Coming Attractions
Admission announces another impressive yield.
When Thacher’s campus opens to begin the 2016-17 school year, new Toads from around the world (and around the corner) will join our community with excitement, anticipation, and maybe a few butterflies. As new and returning students make their way to Thacher in those early days, they’ll be coming from just about every corner of the globe: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming, Argentina, Bahrain, China, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, of the new students, 40 percent identify as students of color, and 51 percent of new boarding students are from outside California.
While it’s easy to think the admission process involves a short, clear line from application to acceptance, students and parents who have recently applied know this is far from accurate. In many cases, driving through Thacher’s gates on move-in day this fall will mark the culmination of a process that began many months—or, perhaps, years—ago.
The journey involved in getting families to this point has been a long and fulfilling one for the admission staff this year. From interviews (both on campus and off) and admission events to application writing and reading, enrolling the class of 2020 (and two new members of 2019) was a team effort. And while the adult members of our admission staff are often the most public faces of our efforts, Thacher students were the ones playing the most important roles as eager tour guides, panelists, and hosts. Along with the faculty, administration, and admission office, the current students helped to bring in another fantastic class of Thacher Toads.
As has become the norm, Thacher attracted many more qualified applicants than spaces available at the school. This year, only 13 percent of students who applied were admitted, and 77 percent of those admitted have decided to attend Thacher. While these statistics will certainly be among the best compared to all other boarding schools, the most satisfying result for our staff is the resounding confirmation of something we already knew: specifically, that Thacher is a special place that resonates with families in a way few other schools can.
"We get to know a great many very talented kids over the course of the year," said Bill McMahon, who heads up the Admission Office. "This means that the selection process is not an easy one for us, but it also means that we wind up with a group of gifted scholars who have demonstrated the attributes it takes to succeed at Thacher, and just as importantly, to contribute to our positive, healthy, and authentic community. We can't wait to welcome them back to campus in the fall."
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A college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12
Thacher is committed to maintaining an atmosphere of respect and dignity free from harassment. Our school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, or any other characteristics protected by state or federal law in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, tuition assistance, and athletic and other school-administered programs, or any other basis in law.