The term Saint Grottlesex refers to several American prep boarding schools in New England. These schools have historically sent their graduates to the nation's most prestigious universities.[1] All the schools are members of the Independent School League, except St. Paul's, which left the ISL in 2016.

The schools are:

The term is a portmanteau of the St. part of St. Mark's, St. Paul's, and St. George's, then part of Groton, an extra t, and then ended with Middlesex. The St. Grottlesex schools were founded in the 19th century for well-to-do Episcopal Church boys (excepting nondenominational Middlesex, founded in 1901), and were consciously styled as the American equivalent of famous English public schools.

In contrast, the academies, notably Andover, Exeter, Milton, and Deerfield, were generally founded in the late 18th century as places to "combine scholarship with more than a little Puritan hellfire" and were originally often the first educational step in preparing men for the Puritan ministry.[2]

The St. Grottlesex schools retain an aura of preppy establishment.[3]

References

  1. ^ Malcolm Gladwell (2005-10-02). "Getting In: The social logic of Ivy League admissions". Archived from the original on 2007-02-21.
  2. ^ Peter W. Cookson, Jr.; Caroline Persell (1985). "Part I: The World of Boarding Schools, Chapter 2: Rousseau's Children: Total Educational Environments". Preparing for power. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-06269-5. OCLC 660054698. OL 18166618W. Wikidata Q108671720.
  3. ^ Lisa Birnbach (October 1980), "Chapter VI: You're All Grown Up Now (The Country Club Years)", The Official Preppy Handbook, New York: Workman Publishing Company, pp. 194–195, OCLC 681897418, OL 15163107W, Wikidata Q7754751
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