A: Yes, you could argue there is. It’s called the:
Eight Schools Association
Composed of 8 of the top elite boarding programs, the “Eight Schools Association” (ESA) is a group of private college-preparatory schools in the Northeast United States.” It includes 7 of our top boarding schools and an 8th that could very easily be in that list:
- Phillips Academy Andover (#1)
- Phillips Exeter Academy (#2)
- St. Paul’s School (#3)
- Deerfield Academy (#4)
- Hotchkiss School (#5)
- Lawrenceville School (#6)
- Choate Rosemary School (#9)
- Northfield Mount Hermon School (not ranked in our survey currently)
The association of top boarding schools was created around ~45 years ago in the 1973-74 school year. It was formalized though only a little over a decade ago in 2006 when they appointed a president and executive director. The mission of the group is for “the purpose of mutual support and collegiality” and should “address critical educational issues in order to ensure the best educational experiences and outcomes for students, explore new research and trends in education and develop collaborative programs.”
The official website for the association is https://www.8schools.org/
Before the ESA, another organization that may have claimed this somewhat elitist title, but had more schools than the 8 total that the Ivy League made famous:
Ten Schools Admissions Organization
“Founded more than 45 years ago on the basis of a number of common goals and traditions, the Ten Schools Admission Organization is a group of distinguished college preparatory institutions that cooperate in their outreach to prospective students and their families.”
This group included The Hill School, Loomis Chaffee School and Taft School, but did not have Northfield Mount Hermon in their group of 10.
The website for this association is https://www.tenschools.org