Miss Porter’s School is different — historically, intentionally, and successfully. We’ve been different, are different, and will be different than any school, coed or single gender, that most people have ever experienced. Our proven ability to develop strong female leaders has been replicated decade after decade with unquestionable outcomes.
Inspired by Sarah Porter’s legacy as a trailblazer in girls’ education, Miss Porter’s School carries out her vision today by continuing to offer a rigorous and innovative education for young women. We have a long tradition of educating girls unconventionally and no plans to deviate from Sarah’s vision. Our students know we have high expectations for them — to be informed, bold, resourceful, ethical global citizens. In Farmington, they learn that they can.
As we enhance our curriculum, we are focused on establishing courses and programs that are engaging, interdisciplinary, and experiential in nature. Our academic program is global in scope and highly personalized. It continues to emphasize the liberal arts, as was Sarah Porter’s intention, and also ensures that girls:
• learn to innovate and create,
• understand what it means to be an entrepreneur,
• conduct original research,
• complete projects within STEAM fields, and
• develop a deep understanding of the humanities and social sciences to address complex social issues.
Our Institute for Global Education supports our mission to create a global community at Miss Porter’s School. The 11th-grade InterMission program provides international, school-based immersion experiences for all juniors at no cost to them, and our global network connects students and faculty to their peers, allowing for an exchange of teaching and learning within diverse geographical contexts. Through the Institute for Global Education, students may choose to pursue the Global Studies Certificate, through which they define their own learning opportunities by applying an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the institutions, processes, and diverse communities that shape our word, while addressing complex contemporary global issues.
Our Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship allows students to study and work in the interconnected fields of programming, digital literacy, global business, digital innovation, design, entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, preparing them to lead successful, productive lives in a technology-driven society and economy. Students may also elect to pursue the Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Certificate, through which they learn about and become social entrepreneurs, utilizing technology to address social issues and provide solutions to complex problems.
In addition to our relevant academic programming, we also excel in athletics and the arts. Our competitive athletic program teaches students physical and mental skills, self-discipline, and sportsmanship while motivating athletes to strive for excellence; we believe the value of participation is lifelong and that the team experience builds foundational skills of leadership, teamwork, competition, commitment, integrity, and achievement. Porter’s competes in the Founders League with Choate Rosemary Hall, Ethel Walker, Hotchkiss, Kent, Kingswood-Oxford, Loomis Chaffee, Taft and Westminster schools, and at the end of each season, Porter’s competes against the area’s most competitive teams in the New England Championships.
Through steady interaction with the arts, both in the classroom and in the community, our students are taught to be expressive, articulate and discerning individuals. With the guidance of teachers who are all working artists, students hone their skills in their preferred disciplines within exceptional facilities, all designed with innovative and essential elements for quality work. The arts program is enhanced by interdisciplinary projects and presentations through visiting artists and lecturers as well as between the arts and other academic areas. Funded programs bring well-known artists to campus each year for concerts, lectures, and critiques.
Miss Porter’s School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. It is a member of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, the Association of Boarding Schools, the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and the Cum Laude Society.
Though Sarah Porter may not immediately recognize the Miss Porter’s School of today as the same school she founded 175 years ago, upon reflection, she would find that our goal in 2018 remains the same as hers in 1843: to provide the skills essential for young women. It is the skills that have changed. Rather than readying young women for domestic life, today’s Miss Porter’s School is preparing students to excel in college and beyond, to seek challenges and break gender barriers, to learn to innovate and create, and to understand what it means to be a leader. Our graduates are expected to shape a changing world, and Miss Porter’s School provides the tools for them to do so.
For more information, please visit www.porters.org