Deerfield transitions to full boarding with class of ’31

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS

Beginning in 2027, Deerfield Academy will transition to a full boarding school, requiring all future applicants to live on campus. The change comes over two centuries after Deerfield has remained open to day students since opening in 1799. 

The policy shift, explained Associate Head of School for Student Life Amie Creagh, aimed to “enfold the full student body into the vibrant residential life of the school.”

According to Ms. Creagh, one part of the decision aims to maximize student involvement in campus activities. While scheduled daytime activities remain highly integrated, Dean of Residential Life Lina Samawi noted that commuting constraints often cause day students to miss vital moments of the residential community, such as “brushy washy,” late-night socializing or the spontaneous moments, such as inviting a friend to the gym in the morning.

These gaps in after-school hours can create a distinct social hurdle for local families, certain day students shared. Willa Anhalt ’28, a day student who entered Deerfield as a sophomore, shared, “At first it was difficult to adjust to an environment where everyone was spending all their time together, and I was outside of that. What really helped me to feel more integrated was joining clubs and getting involved with co-curriculars while trying to meet all the girls in the dorm I was associated with. Now I definitely feel more comfortable, and like I have a real place at Deerfield.”

Rooted in the Academy’s core value of a “shared experience,” explained Ms. Samawi, the adjustments also aimed to ensure everyone has the same residential-life experience. “Just by virtue of being a Deerfield Academy student, you are part of the shared experience of an exceptional residential life program,” added Ms. Creagh.

Despite the transition, current day students will remain day students until they graduate, and employee children will remain as day students regardless of where they live. 

The Student Life Office is actively seeking student feedback to ensure this cohort feels deeply connected to campus life. They established two Student Advisory Groups, the West Campus Advisory Group and the Day Student Experience Advisory Group, which meet several times throughout the year to discuss initiatives for the new dorm and the boarding transition.

“Hopefully they feel that we truly care about them; and usually, if [a student] is a part of something that is new, [they] more likely invested in the outcome that comes of it,” added Ms. Samawi.

To accommodate the growing residential population, the Academy reconfigured the underclassmen housing. To avoid constraining the admissions pool for future classes, the ninth-grade village will expand beyond Johnson-Doubleday to include John Louis, a current sophomore girls’ dorm.

John Louis will be repurposed into a co-ed dorm. To maintain the shared residential experience during the expansion, students in John Louis will live in double rooms instead of singles, consistent with current freshman housing in Johnson-Doubleday.

A new West Campus Dorm next to Barton is currently under construction and will see completion by the start of the 2027 to 2028 school year.

At the same time, behind the scenes, the Admission Office is ensuring that enrollment priorities are met without turning away robust candidate pools. They have been actively communicating the policy shift to local schools, such as Bement and Eaglebrook, and families since last spring. 

“Deerfield has the wonderful luxury of [having] lots of kids who want to come here, and [for admissions] to turn away wonderful young people because the building won’t fit them…felt like a compromise,” said Ms. Creagh.

Looking to the future, Ms. Creagh and Ms. Samawi emphasized that while this policy is a long-term commitment, the Academy will remain adaptable. 

Eighteen years ago, Ms. Creagh noted, Deerfield had made the decision to construct the underclassmen village, with aspects that have changed since. They view the shift not as a rigid final step, but as part of Deerfield’s ongoing mission to best serve the student body.

“We wouldn’t undertake it if we didn’t think it was a long-term solution … or a long-term benefit to [Deerfield] students,” said Ms. Creagh. 

As the Academy moves toward full-residential in the fall of 2027, the Student Life Office will remain cognizant of areas for improvement. They plan to constantly evaluate the program’s impact by remaining reflective and actively seeking areas of improvement. Ms. Samawi expressed her outlook on the transition, saying that the Academy “[has] real confidence in this model.”