| The Loomis Chaffee School | |
| Type: | Private, independent, boarding, day |
| Motto: | Ne Cede Malis |
| Motto Translation: | Yield Not to Adversity |
| Head Of School: | Jody Reilly Soja |
| Address: | 4 Batchelder Road |
| City: | Windsor |
| State: | Connecticut |
| Zipcode: | 06095 |
| Country: | United States |
| Ceeb: | 070945 |
| Campus Size: | 300acres |
| Faculty: | 190 |
| Grades: | 9–12, PG |
| Gender: | Coeducational |
| Avg Class Size: | 12 students |
| Ratio: | 5:1 (4:1 boarding student-to-residential faculty) |
| Endowment: | $350 million[1] [2] |
| Athletics: | 55 interscholastic teams in 18 sports; 19 intramural offerings |
| Athletic Conference: | NEPSAC Founders League |
| Mascot: | Pelican |
| Campus Type: | Suburban |
| Newspaper: | The Loomis Chaffee Log |
| Budget: | $55.7 million (2019)[3] |
| Tuition: | $61,760 (boarding) $47,440 (day) |
| Colors: | Maroon and gray |
| Affiliations: | Ten Schools Admission Organization[4] |
| Rival: | Kent School |
The Loomis Chaffee School (; 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 300acres campus and represent 51 foreign countries and 27 U.S. states; the remaining 30 percent are day students.[5]
Founded in 1914, Loomis Chaffee is a member of the Ten Schools Admission Organization.
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. Since then, the school has expanded its endowment, financial aid budget, faculty, and campus size.
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]
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]
See main article: List of Loomis Chaffee School alumni.
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]
