Loomis Chaffee School

The Loomis Chaffee School (/ˈluːmɪs ˈtʃeɪfi/; LC or Loomis) is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, including postgraduate students, located in Windsor, Connecticut, seven miles north of Hartford. As of the 2024–2025 school year, 70 percent of Loomis Chaffee's 742 students reside on the school's 300-acre (120 ha) campus and represent 51 foreign countries and 27 U.S. states; the remaining 30 percent are day students.^[5]

The Loomis Chaffee School
Address
4 Batchelder Road Windsor , Connecticut 06095 United States
Coordinates	41°50′24″N 72°38′26″W
Information
Type	Private, independent, boarding, day
Motto	Ne Cede Malis (Yield Not to Adversity)
Established	1914 (111 years ago) (1914)
CEEB code	070945
Head of school	Jody Reilly Soja
Faculty	190
Grades	9–12, PG
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	742 total 520 boarding 222 day (2024–2025)
Average class size	12 students
Student to teacher ratio	5:1 (4:1 boarding student-to-residential faculty)
Campus size	300 acres (120 ha)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Maroon and gray
Athletics	55 interscholastic teams in 18 sports; 19 intramural offerings
Athletics conference	NEPSAC Founders League
Mascot	Pelican
Rival	Kent School
Accreditation	NAIS TABS NEASC
Newspaper	The Loomis Chaffee Log
Endowment	$350 million[1][2]
Budget	$55.7 million (2019)[3]
Tuition	$61,760 (boarding)[3] $47,440 (day)[3]
Affiliations	Ten Schools Admission Organization[4]
Website	www.loomischaffee.org

Founded in 1914, Loomis Chaffee is a member of the Ten Schools Admission Organization.

History

The school was chartered in 1874 as The Loomis Institute by five Loomis siblings, who were determined to turn tragedy into generosity after all of their own children died before the age of 21.^[6][7] The original 1640 Loomis Homestead was chosen as the site for the school, which opened in 1914.^[8] The forty-year gap between chartering and the opening of the school was due to the estate of the Loomis siblings being reserved for the siblings' retirement.^[9]

In 1910, John Mason Loomis's widow left over $1.1 million as an endowment to The Loomis Institute for charitable purposes.^[10] This donation allowed the school to remain tuition-free for its first four decades. The Loomis Institute was different from other New England preparatory schools: it had no religious affiliation, offered vocational training alongside college preparatory courses, and admitted both boys and girls.^[11]

The Loomis Institute ended coeducation in 1926 when The Chaffee School was incorporated to educate girls on an adjacent campus. In 1970, the boys and girls schools merged to form The Loomis Chaffee School.^[11] Since then, the school has expanded its endowment, financial aid budget, faculty, and campus size.^[6]

Overview

Academics

Loomis Chaffee serves students from grades 9-12, as well as post-graduate students. Loomis offers 250 courses, 70 of which are classified as advanced or college-level. The average class size is 12 students with a 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Loomis had an acceptance rate of 17% for the 2023–2024 school year.^[12]

Athletics

Loomis Chaffee competes in sports against schools from all over New England and adjacent states.^[13] The school is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and competes in the Class A large school division. Additionally, Loomis is a member of The Founders League which comprises private schools located mainly in Connecticut.^[13]

Heads of school

• (1914–1949): Nathaniel Horton Batchelder^[14]
• (1949–1952): William Speer^[14]
• (1952–1967): Francis Olmsted Grubbs^[14]
• (1967–1976): Frederick G. Torrey^[15]
• (1976–1996): John Ratté^[16]
• (1996–2008): Russell H. Weigel^[17]
• (2008–2024): Sheila Culbert^[18]
• (2024–Present): Jody Reilly Soja^[19]

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Loomis Chaffee School alumni

Notable faculty

Main article: List of Loomis Chaffee School faculty

Writer John Horne Burns taught at Loomis and wrote several books while there.^[20]

René Cheruy served for many years as head of the French department, as well as a member of the visual arts department.^[21]

See also

• John Mason Loomis – American lumber tycoon and Union colonel during the American Civil War, and one of the Loomis family financiers and co-founders of the Loomis Institute
• James Chaffee Loomis – American lawyer, politician, and co-founder of the Loomis Institute
• Osbert Burr Loomis – American portrait painter and co-founder of the Loomis Institute