Academics
Secondary School Counseling
Students from Country School come to us well prepared to excel in our rigorous academic program and, as a result of their strong preparation, are able to take advantage of some of our most challenging and exciting course offerings. They are also some of our most involved community leaders. They are both wonderful in the classroom and engaged citizens of the community!
-James F. Ventre, Dean of Admission, Phillips Andover Academy
-James F. Ventre, Dean of Admission, Phillips Andover Academy
Working in Partnership with Families
Counseling our ninth graders in their next steps after Country School is an integral part of our educational process. The Secondary School Counseling Office works closely with students and their families to ensure that they find a school that matches the student’s talents, needs and interests and which will contribute to his or her intellectual, physical, social, cultural and moral development.
The process begins in the spring of the student’s eighth grade year with an individual meeting with each family. Together, a list of schools is generated for a range of schools that target the student’s individual strengths and interests. The Secondary School Counseling Office continues to guide students and parents through the process step by step throughout the year with ongoing individual meetings, group meetings, preparation for school visits including mock interview exercises, standardized testing advice, and guidance on how to navigate the application process. Our approach is highly individualized and collaborative and also includes close partnership with each student’s advisor and teachers.
Our graduates move on to a variety of schools after Country School: public and private, boarding and day, single sex and coed. We have developed strong ties with all of our receiving schools, and they value the fact that Country School has prepared our students superbly, and that we know them well and consequently counsel them wisely and appropriately.
Finding the Right Fit
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A Conversation with Lauren Romeo, Co-Director of Secondary School Counseling
Country School graduates often have their pick of top schools when it comes to secondary education, and it is Director of Secondary School Counseling Lauren Romeo’s job to make sure they have fully explored their options before making that final decision. Because of their combination of exceptional academic preparation, strong sense of community and leadership skills, NCCS graduates attend some of the best secondary schools in the country — independent day and boarding, as well as local public schools.Read MoreQ. You often talk about your work as partnering with students and families to find the “right fit.” How exactly do you go about that?
A. What’s amazing about students at this age is that they are becoming so self aware. They are beginning to understand themselves as learners, they are defining their interests and passions, and they are confidently expressing parameters for a next school experience. At the same time, they look toward the adults in their life for advice and counsel, most especially when it comes to making big decisions. When we first come together, I ask lots of questions and help them reflect as a family about the type of environment at which their child would thrive. From there, I suggest schools that might be a good fit.
Class of 2024: Secondary School Matriculation
Our graduates are sought after by the best day and boarding schools in the country and have excellent public school options as well.
Over the past five years (2020–2024), Country School students have matriculated to these schools.
Over the past five years (2020–2024), Country School students have matriculated to these schools.
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.
