- Data Science, offered in several terms; Data Analysis and Visualization, Honors (AS450HO); Statistics, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus and Applied Differential Equations, all Honors (course list)
Evidence seen
- The Generative AI pages: a stance that use be “discerning, informed, and ethical”, hubs for students, families, faculty and staff, and a ten-member Generative AI Policy Group formed in fall 2024; this is governance, not teaching
- A 4 June 2026 community panel on AI and the workforce, reported on 18 June 2026
What's missing
- No AI club or competition identified, and no student-facing AI course or lesson beyond Machine Learning
- The catalogue PDF’s text stopped before the computer science and science sections, so Data Science and the data courses have titles but no descriptions here
Curriculum
- Cryptography, Honors (MA585HO), a fall mathematics course (2026–27 course list); the title is all that could be read
Evidence seen
- The Generative AI pages give guidance on privacy and acceptable use, which is policy and not teaching
- Searches under the school’s name for CyberPatriot, capture-the-flag and cybersecurity clubs found none
What's missing
- No cybersecurity course, club or competition record identified
- The cryptography course description could not be read, so whether it covers applied security is unconfirmed
Curriculum
- The Advanced Robotics Concentration, “a three-term honors program” with “required afternoon lab sessions in the winter term” (program page); its page names Robotics Design and Fabrication, First Robotics Competition and Autonomous Robotics
- The catalogue lists Robotics Design and Fabrication, Honors (CS450HO) and Competition Robotics, Honors (CS560HO) as required, which students usually repeat, with Autonomous Robotics (CS570HO), Advanced Robotics Design and Fabrication (CS565HO) and Advanced Projects in Computer Science (CS557HO) as electives; Introduction to Robotics (CS300) and Robotics II (CS310) sit below
Evidence seen
- FIRST’s event record for Team 7407: 2023, the Industrial Design Award (General Motors) at the Hartford Event, the New England District Championship Dean’s List Finalist award and the Innovation in Control Award in the Hopper Division at the FIRST Championship; 2024, the Quality Award and Gracious Professionalism Award at district events and Excellence in Engineering at the Ganson Division of the New England Championship; 2025, wins at the Waterbury and Hartford events, the New England District Championship and a place in the Milstein Division at the FIRST Championship; 2026, the Autonomous Award at the Pine Tree Event, Excellence in Engineering at the Hartford Event, finals at both, and Championship Division Winner in the Archimedes Division
- The school’s news: in 2025 the team finished third in the Milstein Division and captained the third alliance; in 2026 it qualified from the New England District Championship as one of 32 teams from a field of 200, joined Alliance 1, won the Archimedes Division two matches to one and was eliminated in the third round of the Einstein finals
- The team’s site: Choate has offered robotics since 2009 and the FRC team was founded in 2019
What's missing
- FIRST’s record gives no student count or playoff detail, so the Einstein finals rest on the school’s article
- No robotics competition other than the FIRST Robotics Competition identified
Curriculum
- Environmental Science, Honors (ES550HO), Ecology, Honors (ES437HO), Advanced Topics in Environmental Science, Environmental Policy and Climate Change: From Knowledge to Action (MD370) (course list; sustainability-in-the-curriculum page)
- The Environmental Immersion Program, “an intensive, yearlong, interdisciplinary program” at the Kohler Environmental Center with a yearlong research project
Evidence seen
- Kohler Environmental Center: a one-acre ground-mounted array rated at 296 kilowatts covering all of the center’s energy needs, a closed-loop ground-source heat pump with twenty-five wells 450 feet deep, a rooftop solar water heating system, a computer-controlled research greenhouse and LEED Platinum certification
- The Lanphier Center for Mathematics and Computer Science is LEED Gold; the operations page says carbon emissions have been tracked annually through SIMAP since 2005
What's missing
- No energy, solar or grid course, laboratory or competition identified; the array and wells are facilities, and count here for what students are taught with them
- No published emissions values, reduction target or renewable share; the operations page lists an alternative energy plan as a goal with no status
Curriculum
- Cell and Molecular Biology, Honors: “the study of how genes in a cell guide the production of biomolecules”, applied to disease, targeted therapies and new biotechnologies (Science page); Genetics, Honors, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Honors and Current Topics in Biology (course list)
- The Science Research Program: Scientific Research I, Honors (SR550HO), a three-credit full-year course for fourth and fifth formers, and Scientific Research II, Honors (SR600HO) in the fall for fifth and sixth formers
Evidence seen
- The program page: “students work alongside a mentor scientist at a university research facility” in the summer before senior year, with cell biology and molecular genetics among the examples, and produce a manuscript to professional publication standards, a conference poster and a 15-minute seminar in the fall of the sixth form
- The Carl C. Icahn Center for Science, home of the program, has 22 classrooms and laboratories
What's missing
- No bioengineering, synthetic-biology or biotechnology-industry course, and no iGEM, ISEF or Regeneron record found
- The program page names no mentor institution, student count, publication or competition result, so the quality of the research is not shown
Curriculum
- Introduction to Programming (CS200): “Students learn the basics of algorithmic thinking, and design programs to solve simple problems”, in Alice, Scratch and Python (Mathematics and Computer Science page)
- Computer Science, Honors (CS550HO, CS551HO); Advanced Projects in Computer Science, Honors (CS557HO); Machine Learning, Honors (CS580HO); Application Development for iOS in Objective-C; Data Science (course list; department page)
Evidence seen
- The robotics courses carry programming into competition: the team’s site says its students work on “programming advanced controls” for the Wired Boars
- All computer science courses count toward the diploma’s quantitative credit
What's missing
- No computer science competition (USACO, hackathon) or Advanced Placement computer science record identified
- The catalogue PDF’s text stopped before the computer science section, so most courses have titles and codes but no descriptions here
Curriculum
- A geology sequence (Dynamic Earth, Earth’s Materials, Earth’s Landscapes), Marine Science, Ecology, Honors, Environmental Science, Honors and Advanced Topics in Environmental Science (course list)
- Environmental Research Project, Honors (MD439HO), required in the Environmental Immersion Program, whose students “conduct a year-long research project in natural science, social science, or the humanities”
Evidence seen
- The Kohler Environmental Center has three working laboratories, two classrooms and a research greenhouse with computer-controlled conditions that students, faculty and visiting scholars use for experiments
- The program page mentions field trips, invited speakers and experts-in-residence
What's missing
- No geographic-information-systems, remote-sensing or weather-station course or project identified
- The program publishes no student count, partner or output beyond presenting findings
Creativity cannot be graded the way a course can. It can only be evidenced through what students made.
| Criterion | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art + technology | ||||
| Design | ||||
| Architecture | ||||
| Engineering design | ||||
| Media / digital production | ||||
| Maker learning | ||||
| Interdisciplinary projects |
2 artefacts run for three years or more. 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 are level, each at 3 of 7 criteria.
The record — 5 artefacts
Founded in 1907, The Choate News is the school’s official student newspaper, written, edited, illustrated and photographed by students and published online in sections for school news, local news, opinions, features, arts and sports. Its pages carry stories dated May 2023 and February 2024, a run of stories through 2026, and Volume 120, Issue 5, dated 28 September 2026; a February 2026 story profiles the student illustrators, photographers and graphic creators behind its visuals.
The Choate News, about page and issue listings, 2023–2026
Students design, build and program a new competition robot each season for the FIRST Robotics Competition: Toben in 2023, Perry in 2024, Griptide in 2025 and Biggie Cheese in 2026, in a line the team’s site traces back to Big Boar in 2019. FIRST’s event record for Team 7407 lists the Industrial Design Award at the Hartford Event and the Innovation in Control Award at the FIRST Championship in 2023; Excellence in Engineering awards in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026; two district event wins and the New England District Championship in 2025 with Griptide; and the Archimedes Division title at the 2026 FIRST Championship.
FIRST event records, Team 7407, 2023–2026 · Wired Boars team site, robots by season · Choate school news, 29 April and 8 May 2026
GirlTech Magazine is produced by the student-run GirlTech club with a faculty adviser. Its winter 2025–26 issue runs to about 36 pages of feature articles on women in science, technology and medicine, with student editors for copy, layout, graphics and photography; the school’s page labels the issue Fall 2025 and its file Winter 2026.
GirlTech Magazine, Winter 2025–26 issue, on the school’s Publications page
The Choate News reported on 11 May 2026 on the school’s inaugural film festival, in a story headed “Inaugural Film Festival Celebrates Student Cinema”. The story could not be read, so the number of films, their makers and any awards are not shown here.
The Choate News, Arts and Leisure listing, 11 May 2026
SciTECH is a student-run science and technology magazine with two faculty advisers. Volume 7, Issue 1, from fall 2025, carries twelve student-written feature articles on science, technology and engineering, from gene drives and CRISPR to AI in genomics and nuclear power for AI data centres, with its cover, graphics and layout produced by student editors.
SciTECH, Vol. 7, Issue 1, Fall 2025, on the school’s Publications page
Nothing found for
No student work was found evidencing these. For a school this well documented, an unrecorded programme is unlikely to be a large one.
What a family should ask about directly
- Battery storage is absent, and cybersecurity and aerospace are thin: the evidence in those fields is a cryptography course whose description could not be read, astronomy and astrophysics courses and a rocketry club reported by the student newspaper without a date. Ask the department heads which courses, units or clubs in those fields run in 2026–27.
- The course catalogue PDF’s text stopped after the arts section, so the computer science, mathematics and science descriptions could not be read; titles, terms and credits come from the school’s course list. Ask for the descriptions and the number of sections of Machine Learning, Data Science, Cryptography, Genetics and Cell and Molecular Biology.
- The School Profile says 210 students took 389 Advanced Placement exams, with 79% scoring 4 or 5, but the catalogue text that could be read names no AP course. Ask which AP courses run in science and computer science and whether the honors courses are taught toward the exams.
- The Advanced Robotics Concentration page names Autonomous Robotics as part of its three-course sequence, while the catalogue lists it as an elective and requires Competition Robotics. Ask which three courses a concentrator takes, how many students enter each year and who coaches the Wired Boars; FIRST’s event record confirms the awards but gives no student count.
- The Science Research Program and the Environmental Immersion Program carry the strongest claims in biotechnology and Earth systems, and neither page gives a student count, a partner institution or a published output. Ask where students were placed last summer, what the manuscripts became and how many entered outside competitions.
- The Generative AI pages describe policy, approved tools and a policy group, not what students are taught about AI. Ask what the AI-literacy lessons are, who delivers them and how Machine Learning, Honors differs from them.
- The sustainability-in-operations page lists an alternative energy plan and a carbon footprint assessment as goals with no status, while the Kohler Environmental Center runs on its own solar array. Ask for the campus-wide SIMAP emissions results the school has tracked since 2005 and any target year.
| Domain | Evidence class | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Data | Verified · School-reported | 2026–27 course list (Machine Learning, Data Science, Data Analysis and Visualization, Statistics, Linear Algebra, Applied Differential Equations); Mathematics and Computer Science page (Machine Learning description); Generative AI pages and the 18 June 2026 news article (policy, panel); no AI club or competition found; catalogue text unreadable past the arts section |
| Cybersecurity | Verified · Unsubstantiated | 2026–27 course list (Cryptography, Honors, title only); no cybersecurity course, club or competition record found |
| Robotics | Officially recorded · Verified · School-reported | FIRST event record, Team 7407, 2023–2026; 2026–27 course list and catalogue extract (CS450HO, CS560HO, CS565HO, CS570HO, CS557HO); Advanced Robotics Concentration page; school news, 29 April and 8 May 2026; robotics.choate.edu |
| Clean Energy | School-reported · Verified | Kohler Environmental Center page (296 kW array, geothermal wells, LEED Platinum); sustainability pages (operations, curriculum); Environmental Immersion Program page; course list (Environmental Science, Ecology, Climate Change); no energy course found |
| Computer Science | Verified · School-reported | Mathematics and Computer Science page (Introduction to Programming, Machine Learning, Application Development); 2026–27 course list and catalogue extract (CS550HO, CS551HO, CS557HO, CS580HO); Technology page; no competition record found |
| Earth & Geospatial | Verified · School-reported | 2026–27 course list (geology sequence, Marine Science, Ecology, Environmental Science, MD439HO); Environmental Immersion Program page; Kohler Environmental Center page (laboratories, greenhouse); no geospatial course found |
| Aerospace | Verified · Observed / archived | 2026–27 course list (Astrophysics, Honors and two Astronomy courses); Student Life page (astronomy among 100+ clubs); The Choate News, rocketry club story (undated); no aerospace course or competition found |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Verified · School-reported | 2026–27 course list (Material Science, Honors; Reverse Engineering; Topics in Engineering; Start-Up Design Lab and Innovation Studio); Technology and Lanphier Center pages (i.d.Lab); school news, 13 April 2026 (a student’s 3D-printing project, run outside a course); no equipment list found |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Unsubstantiated | No battery or energy-storage course, club or competition found; Material Science, Honors is described as moving from the nanoscale to the macroscopic and does not name storage |
| Biotechnology | Verified · School-reported | 2026–27 course list (Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, SR550HO, SR600HO); Science page (Cell and Molecular Biology description); Science Research Program page; Academic Facilities page (Icahn Center for Science) |
Academics
More than 300 courses, and eight signature programs.
We are an independent boarding and day school in Wallingford, Connecticut, for talented students in grades 9 through postgraduate. Below are our programs and the Honors and Advanced courses in science, engineering and computing that our course list for 2026–27 shows.
A college preparatory curriculum
We offer more than 300 courses on a 5-day Academic Block Schedule. Each class meets three times a week, with no classes on weekends and shortened Wednesdays. Our departments are Arts; English; History, Philosophy, Religion and Social Sciences; Languages; Mathematics and Computer Science; Multidisciplinary; and Science.
- Honors and Advanced course designations
- A trimester year: five courses a term and 60 credits to graduate
- Arabic, Chinese, French, Greek, Latin and Spanish
- 389 AP exams taken by 210 students from the classes of 2026 to 2029, with 79% scoring 4 or 5
Robotics, computer science and science
Our robotics, computer science, research and environmental offerings include these programs and places.
- The Advanced Robotics Concentration: “a three-term honors program for motivated students to explore robotics at the advanced level”
- The Science Research Program: a summer with a mentor scientist at a university research facility, and a manuscript written to professional standards
- Machine Learning, Cryptography, and Advanced Projects in Computer Science, all Honors
- Honors Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics courses
- The Kohler Environmental Center: a one-acre, 296 kW ground-mounted solar array, 25 geothermal wells, a research greenhouse and a LEED Platinum building
Eight signature programs
We list eight Signature Programs, from advanced robotics to government and public service.
- Advanced Robotics Concentration · Science Research Program
- Arts Concentration · Capstone
- Environmental Immersion · Global Engagement
- Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies · John F. Kennedy ’35 Program in Government and Public Service
Clubs, teams and performances
Our student life pages list more than 100 clubs, more than 65 teams in more than 21 sports, and more than 80 performances.
- Clubs that include robotics and astronomy
- A Wired Boars FIRST Robotics team, which won its division at the 2026 FIRST Championship
Advising and health support
90% of our faculty live on campus.
- Advisers and prefects
- Our doctor, nurses and counselors are on call 24/7
- A Teaching and Learning Center
Advanced courses
Ask about academics
Calendar
Our fall, and the school year ahead.
Dates from our school calendar, our academic calendar for 2026–27 and our admission events page, soonest first. Our admission process page gives no application deadline or decision date. Ask below if you need us to confirm a date before you book travel.
October
November
December
January 2027
February 2027
March 2027
April 2027
May 2027
June 2027
Ask about the calendar
Our Story
Rosemary Hall in 1890, The Choate School in 1896, and one school since 1974.
We are an independent boarding and day school in Wallingford, Connecticut, for talented students in grades 9 through postgraduate. Our 458-acre campus is home to 861 students, 647 of them boarding and 214 day, according to our College Profile for 2026–27, and 90% of our faculty live on campus.
Milestones
Mary Atwater Choate founded Rosemary Hall as a school for girls.
Judge William G. Choate established The Choate School for boys.
Rosemary Hall moved to Greenwich.
About 70 years after that move, Rosemary Hall returned to Wallingford.
The two schools merged.
The Lanphier Center for Mathematics and Computer Science opened, and it is LEED Gold.
We marked the 100th anniversary of the Andrew Mellon Library on May 5.
We held our 136th Commencement on May 31.
Ask about our story
Give
Philanthropy supports more than 40% of our yearly budget.
More than 3,000 alumni, parents and friends gave $31 million last year, and more than 40% of our yearly budget comes from philanthropic support via the Annual Fund and the Endowment. Questions about a gift go to our Annual Fund at afund@choate.edu or (203) 697-2883.
Give online
Giving online is fast, safe and easy. Our secure online form also lets you set up sustaining gifts in monthly, quarterly or yearly installments, with automatic renewal.
Annual Giving
Our Annual Fund provides unrestricted, current-use funds, 11% of our operating budget each year. Gifts support financial aid, academic programs, faculty development, the arts, athletics, equity and inclusion, health and wellness, and technology, and you can designate a gift to an area that interests you.
By check or phone
Make your check payable to Choate Rosemary Hall and send it to the Annual Fund, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. We accept credit card gifts by phone at (203) 697-2883.
Matching gifts
If you or your spouse work for an organization that matches gifts to private secondary schools, send its matching gift form with your gift.
Stock or wire transfer
Use our Securities Transfer Instructions form for a gift of stock, or call (203) 697-2185 for a securities or wire transfer.
Planned giving
Our planned giving site describes gifts by will, beneficiary designations, retirement plan gifts, life income gifts such as gift annuities, and gifts of cash, securities or life insurance. Email plannedgiving@choate.edu.
Endowment & special projects
Scholarship Funds, the Beyond the Classroom Fund and Faculty Fellowship Funds support what we call a “powerfully inclusive learning community.”
Ask about giving
News
What is happening on our campus.
Recent stories from our school news pages, newest first.
Ten of our seniors are National Merit semifinalists
Ten members of our class of 2027 have been named National Merit semifinalists as they begin their final year with us.
A look into the Arts Concentration
Our Arts Concentration offers separate tracks in dance, theater, visual arts and music for students entering their fourth, fifth or sixth form years, and it “lets rising fourth, fifth, and sixth formers pursue their artistic and creative passions to the fullest.” Each pathway ends with a major public project, such as a recital, a Senior Exhibit, a performance or an original composition.
A panel on building a future-ready workforce in the age of AI
On June 4 we hosted a panel in Carr Hall on how artificial intelligence is affecting education, the economy and the workforce. Our Head of School, a state senator, our director of pedagogical innovation and emerging technologies, a state chief workforce officer and United Way leaders took part, and they discussed AI literacy, ethical use and our decision to publish our AI guidelines openly.
Forensic science students crack a mock case
During Term-End Experience Week, our forensic science elective built a mock crime scene around a fictional missing baby. Working in pairs, students analyzed fictional evidence, including community-donated fingerprints, handwriting samples and animal fur, and solved the case. Their instructor used the exercise to show that, as the story puts it, “As with all science, forensic science is not done in a silo.”
The Physics Phlotilla sails for the 31st year
Our physics students held the Physics Phlotilla, a cardboard boat race that began on May 19, 1995 and is now in its 31st year.
The Wired Boars reach the Einstein field finals
Our FIRST Robotics team, the Wired Boars (Team 7407), won the Archimedes Division at the 2026 FIRST Championship in Houston, taking the final 2–1, and reached the finals on the Einstein Field, where it was eliminated in the third round. We had gone 9-7-0 in qualification matches, 30th of 75 teams in the division.
Ask about the news
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