Cranbrook Schools

While Cranbrook Schools is certainly an excellent school even by the standards of typical American domestic students, it is an exceptionally good choice, especially for international students. With a safe environment, friendly staff, high academic standards, proximity to major airports, and unique club activities, Cranbrook Schools has many advantages.

Academics: Students can take various types of subjects according to their level. AP classes are also available for those aiming for university entrance exams. English programs for international students are also offered, providing careful guidance.
Dormitory Life: Male students are assigned single rooms, ensuring a comfortable living experience. The dorm offers various events and opportunities for interaction, creating an environment where students can make friends from diverse backgrounds.
Transportation: The school is conveniently located, approximately 30-40 minutes by car from Detroit International Airport. On weekends, the school provides transportation to nearby supermarkets, so students have no difficulty with shopping.

I am from Shanghai. I attended Cranbrook for high school from 2006 to 2009, which covered grades 10 to 12. After graduating from Cranbrook, I enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania for my undergraduate studies. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Cranbrook and believe it had a significant positive impact and transformation on me. This year, I will be taking my three-and-a-half-year-old son to Cranbrook's youngest age group, the ToT Summer Camp.

Here’s a brief introduction to my experience at Cranbrook:

1) Academics: The school's academic curriculum is quite challenging. Students can choose courses based on their ability, with dedicated course selection advisors available for consultation and guidance. Graduation requirements are generally not an issue for most Chinese students; the real challenge lies in choosing more demanding courses to excel and secure better university application options. The teachers are of a very high caliber and are deeply concerned about international students' adaptation and academic performance. Chinese graduates typically matriculate at least to the University of Michigan, with many also gaining admission to Ivy League schools.

2) Campus Life: The school food is very good, and there's a nearby town for shopping and leisure; the school usually provides shuttle services (school rides) for which students can sign up. The school also maintains close communication with parents, at least on a quarterly basis. Although the school is located in Michigan, it is in the very affluent and safe Bloomfield Hills. Heating is provided by the school. As a boarding school, there are internet cutoff and lights-out times; the internet cutoff is mandatory, while lights-out is based on self-discipline and occasional checks.

3) Extracurricular Activities and Clubs: The school offers a wide array of club activities, including various sports and interest-based groups. During the summer after twelfth grade, the school also offers Wilderness activities, similar to outdoor survival. Cranbrook's ice hockey and swimming programs are exceptionally strong, and other sports also rank highly. Chinese students enjoy participating in various club activities, and social interaction through sports is an important way to integrate with American classmates.

I really love Cranbrook and have recommended it to many friends for application. I also intend for my own children to apply to Cranbrook in the future.

I am a Cranbrook alumna/alumnus. I graduated 25 years ago and now I have the hope of sending my child to the same school.
As a top boarding school in the U.S., I believe it offers high academic standards, yet it's a very balanced school, unlike those on the East Coast.
Living on its magnificent and beautiful campus naturally fosters a sense of pride in the school. It's quiet and safe, yet surrounded by a well-equipped urban environment, making it a great place to live. The programs are well-structured to allow students to exercise creativity even amidst friendly competition. Students can gain experience in various fields such as art and sports, and the high caliber of teachers ensures an excellent educational environment. Admission to a prestigious university like the University of Michigan within the same state is relatively smooth, and all students strongly aspire to attend Ivy League schools.

My son and our family can say that choosing Cranbrook was the best decision we ever made. ^^ We believe that studying with excellent faculty and good friends at such a beautiful and traditional school is a very special experience for our child.

We extend our gratitude to all the teachers and parents who always support the school, and to every member of the Cranbrook family. Thank you.

I learned about the school through a connection while living in Michigan and was fortunate to attend as a boarding student. It's an educational and cultural community that encompasses kindergarten through high school, a graduate school of art, as well as museums, a gallery, and gardens. Boarding facilities are only available for high school students.
I visited many schools, including those on the East Coast, but the environment and the beauty of the campus truly stood out. It's easily accessible, about 40 minutes from Detroit Airport, and transportation is provided before and after semesters, making it convenient for international students. Located in a quiet residential area with many day students, it offers an authentic American experience integrated into the community.
The academic level is high, and the dormitory has resident and on-call teachers who provide ample daily learning support. Extracurricular activities are wide-ranging, from art and sports to tech, and due to the small class sizes, there are abundant opportunities for participation and leadership.
College counseling is extensive, and university information sessions are held frequently. In an environment supported by faculty, staff, and dormitory peers, I was able to grow with peace of mind and build lifelong relationships. The transition to university was smooth, making it a truly valuable experience.

Cranbrook School, founded in 1922, spans 319 acres and is one of Michigan's most prestigious private high schools. It is renowned worldwide for its academic excellence and architectural artistry. The school is supported by over $3 billion in endowments. Its location, Bloomfield Hills, is among the top five wealthiest small towns in the United States. Initially a private summer retreat, it began as an educational institution in 1922. A large-scale campus renovation, supported by the famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, commenced in 1952. Consequently, the campus boasts an exquisite architectural style imbued with a rich humanistic atmosphere.

The Cranbrook (CK) campus itself is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The campus environment is beautiful and picturesque. The school is divided into two campuses: boys reside in Cranbrook dormitories, and girls in Kingswood dormitories. Both campuses feature dining halls, common classrooms, libraries, and other facilities. The school offers an excellent learning environment with a small class size of 16 students, ensuring high-quality instruction. It provides 173 courses, including 18 AP courses.

CK possesses strong resources in the arts. The Cranbrook Academy of Art, a renowned art institute, is located adjacent to the boys' dormitories. Students can also share the educational resources of this art academy. The Cranbrook Academy of Art is ranked sixth among art schools by U.S. News & World Report and is known as the "cradle of modern American designers." CK students enjoy this unique advantage.

Cranbrook Schools was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, an honor shared by only two other private schools in the United States. The school boasts comprehensive educational facilities, including a Performing Arts Center, Art Museum, Collections & Research Center, Wallace Ice Arena, and Williams Natatorium.

Art Museum
The Cranbrook Art Museum features modern and contemporary art, architecture, craft, and design, offering ever-changing exhibitions, a renowned collection, lectures by internationally recognized artists and critics, and educational workshops for all ages. Students can admire works by the nation's top artists and even have the opportunity to view exhibits specifically designed for Cranbrook students.

Collections & Research Center
The Cranbrook Collections & Research Center office is located on the third floor of Cranbrook House. It houses the Cranbrook Collections, including the Cranbrook Archives. The Research Center focuses on the story of Cranbrook Schools, aiming to raise awareness of and provide access to the various art, architecture, landscape, design, and historical resources of the Cranbrook legacy.

Institute of Science
The Cranbrook Institute of Science is Michigan's premier natural history museum, offering a wide range of permanent and constantly changing exhibits, towering T-Rex skeletons, and a state-of-the-art planetarium. The Cranbrook Institute of Science is a natural history and science museum that cultivates in visitors a passion for understanding the world around them and a lifelong love of learning.

Cranbrook Schools boasts strong art resources, specifically the Cranbrook Academy of Art, located next to the student dormitories. The school not only has its own art teachers on campus, but students can also share the teaching resources of this art academy. Cranbrook Academy of Art is ranked sixth among art schools by U.S.NEWS and is known as the "cradle of modern American designers." Students at Cranbrook Schools leverage this unique advantage, demonstrating impressive performance in both art and drama.

The Cranbrook Art Museum also makes students at the school highly competitive in art. It is the only national institution in the United States dedicated solely to graduate education in art, design, and architecture studios. Here, students can appreciate works by top artists nationwide, and student art exhibitions are also frequently held.

Furthermore, Cranbrook Schools offers over 60 clubs for students to choose from, including a Book Club, Chamber Music Club, Film Club, Cranbrook Bible Study, Healing Club, Cranbrook Teen Arts Council, Debate Team, Drone Club, Dance Club, Drawing Club, Middle Eastern European Culture Club, Squash Club, Student Council, Teen Republican Club, and more.

In addition to academic programs, Cranbrook Schools Middle School also offers programs in various areas such as arts and sports, allowing students to maximize their choice of suitable activities and unleash their potential while at school.

Sports Activities

Cranbrook Schools Middle School encourages students to explore and appreciate their physical potential, and to recognize their responsibility to a team by participating in interscholastic competitions. This is achieved by providing interscholastic sports programs and extracurricular activities. The school aims to cultivate students' teamwork, self-discipline, loyalty, tolerance, respect for others, confidence, perseverance, sportsmanship, and citizenship.

Cranbrook Schools Middle School boasts four full gymnasiums, a historic multi-purpose stadium with track facilities, a bowling alley, and weight and fitness rooms. Numerous venues are available for students' physical exercise, such as the Wallace Ice Arena, Williams Natatorium, Keppel Gymnasium, Geppert Gymnasium, Thompson Field, tennis courts, rugby fields, baseball fields, hockey fields, softball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, and more.

Cranbrook Schools Middle School's various athletic teams are top-ranked in the state, with ice hockey, lacrosse, tennis, and golf being among Cranbrook's strengths. The school has won multiple sports awards, including district runner-up for girls' tennis, boys' golf, and boys' soccer; Catholic League champions for girls' and boys' skiing; and Catholic League runner-up for girls' field hockey, boys' soccer, girls' and boys' tennis, among others.

Featured Programs
3. Cranbrook Institute of Science

The Cranbrook Institute of Science is a natural history and science museum that cultivates a passion for exploring the world among its members. The Institute offers public programs, exhibitions, events, and lectures year-round.

Students at Cranbrook Schools can easily access traveling exhibitions, state-of-the-art astronomy resources, and more, which helps them develop a passion for and understanding of science.

4. Global Online Academy

The establishment of the Global Online Academy (GOA) allows students not only to take courses offered by their own school but also to choose from hundreds of online courses provided by GOA. The school has also established a department called "x department." This department will allow students to take interdisciplinary courses, such as entrepreneurship and leadership courses, and the number of courses offered by this department may increase next year. The school places greater emphasis on encouraging student innovation, interdisciplinary exploration, and fostering student learning initiative.

Featured Programs
1. Robotics and Astronomy Research

Cranbrook Schools offers courses in stellar astronomy and robotics. Students gain an understanding of astronomy through the school's observatory and by researching stars and stellar systems. Cranbrook Schools' robotics program is also very strong, with three VRC high school teams and two VRC middle school teams participating in the VEX Robotics World Championship. Less than 5% of VEX teams worldwide qualify for the World Championship. Furthermore, Cranbrook Schools has repeatedly won state championship awards in the VEX Robotics Competition.

Horizons-Upward Bound Program

The Horizons-Upward Bound (HUB) program is one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind in the United States. This program prepares students from the Detroit metropolitan area with limited opportunities to enter and successfully complete higher education. The school helps students pursue and achieve their dreams and goals by providing services.

The program is a year-round intensive academic program. After completing 8th grade, students join HUB in the summer before 9th grade. The center has two components: a 6-week summer residential program and 24 Saturday academic programs. Content includes: academic enrichment, health awareness and physical fitness courses, outreach and community service and leadership, citizenship, and character development, among a range of activities.

Cranbrook Schools' academic requirements are as strict and demanding as those of the top ten boarding schools in the United States. The school offers various AP courses across different subjects, with AP World History and AP Math & Science being its flagship programs. As one of the "Big Four" boarding schools in the Midwest, Cranbrook students consistently achieve top AP scores nationwide each year, and excellent AP instructors are invited annually to conduct academic sharing sessions at the school. The school boasts a positive learning environment and an outstanding faculty team.

In terms of teaching, the school adopts a small class system, with an average of 16 students per class. 80% of Cranbrook teachers hold master's degrees or higher, and 70% of high school teachers for grades 9-12 live on campus. The average teaching experience of the faculty is over 20 years, and students at the school come from more than 20 countries worldwide.

Cranbrook Schools also provides ESOL English courses for international students, designed to help them quickly adapt to the school's academic life and various extracurricular activities. These courses offer additional English learning for students from diverse cultural backgrounds and native languages, and the school even provides assistance with visas, registration, and travel.

Cranbrook Schools, founded in 1989, is a co-educational school with a high reputation across the United States. The school comprises two campuses: the Cranbrook campus (for boys) and the Kingswood campus (for girls).

The school believes that in today's competitive society, students should receive a comprehensive and challenging education. It offers students a comprehensive university preparatory curriculum, encouraging independent thinking and creativity. The school's founder, George Booth, emphasized learning from failure and, through studying at Cranbrook, nurturing in students the core competencies for thriving in modern society—adaptability, curiosity, creativity, and collaboration—both spiritually and intellectually.

Founding Year: 1989
School Type: Co-educational
Grades: 9-12
Location: Michigan
Boarding Rate: 32%
International Student Rate: 14%
Student-Teacher Ratio: 1:8
2024 FS Ranking: 61
2024 Niche Ranking: 20
School Website: https://schools.cranbrook.edu

Cranbrook Schools data: student population 811, student-teacher ratio 1:8, international students 14%, boarding rate 32%, faculty with advanced degrees 85%. Cranbrook Schools is an independent boarding and day school. We provide a comprehensive and highly challenging college-preparatory education for students from diverse backgrounds, inspiring them to pursue excellence in knowledge, creativity, and athletics, to enhance their artistic and cultural literacy, and to utilize technological tools in modern society wisely. Our school strives to strengthen students' self-awareness and social responsibility, and to cultivate their critical thinking and communication skills, helping them contribute to an increasingly globalized society. Each year, our students' AP exam scores consistently rank among the nation's highest averages. Over 40% of Michigan's AP exam experts return to teach at the school. The school is renowned for its distinctive architectural style on campus; its latest completed building received the Williams-Natatolli Award and was designed by an alumnus of Cranbrook Schools. To the right of the campus are the Science Museum and Art Museum, attracting over 250,000 visitors annually. Cranbrook Schools students have continuous access to the valuable collections on permanent display. The school offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities, encouraging students to establish clubs based on their interests and to participate in various organizations and associations to enrich their school life. Currently, there are over 30 student clubs and activity programs, including yearbook, newspaper, literary magazine, drama, debate, natural sciences, and computer.

Cranbrook Schools places a strong emphasis on college admissions planning and outcomes, while also featuring specialized robotics and astronomy research programs suitable for STEM students.

Cranbrook's elementary, middle, and high school divisions have repeatedly won state championship awards in VEX Robotics competitions. The school offers courses in stellar astronomy, providing students with an understanding of astronomy through the school's observatory and research into stars and stellar systems.

The school's natural history and science museum, the Cranbrook Institute of Science, houses over 200,000 artifacts and offers public programs such as exhibitions, activities, and lectures year-round. It also features a planetarium where students can learn about the latest astronomical knowledge. These resources help students develop a passion for and understanding of science.

The school values college placement. Leveraging its geographical advantages, the school supports every student in enrolling in suitable universities through thoughtful college counseling. Annually, Cranbrook Schools' AP scores are among the highest in U.S. domestic colleges. Over 40% of Michigan's AP scholarship recipients graduate from Cranbrook Schools.

Cranbrook Schools is a top-tier private boarding and day co-educational school located in Michigan, enjoying a high reputation nationwide. Student feedback from recent years has been consistently positive.
1. The school emphasizes innovation and architectural design: Legendary architect Eliel Saarinen, sculptor Carl Milles, and design pioneers Charles and Ray Eames provide students with a perfect environment for growth, discovery, and creation;
2. Strong academic performance: Offering AP and honors courses, students achieve top results. Last year, Chinese graduates were admitted to Stanford University and and Cornell University;
3. Abundant school resources: The Institute of Science has collected over 200,000 items and artifacts. Students can visit touring exhibitions at the school's planetarium and observatory, helping them cultivate a passion for and understanding of science;
4. In sports, ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball, golf, and other sports are Cranbrook's strengths.

Michigan's top private high school, located in the town of Bloomfield Hills, which is among the top five wealthiest towns in the US, boasts excellent public safety. The school consists of two campuses: boys reside in Cranbrook Dormitory, and girls in Kingwood Dormitory. School facilities include a science center and a planetarium. Situated next to the Cranbrook Academy of Art, students interested in art and drama should certainly take full advantage of this unique benefit. In sports, ice hockey, tennis, lacrosse, and golf are the school's strengths.

【Location】The school is located in the small town of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where residents are middle class and above.

【Curriculum Difficulty】The school offers a rich curriculum, including 15 AP courses. It enjoys an excellent reputation, with students' AP scores consistently ranking among the top nationwide each year. Outstanding AP course instructors also visit the school annually to share academic insights.

【Academic Excellence】The average SAT score is 1390.

【Featured Programs】Horizons-Upward Bound (HUB) program; Leadership Opportunities; Cranbrook Institute of Science.

【Sports Strengths】The school's strengths are ice hockey, swimming, lacrosse, and tennis, all of which have won numerous awards. Facilities include an indoor ice rink, an indoor swimming pool, and 4 full gymnasiums.

【Art Direction】The Cranbrook Art Museum is the only national institution in the U.S. dedicated to graduate education in art, design, and architecture studios. Here, students can admire works by top artists nationwide, and student exhibitions are frequently held.

【Graduate Destinations】Students are admitted to top universities such as Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, Princeton University, Yale University, and others.

Cranbrook Schools offers a creative nonfiction writing course, a phrase that might sound like a contradiction in terms. Writers in this literary genre use many of the same techniques as fiction writers: they design character arcs, advance plots, create conflict, and craft classics. The only difference is that the events in their stories are real, and the final results can take many forms, such as memoirs, biographies, travelogues, or essays. Creative nonfiction can be deeply personal, thoroughly researched, or both. Key texts for this course include Truman Capote's *In Cold Blood*, a true crime story; Jon Krakauer's *Into the Wild*, detailing the final months of a troubled young man; Cheryl Strayed's *Wild*, a memoir about hiking and early adulthood; and David Foster Wallace's *A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again*. Excerpts from *Creative Nonfiction* magazine will also be read.

Cranbrook School offers an American Literature course. This course primarily explores a series of important themes in American culture and introduces students to major American writers. The core texts for this course include *The Norton Anthology of American Literature*, F. Scott Fitzgerald's *The Great Gatsby*, Arthur Miller's *Death of a Salesman*, and Toni Morrison's *Song of Solomon*. Students will enhance their vocabulary through English language study and will also participate in class discussions. Their overall assessment will be based on quizzes, timed writings, essay writing, class reports, and other projects and exams. In the Latin IV course, students apply the grammar and vocabulary skills they learned from Latin to read and analyze Cicero and Ovid (Level III), which are new topics in Latin literature. Reading materials for this course include prose and poetry by Catullus, Horace, and other authors. This course helps students strengthen their reading and writing skills and prepares them for AP Latin: Caesar and Vergil.

Last month, I visited Cranbrook. During the visit, the Director of Admissions, Maurice Hill, revealed the school's latest admissions data for this year: The school has a total of 130 international students, and generally admits about 35-40 international students each year. This year, the number of admitted international students is higher than in previous years, totaling 48. Most of the school's international students come from China and South Korea, with 10 students admitted from China this year. The admission policy for Chinese students for the 2023 intake will be tightened. Families interested in this school should plan ahead and be mentally prepared.

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Question Six:
Among the applicants from mainland China each year, only a very rare few students are admitted to our school. Parents are also very concerned about the performance of our Chinese students after they come to Cranbrook. Could you share with us an example of a Chinese student's performance at the school?

Admissions Officer:
Certainly, Chinese students perform exceptionally well at our school. Although our official website's graduate outcomes don't specifically list the destinations of Chinese students, I can share that this year, Chinese students from our school have been admitted to universities such as Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others. The reason why Chinese students perform so well at Cranbrook Schools is that their admission to our school already strongly demonstrates their level of excellence and success. Out of over 200 highly talented applicants, we only admit 8 students, so without exceptional qualities, abilities, and so on, it would be impossible to stand out.

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Question Five:
Could you share a bit about Cranbrook's campus culture with us?

Admissions Officer:
That's a great question. At Cranbrook, we support and advocate for multiculturalism. Our international students come from China, Europe, Africa, and other places, and we warmly welcome them. We will also take measures to ensure the school continues to maintain its traditional campus culture, which has been established over many years. We will always remember who we are, what our school's philosophy is, and what our campus culture embodies.

Many parents are very concerned about the safety of international students on campus. Could you share some information with us about this?

Admissions Officer:
I believe this topic is likely one that international student families are quite concerned about. As is well known, incomes in big cities are generally higher. The small town where our school is located also has a very high per capita income, so every evening you can see that restaurants, cafes, and other places in town are very safe. However, compared to our school, our school is even safer. This is because our school has 24-hour security patrols, 7 days a week. Additionally, there are specific time restrictions at night, after which vehicles are not allowed to enter the campus. Furthermore, many of our school's faculty and staff live in the dormitories with the students, so it is extremely safe.

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Question Four:
How are Cranbrook students' weekends usually arranged? What activities can they participate in?

Admissions Officer:
Compared to day schools, the advantages of boarding schools are very obvious. On weekends, day school students go home, and fewer activities are arranged by the school. Boarding schools have many students staying on campus during weekends, and our weekend activities are very rich and diverse. The activities are different every weekend, including sports and arts, giving students many choices.

We also invite many celebrities to the school to give speeches, and the school organizes some off-campus activities. Both on-campus and off-campus activities are very exciting. There are also some special activities on Friday evenings, such as organizing students to watch movies. There are also football and rugby matches that students can watch, and the students are all very happy.

Our school also organizes social events with some neighboring schools, such as ball sports. Even schools that are relatively far away actively participate.

Do some American universities come to Cranbrook Schools to hold information sessions?

Admissions Officer:
Yes, nearly 100 universities come to the school every year to hold information sessions, introducing their majors to current students, giving students more opportunities to learn about American universities and various majors, and preparing them in advance for higher education.

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Question 3:
What are Cranbrook Schools' strong programs in sports and arts?
Admissions Officer:
Many times, we offer courses based on student demand. Truly, looking at our competitive award-winning situations and successful artistic aspects, ice hockey is indeed a very strong advantage for us. The style of the town not far from Cranbrook Schools is very similar to the New England region of the American East Coast. The town has many restaurants, cafes, boutiques, etc., all housed in very distinctive buildings. Cranbrook Schools students can arrange activities in the town on weekends.

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Question 2:
Cranbrook is not located in the popular East Coast region of the United States. Compared to other schools, what are the unique advantages and features of your school?
Admissions Officer:
Cranbrook is located in the American Midwest. Some people might consider its geographical location a disadvantage for Cranbrook, but in fact, quite the opposite, we see it as our strength. When American undergraduate programs consider applicants, geographical diversity is a key factor they weigh. For example, when American universities review applications, it's highly unlikely that students with comparable overall abilities would all come from the same region; students from the American South and Midwest are also given significant consideration. This is a major advantage for our students when applying for undergraduate programs. Given the advantage of our geographical location, we have developed a very comprehensive system, and our entire curriculum is based on mutual support.
In particularly popular regions, students face immense competitive pressure and constant feelings of oppression. In contrast, our students are happy every day, supporting and helping each other in a mutually supportive learning model. Therefore, our philosophy strongly emphasizes making students happy.
"Big school resources, small school support" – this perfect combination of both advantages is a very attractive and distinctive feature for international boarding students. Furthermore, nearly 70% of our faculty members live on campus, giving boarding students a home-like feeling.

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Question 1:
Please introduce the school's situation, such as its campus culture, its philosophy for cultivating students, its mission, and its unique programs.
Admissions Officer:
First, Cranbrook Schools might be a bit different from what you typically perceive as a school. We are not just a high school; we are more like an Educational Community. We have our own museum, a sports center, and this community encompasses a total of 5 schools: high school, middle school, elementary school, and even a kindergarten. This is a very distinctive feature of our school.
Furthermore, like other boarding schools, our faculty is very strong, with a high proportion of senior teachers. Our teachers are not only knowledgeable but also provide meticulous care and attention to students, excelling at discovering the unique qualities of each student.
Our school's Smaller Boarding Program is also worth mentioning. We have over 800 students in total, but only over 200 of them are boarders. This is actually a good thing for parents of international students because our school has both the hardware facilities to accommodate over 800 students and a wide variety of clubs, etc., giving students the feeling of a "large school," while also providing them with a high degree of attention, striving to make every boarder feel "at home." The school's extensive facilities greatly ensure the needs of our boarding students.

The school has the Institute of Science, a natural history and science museum, which offers public programs, exhibitions, events, and lectures year-round. Cranbrook students have easy access to permanent and traveling exhibits, as well as state-of-the-art astronomy at the Acheson Planetarium and Cranbrook Observatory. These resources can greatly help students cultivate a passion for science and a deep understanding of astronomy.

Cranbrook is close to the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, a top 20 ranked university. Leveraging this geographical advantage, UMich Ann Arbor can serve as a safety school for CK students. The school is financially strong, and tuition is relatively cheaper than other American high schools. In terms of admissions, it has a high tolerance for diverse student backgrounds, with a TOEFL requirement of at least around 108. The Vericant interview is considered the official interview. The school has an observatory and offers courses in planetary astronomy and stellar astronomy. Students interested in astronomy might want to give it serious consideration.

Arriving at Cranbrook is like stepping into a forest park. Founded in 1989, it is conveniently located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and is considered Michigan's best private high school. Spanning 319 acres and serving 800 students, it's just about a 45-minute drive from Detroit. The school boasts two main campuses: Kingwood and Cranbrook. Girls reside in Kingwood, where humanities subjects like art, literature, and history are taught. Boys reside in Cranbrook, where STEM subjects like math and science are taught. Shuttles are available for transportation between classes, a journey that takes less than 10 minutes on foot, indicating the close proximity of the two locations.

The school is known as "the cradle of modern American designers," and as such, it excels in art and drama. Walking through the corridors of the art center, one can feel the strong artistic atmosphere and see various student artworks displayed in showcases. Ice hockey, golf, and lacrosse are the school's strong sports. The school features four complete gymnasiums, a multi-purpose stadium with track facilities, a bowling alley, and weight and fitness rooms. Furthermore, the school's academics are exceptionally strong, leading to excellent university placements; in 2019, many students were admitted to prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford.

Cranbrook Schools is renowned as one of the "Big Four" prestigious schools in the Midwest, located in Michigan. The school boasts a beautiful environment, especially during late autumn. Its AP program has an excellent reputation, with students consistently achieving top scores nationwide each year. Furthermore, outstanding AP course instructors visit the school annually to conduct academic sharing sessions. The school places a greater emphasis on encouraging student innovation, interdisciplinary exploration, and fostering their proactive learning. The surrounding community offers rich resources, including an observatory, a science museum, and an art museum. The art museum alone attracts over 250,000 visitors annually, and school students can continuously enjoy the ever-changing collection on display.

Cranbrook schools offer single-sex classes for 9th and 10th grades. Annually, the school's students' AP exam scores rank among the best schools nationwide. Over 40% of Michigan's AP exam experts come to the school to teach. Students take at least 5 courses per semester. Students in 9th and 10th grades and 11th and 12th grades are each required to take 1 credit of art, and one of the graduation requirements is to earn 2 art credits. Students must study one foreign language for at least two consecutive years. In 11th and 12th grades, students are required to study religion. Generally, students' course selections typically include: at least 3 years of mathematics, 3 years of science, 2 years of foreign language, 4 years of English, and 3 years of history.

Cranbrook Schools is a top boarding school located in Michigan, renowned for the architectural style of its campus, with the latest building designed by an alumnus of the school. The school consists of two campuses—Cranbrook campus (boys) and Kingswood campus (girls). In sports, ice hockey, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and other sports are Cranbrook's strengths.

Students who studied through Liushengwang gave excellent reviews of the school.

It is a strong sports school, with ice hockey, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and other sports being Cranbrook's strengths.

The AP courses offered by the school have an excellent reputation, and students' annual scores consistently rank among the top in the nation.

The school's special program is an 11-day wilderness survival course for 10th-grade students, with the main goal of training and developing students' willpower and survival skills.

The school has its own science labs and art labs, as well as its own observatory, with a strong faculty.

The school offers advanced programs in performing arts, such as Advanced Performing Arts and Advanced Dance.

I am a new student planning to attend CK this year. Cranbrook is a school located in the Midwest of the United States. There aren't many schools in the U.S. Midwest, but Cranbrook is definitely one of the most outstanding.

Firstly, the campus is very large. A school with over 800 students naturally has a big campus and can provide courses and resources to meet all students' needs. Cranbrook's campus is divided into two parts: one for boys and one for girls. Although the boys' and girls' campuses and dorms are separate, most classes are still co-ed. The school not only has relatively new teaching buildings but also an art exhibition hall showcasing students' works. CK also has a very large observatory. Due to Cranbrook's large student body, resources are abundant, and it can naturally provide every student with the resources they desire.

CK's teaching quality and faculty resources are also considered top-tier. The average teaching experience of each teacher is over 26 years. Ample faculty resources and giving students enough space ensure a guaranteed quality of education for every student. Dormitory life might not be as good as in other schools because the boarding ratio is relatively low. However, the school provides high-quality treatment to boarding students, and weekend activities are definitely not fewer than those in other schools. In Cranbrook dorms, the learning atmosphere is very strong. In the boys' dorms, everyone has a single room, which gives each student their own space to develop in the direction they wish to study.

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The above review is from student David Lyu.

My first impression of Cranbrook was its sheer size. To the east, near where the four main thoroughfares meet at the center, are the school's observatory and science museum. To the west are the Art Academy and the Art Museum Library, surrounded by various fountains. Entering through the south gate near the Art Academy, passing through the old student cafeterias and studios on both sides, and walking all the way to the viewing platform at the end, the newly completed swimming pool is on the left. Its inverted frustum (a cone with its tip removed) skylight, coupled with a star-patterned ceiling, looks stunning day and night.

Cranbrook's academics are exceptionally strong. Taking math teachers as an example, in addition to two PhDs, there are many seasoned veterans with decades of teaching experience. For instance, Mr. Mathieu witnessed the advent and evolution of personal computers. Based on the decline in students' computational graphing abilities over recent years, a trend he attributes to the rise of calculators, he sets high, seemingly rigid demands for Ap Calculus BC students. These demands, however, lay a solid foundation for advanced university mathematics. His teaching prowess is evidenced by an annual AP perfect score (5/5) rate of over 95%.

In terms of art, CK is equally impressive. The art museum updates its collections quarterly, offering students the opportunity to appreciate high-level art without leaving campus. Beyond two-dimensional art, Cranbrook boasts the largest weaving workshop in the entire United States. This, along with the architecture scattered throughout the campus that regularly attracts public visitors, and art sculptures of various styles, provides students with a diverse artistic education.
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The above review is from Jack, a current Cranbrook student.

Cranbrook has sufficient financial resources to support students' academic development. The Annual Fund goal for the 2019-20 fiscal year was $2.3 million, representing approximately 4% of Cranbrook Schools' budget. The Annual Fund provides a comprehensive and rigorous college preparatory education to over 1,650 students from 18 states and 25 countries. Annual Fund scholarships offer promising young students the opportunity to attend Cranbrook Schools. Last year, approximately one-third of the students received over $9 million in financial aid.

Relationship: CK Alumnus

The outcomes for CK Chinese graduates in 2020 were excellent. Essentially, the vast majority were confirmed to attend top 20 schools, with many also receiving offers from Ivy League universities and other excellent non-Ivy schools (e.g., Vanderbilt, UCLA, CMU, USC).

One of CK's best aspects is that the vast majority of Chinese students can gain admission to the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. If your child performs consistently over four years (without engaging in deviant behavior), their post-graduation prospects will not fall outside the top 30 universities.

Another significant advantage of CK is its large student body, big campus, and abundant resources (a key point). You and your peers can excel in different fields, allowing each of you to showcase unique strengths during university applications.

Finally, graduate outcomes cannot truly be used to judge a school, as each cohort's paths are influenced by many personal factors. Partially, it depends on the individual strengths of the students in that cohort, but more responsibly, it depends on whether the students in that cohort possess the profile that American universities are looking for. CK cannot "get" a child into any school, but if your child knows how to seize opportunities, is motivated, and has certain academic abilities, CK will not disappoint you. (Of course, if you are very keen to study business or engineering at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, CK will absolutely not disappoint you.)

Cranbrook Schools is a top private boarding high school located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, renowned for its architectural style on campus. The latest building was designed by an alumnus of the school. The school consists of two campuses: Cranbrook campus (for boys) and Kingswood campus (for girls). In sports, ice hockey, lacrosse, tennis, and golf are among Cranbrook's strengths.
A strong sports school, ice hockey, lacrosse, tennis, and golf are all Cranbrook's strengths.
The school's AP courses have an excellent reputation, with students consistently achieving top scores nationwide each year.
A distinctive program offered by the school is an 11-day wilderness survival course for 10th-grade students. The main goal of this course is to train and cultivate students' willpower and survival skills.
The school boasts first-class hardware facilities, including its own swimming pool, ice rink, science laboratories, art laboratories, and an observatory, complemented by a strong faculty.
In performing arts, the school offers strong programs such as advanced performing arts and advanced dance.

CK's campus is not only equipped with daily facilities such as indoor swimming pools and gymnasiums, but also high-end facilities like a science museum and a planetarium, making CK's science courses exceptionally strong. Additionally, there is a science museum and an art gallery next to the school, attracting over 250,000 visitors annually, allowing the school's students to consistently enjoy the continuously exhibited collections. The school believes that every student has the potential to become a leader and is committed to providing students with opportunities to discover and hone their leadership skills, including: Gold Key, Resident Advisers, Student Council, Student Diversity Leadership Conference, Wilderness Leaders, and more. The founder of the CK educational community was a true philanthropist. To this day, the school continues to uphold the founder's philosophy, giving back to the community through various community services, including Bridge the Divide, Freedom House, and Habitat For Humanity. Concurrently, CK's core values—respect, integrity, health, and safety—are strengthened through the process of community service.

The school offers a variety of courses, including Honors and AP courses, providing students with opportunities for continuous growth and self-challenge. A typical day has eight periods, meaning students will attend a maximum of seven classes daily (lunch occupies one period). Class periods are divided into 45-minute, 55-minute, and 70-minute sessions. As I am just a ninth-grade student, the academic pressure isn't very high. I spend an hour on homework and half an hour on other academic-related tasks daily. Teachers are very willing to help students with their questions. In English and history classes, we often have group discussions. For instance, in history class, when we were studying the Epic of Gilgamesh, sometimes the teacher would ask us to act it out, making the learning process very engaging.

Different extracurricular activities have different requirements, times, and schedules, and their difficulty also varies greatly, but they are all very interesting and valuable, allowing everyone to develop comprehensively in terms of morality, intelligence, and physical health. If you wish for more time for entertainment or study, there are many other activities available, totaling five to six hours per week. Students must earn three credits from activities or sports to graduate, so it's impossible to just stay in the dorm every day.

The teacher-student relationship at the school is very harmonious. Students often go to teachers to ask questions or chat and eat cake when they have time. Mentor discussion sessions are common in American high schools. Our school holds a meeting every Wednesday, where a designated mentor discusses topics related to school life, academic guidance, and other subjects concerning health and skill development.

---Content provided by 9th-grade student Oscar Zhang

The campus is very large, divided into two campuses: Kingswood and Cranbrook. The Kingswood campus houses girls, and the Cranbrook campus houses boys. School buses regularly shuttle between the two campuses. This school is a perfect blend of a large university-like institution and a small, focused school. Not only do its campus facilities rival those of a university, but its approximately 200 boarding students also give it the advantage of a top-tier boarding high school, which is a high level of attention paid to resident students. Faculty and staff all live near the school, ensuring very high safety and attentiveness.

The school's academics are very strong, with its AP exam scores consistently ranking among the top nationwide every year. The academic challenge is relatively significant; the overall curriculum difficulty is on the higher side. If students choose honors courses or APs, they are required to have a strong foundation in the subject. Therefore, students can completely design their own course schedules according to their interests and abilities. For children with strong hands-on abilities, the school has a dedicated 'makes room' where students can focus on their projects, or communicate with their team teachers.

The school has its own science labs, art labs, and even an observatory, boasting a strong faculty. The school's science curriculum is very eye-catching; all science classrooms have separate lab and classroom areas. In the chemistry lab, we saw a display wall showcasing the appearance of each element and the application of individual elements in daily life. There are also physics, computer sciences, and other classes. A quick glance during a break revealed children deeply engrossed and dedicated to their research.

Cranbrook School is a co-educational school with a high reputation across the United States. The school is a truly global community. Students and families from all over the world come to Michigan to experience Cranbrook School. Every day, students and teachers learn in a warm, challenging, and engaging learning environment. Each student is a unique individual, constantly creating new surprises at school. The school will host a club fair in the main auditorium one week after the start of the semester. All clubs will showcase their unique features at the event, and every newly admitted student can visit and inquire about them. Each student needs to choose their favorite club based on their hobbies. Because academic studies will also take up more time, every student needs to balance their time between academics and extracurricular activities.

For the 2019-2020 application season, applications for 10th-grade male boarding students will not be accepted; for the 2018-2019 academic year, the minimum TOEFL score requirement for Chinese students was 100, and the actual average TOEFL score for admitted students was 109.

Cranbrook is one of Michigan's best private boarding high schools. Every year, the AP exam scores of the school's students rank among the best schools nationwide. Over 40% of Michigan's AP exam experts come to the school to teach. Each year, over 3 billion US dollars in donations support school construction, especially for the school's science and art museums. The school is renowned for its exquisite architectural style on campus. The most recently completed is the Williams Natatorium, designed by a Cranbrook alumnus, which won the Williams Natatorium Award. Separate campuses for boys and girls is a major feature of CK. Ice hockey, golf, and lacrosse are Cranbrook's strong sports.