The Putney School

My daughter transferred to Putney School in her junior year of high school. She is a very introverted child. She interviewed at many schools, but my daughter liked the interviewers here the most because they understood her and listened patiently to her. When the interview was almost over, the network connection was poor and it got interrupted. The teacher rescheduled to talk with my daughter for over an hour, discussing her favorite literature. The teacher was caring and patiently listened to the child's thoughts. The school emphasizes personalized education, where every child can find their place, grow well, and the child has also become more outgoing. Putney has a great unique feature: every student must participate in labor every day. My child never did any chores at home, but at school, she actually worked in the cow shed and loved doing this kind of work, even getting to drink the milk she squeezed herself. This made us feel truly gratified; my child learned the spirit of enduring hardship and hard work. The school also has a student board, genuinely allowing students to participate in school decisions, solve student problems, and develop their problem-solving abilities. I am very grateful; Putney was the best choice for my daughter.

The Putney School's free and inclusive environment gave my child ample time to grow into a teenager and determine who she wants to be. When she has the space and time for independent thinking, she knows what is right for her and how she wants to contribute to the school community. Putney's freedom also comes with the careful support of all faculty and staff. Over time, I have witnessed my child's growth in leadership, independence, and self-motivation, and I am very pleased that we chose to join The Putney School four years ago.

I am a 2014 Putney graduate. After graduating, I attended university in New York and have now been working for 5 years. I still love my high school; it is a precious experience and memory that will last a lifetime!
At Putney, I transformed from a naive young girl, developing myself with the help of all the teachers, not just academically and in daily life, but also significantly in terms of personality and the formation of my values.

[Academics] Every teacher is incredibly patient, and one-on-one tutoring is frequently available. Beyond the basic coursework, the school emphasizes self-directed research and growth, and every student can pursue leadership opportunities. Each semester ends with a project week, just like in college, where students choose topics they like for in-depth research. The school doesn't have cold, hard grades, but rather teachers' evaluations. Of course, if parents wish to see grades, they can request them via email.

[Life] Each dorm has a resident advisor, who might also be one of your teachers. They provide meticulous care, from teaching you how to use a washing machine and helping with homework to looking after you when you're sick.

[Extracurricular Activities] Horse riding, frisbee, skiing, basketball, soccer, painting, dance, musical instruments, singing, pottery, maple syrup tapping and making, cultivating vegetables and fruits, animal husbandry, blacksmithing, jewelry making, martial arts, tai chi, and more. It's incredibly rich and highly beneficial.

[School Requirements] Every student must earn credits during their time at school, which includes cleaning academic buildings, assisting in the dining hall, cleaning cowsheds and milking cows, all to enhance students' sense of responsibility.

A school full of human touch!

I am a 2016 graduate of Putney. The school is very unique; its curriculum is designed primarily to foster student interests. There are abundant opportunities for hands-on work and artistic participation, as well as student leadership positions. Most students will have the chance to contribute to the student body. I believe the school is very suitable for students with unique hobbies or those who wish to broaden their life experiences. They receive excellent support at Putney. Regarding college admissions, students need to be very proactive; the school does not intentionally push passive students to apply to the top-tier universities. I personally ended up attending Pomona College.

【Location】The school is located in Putney, Vermont, in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It boasts beautiful natural scenery and a tranquil 500-acre campus.
【Signature Programs】The school offers experiential education, project week activities, student leadership opportunities, education for sustainable development, and overseas education opportunities.
【Art Programs】The school's art program is excellent, divided into music, performance, visual arts, and theatrical arts.
【Sports Programs】Every student participates in sports programs, with skiing and horseback riding being particular strengths.
【Outdoor Education】The school focuses on leadership training, advocates for environmental sustainability, and offers courses in ecology and complex systems, as well as biology and chemistry programs that use nature as a laboratory.
【On-Campus Boarding】The school has a total of 9 dormitory buildings and 5 solar-powered cabins. Each dormitory building can accommodate 10 to 30 students, and each cabin can accommodate two senior students.
【University Matriculation】The university matriculation rate is excellent, with students gaining admission to universities such as: Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, Dartmouth College, Northwestern University, Brown University, Cornell University, and others.

As a parent of a student, I can responsibly say that The Putney School is a good school that is underrated by rankings. The school respects individual development, giving children ample space and time to explore their passions and interests. In 9th and 10th grades, the school does not provide academic grades; instead, each semester, teachers for every subject give an "effort score" for a child's academic performance in class and issue a unique learning report. Through the teachers' evaluations, parents can clearly see their child's learning journey and interest orientation. The school does not offer luxurious living conditions; instead, it is based on a farm on a mountain, providing children with the most down-to-earth education. Cow barns, stables, vegetable gardens, and a dining hall – life itself becomes the children's second classroom and fertile ground for nurturing their future academic directions. My own child went from riding and caring for horses to ultimately deciding on biology as her academic major. Putney's US college admissions include many top 30 universities and even Ivy League schools that parents hope for, but the children don't solely rely on hyper-competitive GPA or AP scores to get in. University admissions officers are more keen to see Putney students present their unique, assertive personalities. Friends who wish to learn more about the school can search for "不一样的美高Putney" on WeChat official accounts, where articles written by graduates, parents, and teachers are available.

Founded in 1935, The Putney School is a co-educational boarding school located in the picturesque southern Vermont, USA. Under the progressive educational philosophy of its founder, Carmelita Hinton, the school's education represents one way of life. The school's curriculum is designed for independent, active, and capable students, featuring small class sizes to provide ample opportunities for students' learning and development, and most graduates go on to excellent universities. Although this school's ranking is not particularly high, it is highly regarded among local students and parents.

School Advantages:

1. The Overseas Semester Program aims to provide students with opportunities to live, learn, and work alongside students and adults from diverse cultural backgrounds, who may follow different cultural norms, assumptions, and guiding principles.

2. At the end of each semester, students will have the opportunity to complete two projects that will utilize the skills they have gained in their academic and non-academic courses during that semester.

3. Music is the sound of The Putney School. At its core is music making in various idioms and genres, from playing guitar by the campfire to performing in a community orchestra; from participating in weekly all-school singing, to composing electronic music, to producing albums.

4. Skiing is great, and Putney offers recreational and competitive cross-country skiing programs on 40 kilometers of groomed trails.

5. Equestrianism is great, and riding at Putney can be customized to the needs of each rider.

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The Putney School employs its own unique academic system, differing from traditional AP and IB curricula. Based on its educational philosophy, it designs the most suitable learning model for each student. Instead of mandating specific courses, it empowers students to understand what knowledge and skills they must master, then tailors their learning accordingly. Although it doesn't offer AP courses, the school's curriculum difficulty is no less than that of AP courses.

Putney School's educational model is experiential learning. By encouraging student proactivity, stimulating their curiosity, and empowering them to boldly utilize their intelligence and talents without fear of failure, it teaches students that failure is an indispensable part of the human learning process. When persistent effort leads to growth, that is the opportunity for students to showcase themselves.

Putney School cultivates students' self-drive and initiative, enabling them to become highly independent individuals. This includes independent research projects where students collaborate with faculty and staff on three-month-long independent research; senior exhibitions where upper-grade students design and independently complete interdisciplinary projects, ultimately presenting a series of works; and the school offers self-directed learning courses involving science, music, drama, and mathematics.

1. Putney positions itself as a progressive school in the education sector. Progressiveness does not mean indulging student freedom; progressive does not mean permissive.
2. The school has a total of 232 students, with 170 boarding students. It provides education for grades 9-12. Currently, the international student ratio is less than 20%; the student-teacher ratio is 1:5; and over 50 leadership opportunities are offered.
3. The school does not offer AP courses. The school's mission is to teach students how to define problems, how to research and analyze, and how to present their ideas. These are all things that AP cannot measure. Putney has never used AP courses since its establishment, but universities are well aware of their curriculum system.
4. The school has a 500-acre farm where students are required to work. The school emphasizes sustainable development, with 20% of its food grown on-site.
5. The school seeks students who appreciate their educational philosophy more than rigid standardized test scores. Admissions Director Libby told me that they do not strictly cap international students' scores, but typically, accepted students have a TOEFL score of at least 80, and usually 90 or above.
6. Class of 2019 Chinese student matriculation:
Case Western Reserve
Chapman
Parsons School of Design
RISD
UNC-Chapel Hill