Located in the town of Milton, MA, Milton Academy is a highly-revered private boarding school for students in grades K through 12. The school’s 130-acre campus is located a mere eight miles south of Boston.
As of the 2022-23 academic year, Milton Academy has a total of 705 students in classes I-IV.
Milton does permit students to live at home and attend the school solely during the day rather than boarding, if they so desire.
In fact, of the current enrollment of 705 students, only 304 are residential students, while the majority of the remaining students live at home.
For those who do choose to live on campus, there are nine different residential houses, with an average of 35 students per house.
The Milton Academy student body includes students who come from 27 states, not to mention 30 foreign countries.
International students make up around 14% of the student population at the school. The school’s 84 residential faculty members manage and supervise residential housing.
If you are a student or parent in search of an excellent private school to attend, then you would be wise to consider Milton Academy.
Read on to learn more about Milton’s acceptance rates, tuition, ranking, and everything else you should know about this excellent boarding school.
Milton Academy Acceptance Rate
As of the 2023-2023 academic year, Milton Academy has an acceptance rate of just 14%. This remarkably low rate places Milton in a tie for fifth in the state of Massachusetts in terms of most selective private schools.
The national average acceptance rate for American private secondary schools is 85%, for comparison.
For further comparison, the average acceptance rate for private schools in Massachusetts is 71%, as of the 2022-23 academic year.
Seeing the significant difference between these figures, one can clearly see that Milton Academy is a highly selective institution.
The school’s already low acceptance rate has been declining steadily over the course of the past few admission cycles.
During the 2020-21 admission cycle, Milton Academy accepted just 12% of applicants.
In a 2016 article by Insider, for example, it was stated that Milton Academy had an acceptance rate of 19%.
At that point in time, this rate placed the school in a tie for eighth in the country in terms of most selective boarding schools.
Some sources cite Milton’s acceptance rate as even lower at 13%. Regardless of which of the two figures is more precise, it remains true that admission to this elite private school is extremely competitive.
Milton Academy Alumni
Since the elite secondary school was founded, a large number of former Milton Academy students have gone on to become quite successful public figures.
Notable Milton Academy alumni include James Taylor, a six-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter who first attended Milton in 1963. One of the best-selling musical artists of all time, Taylor was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Another Milton alum who has found remarkable success in the world of entertainment is Jenny Slate, actress and comedian who first earned significant public recognition for appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.
Slate’s other roles include Tammy Larsen on the animated comedy Bob’s Burgers and Mona-Lisa Saperstein on Parks and Recreation.
Multiple members of the Kennedy family also attended the school, including Ted and Robert F. Kennedy.
Deval Patrick, civil rights lawyer who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts, is also a Milton alum in politics.
Milton Academy alumni in the world of literature include T. S. Eliot, a prominent modernist poet, playwright, and literary critic best known for his epic poem “The Waste Land.”
Milton Academy Tuition
For one year of study at Milton Academy, tuition costs a total of $69,950 for boarding students and $57,800 for day students.
It is important to note that boarding is only an option for students at the Upper School — meaning those in ninth through twelfth grades.
There are also other differences in educational expenses depending on grade level, and as a result, tuition varies for students at the Lower School.
Milton’s tuition is the most affordable for students in kindergarten, coming to $37,000 a year. Students in first through third grade pay almost the same, at $39,950 per year of study.
For students in fourth or fifth grade, annual tuition for Milton is $44,400 — a $5,000+ jump up from grade 1-3 tuition. Finally, for students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, tuition is $56,400.
Although the cost of tuition is certainly not pocket change for the majority of families, Milton has a quite generous financial aid budget, giving away more than $13.1 million in financial aid awards each academic year.
About 35% of Milton students receive some form of financial aid to attend the school, with the average grant covering a 75% majority of the cost of tuition.
Milton Academy Ranking
Milton Academy is widely acknowledged as one of the country’s best private, coeducational boarding schools.
According to Niche, Milton Academy is the #1 private K-12 school in the state of Massachusetts, as well as #16 in the United States.
With respect to the best boarding secondary schools, Milton Academy is ranked #13 out of 418 in the nation and #6 of 36 in the state.
Milton’s high placement on statewide school rankings does not end there. Looking at private high schools, Milton is ranked #16 in Massachusetts terms of the diversity of the student body.
Rankings for schools in the Boston area are further testament to Milton’s excellence. To return to the topic of diversity rankings, the academy is ranked #11 in terms of private high schools in this region.
Perhaps most remarkably, Milton Academy is ranked the #1 private K-12 school in the Boston area, as well as sixth among private high schools. This prestigious status has earned Milton a reputation for being a “feeder school” for Harvard University.
In addition, the school ranks eighth of 74 in terms of best college prep at private high schools in Boston, as well as ninth out of 192 for STEM studies.
What Athletics and Extra-Curriculars are Offered at Milton Academy?
At Milton Academy, students have the opportunity to play on any of 15 different interscholastic sports teams, with an additional nine intramural teams.
Student-athletes at the school are known as the Milton Mustangs, donning blue and orange as their school spirit colors.
Many of Milton’s athletic programs are widely known for their excellence at the regional, state, and national levels.
One of these is the coed sailing team, which has won two national championships, one in team racing and the other in fleet racing. In 2015, the Milton racing team also claimed a victory in the team racing worlds.
The boy’s tennis team is another one of Milton’s strongest. Between 1998 and 2004, the team had a record of 74 wins — including a dozen conference championship games — and just one loss. Milton is also home to an excellent ultimate frisbee team, which has been ranked seventh in the United States.
Other sports offered at Milton include football, squash, lacrosse, golf, swimming, and both field and ice hockey.
Beyond athletics, Milton offers numerous other clubs and organizations students can participate in.
Extracurricular activities at the school are divided into four broad categories: student leadership opportunities (or student government), cultural groups, special interest clubs, and student publications.
Cultural groups include SAGE, or Students Advocating for Gender Equality. In the special interest category, there are clubs for fishing, hip-hop, robotics, chess, and a plethora of others interests.
Should You Apply to Milton Academy?
There are numerous reasons to consider applying to the prestigious Milton Academy. Since the school was founded in 1798, it has established itself a strong reputation for being one of the foremost private schools in the country.
It is well-known for providing an excellent quality education for students grades K-12, and an equally stellar residential experience for those students who choose to board at the school starting in ninth grade.
The process of searching for the perfect school for you or your student to attend can be difficult, stressful, and overwhelming.
There are so many different things to consider, from tuition costs to location, school size, extracurricular offerings, and a million other factors that can significantly impact the student experience.
As you go through this process, it is crucial that you keep in mind the needs, preferences, and goals of the specific, unique student in question. No two students are the same, so the perfect school for one student may be a poor fit for another.
At the end of the day, Milton Academy rests upon a sturdy legacy of excellence.
It offers world-class academics, several fiercely competitive athletic programs, a large faculty made up of some of the world’s foremost K-12 educations, and so much more.
