Portsmouth Abbey School

Portsmouth
Rhode Island
United States

Overview

Portsmouth Abbey School is a Catholic, co-educational boarding and day school for students in grades 9 through 12. The school is located on a beautiful 525-acre campus along Narragansett Bay, just a few miles from Newport, RI. For over 90 years, Abbey`s liberal arts curriculum has prepared students for lives of significance and purpose. This education is grounded in the Western intellectual tradition and teaches students to solve problems, communicate ideas, work together, and innovate. Portsmouth Abbey School helps young men and women grow in knowledge and grace. As a Benedictine boarding and day school committed to excellence, we embrace the Catholic faith while nurturing reverence for God and the human person, love of learning, and commitment to community life. Part of our mission is to live in a community that values each of its members, and our similarities and differences. This mission enables our students to understand themselves and the world around them better. Our students thrive in this environment and take full advantage of the spiritual, athletic, artistic, and service opportunities that exist on our campus and beyond. Our sense of community is strong, vibrant, and easy to feel, although sometimes challenging to put into words. We celebrate our achievements, and we offer help to those in need in an effort to make this a more gracious community. We invite you to learn more about Portsmouth Abbey School on the following pages and on our website, but most importantly please come and see it for yourself.

Academics

Summary: At Portsmouth Abbey, you enter a new landscape full of new ideas, new people, new relationships, and revelations. Imagine these next four years. What do you see? In what direction do you want to grow? Your high school years reveal so much about your future self, the adult you are becoming. And the place in which you spend those years imbues you with certain enduring qualities. Students undergo a definite transformation during their time at Portsmouth Abbey. And it's a transformation they never forget.

Department Director Nick Micheletti

Student/Teacher Ratio: 5:1

Average Class Size: 12

Summer Programs: Not Offered

Full Time Teachers: 50

Number of AP Courses Offered: 16

Teachers Holding Advanced Degrees: 80%

Number of IB Courses Offered: 0

Learning Support

  • Evening Study Assistance
  • Peer Tutoring
  • Study Skills Assistance
  • Technology Center

English

  • Creative Writing
  • Honors
  • Literature
  • AP English Language
  • AP English Literature

History

  • European History
  • Honors
  • Medieval History
  • United States History
  • Art History

Foreign Languages

  • Chinese-Mandarin
  • French
  • Greek
  • Latin
  • Spanish

Religion / Philosophy

  • Ethics
  • Philosophy
  • Theology
  • World Religions

Humanities / Social Sciences

  • Economics

Sciences

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Environmental Science
  • Marine Biology
  • Physics

Math

    Computer Studies

    • Computer Science
    • Digital Media

    Music

    • Music Theory
    • Orchestra

    Performing / Visual Arts

    • Art History
    • Ceramics
    • Dance
    • Debate
    • Drama
    • Photography
    • Public Speaking
    • Studio Art

    Special Programs

    • Study Abroad
    • Community Service
    • Internships
    • Sailing
    • Student Council

    Campus Life

    Dorm Life

    Number of Dorms: 8

    Average Students Per Dorm: 28

    Number of Girls Dorms: 4

    Number of Boys Dorms: 4

    Dorm Amenities

    • Laundry Facilities
    • Lounge
    • Vending Machines
    • Wireless Internet

    Other Dorm Amenities

    Television In Each Common Room

    Facilities

    • All-Weather Track
    • Baseball Field
    • Basketball Court
    • Fitness Center
    • Football Field
    • Indoor Basketball Court
    • Technology Center
    • Volleyball Court
    • Squash Court
    • Tennis Courts
    • Hockey Rink
    • Dance Studio
    • Athletic Fields
    • Outdoor Track
    • Equestrian Facilities
    • Cross Country Trails
    • Lacrosse Field

    Other Facilities

    Clubs & Organizations

    • Community Service
    • Debate Club
    • Dorm Proctors
    • Drama Club
    • Environmental Club
    • Foreign Language Clubs
    • Gardening Club
    • Habitat for Humanity
    • Honor Council
    • Horseback Riding
    • International Club
    • Literary Magazine
    • Math Club
    • Mock Trial
    • Model UN
    • National Honor Society
    • Newspaper
    • Peer Tutoring
    • Photography Club
    • Sailing Club
    • Student Activities
    • Student Government
    • Student Publications
    • Theater Club
    • Yearbook
    • Radio Station

    Arts & Athletics

    Summary: For Portsmouth Abbey School student-athletes, the rewards of athletics participation are immediate and enduring. Our co-curricular athletics program provides a balance to the academic and spiritual life on campus and helps to promote a sense of community. Students who want to pursue the arts at Portsmouth Abbey have every opportunity to do so. Anchored by a lively drama department and the stunning, sun-lit McGuire Fine Arts Center, Abbey arts uphold the Benedictine tradition of valuing and sharing beauty. Whether you are a singer, an actor, a dancer, a photographer, or a sculptor, you can find your niche at the Abbey and develop your emerging talents over your years here.

    Arts Department Director: Jay Bragan

    Athletics Department Director:

    Arts

    • Art History
    • Ceramics
    • Dance
    • Debate
    • Drama
    • Photography
    • Public Speaking
    • Studio Art

    Interscholastic Sports

    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Cross Country Running
    • Field Hockey
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Ice Hockey
    • Lacrosse
    • Sailing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Squash
    • Tennis
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball
    • Wrestling

    Recreational Sports

    • Dance
    • Equestrian
    • Weight Lifting

    Graduates

    Summary: It is the mission of the College Counseling Office at Portsmouth Abbey to guide and support students and their families through the college search and application process. We endeavor to work with students as individuals, to understand who they are beyond the classroom and to help them find a college that will provide a challenging and comfortable environment for them on all levels. True to the Catholic Benedictine tradition of Portsmouth, we treasure the spiritual and intellectual diversity and individualism of our students and understand that their lives will take them in many directions.

    College Information

    Percentage of graduates who attend college: 100%

    Middle Percentile of SAT Scores Reading Math Writing
    25th percentile 630 630
    75th percentile 720 730

    Notable Alumni

    Christopher Buckley

    Class of 1970

    American political satirist son of William F. Buckley Jr.. Graduated Yale Skull and Bones member. Once managing editor of Esquire magazine later chief speechwriter to Vice President George H. W. Bush. Author of Thank You for Smoking (Fox Searchlight Pi

    Terrence F. McGuirk

    Class of 1969

    Former Vice Chairman of Turner Broadcasting; longtime right hand man of Ted Turner; Currently managing remaining sports teams owned by Time Warner – including Atlanta Braves.

    John Pepper

    Class of 1956

    Former Chairman CEO and President Proctor & Gamble Corp.; Currently Vice president for Administration & Finance at Yale University

    John Gregory Dunne

    Class of 1950

    Novelist screenwriter and literary critic. Husband of Joan Didion younger brother of Dominick Dunne

    Peter M. Flanigan

    Class of 1941

    former Chief Domestics Policy advisor to President Nixon

    Benedict Fitzgerald

    Class of 1967

    American screenwriter. Son of Latin and Greek translator Robert Fitzgerald. Co-wrote the Aramaic Hebrew and Latin screenplay for The Passion of the Christ (2004) with Mel Gibson. Also Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (1996) and Flannery O'Connor's Wise

    E. J. Dionne

    Class of 1969

    author political commentator Washington Post columnist Fellow at the Brookings Institute

    Hugh Tovar

    Class of 1941

    Director of Special Ops for the CIA during the Vietnam War

    Charlie Day

    Class of 1994

    Actor known for the role of Charlie Kelly on FX's network It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for which he is also a writer and executive producer.

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    Vital Information

    Student Body Type: Coed

    Total Boarding: 251

    Total Day: 87

    Total Enrollment: 338

    Boys: 174

    Girls: 164

    Boarding Grades Offered: 9-12

    Day Grades Offered: 9-12

    School Type: High School

    Dress Code: Formal

    Applications Accepted: SAO

    Application Deadline: January 31st

    Tuition & Financial Aid

    7-Day Boarding: $65,570

    5-Day Boarding: N/A

    Day Tuition Fee: $41,000

    Need-Based Aid: Offered

    Payment Plans: Offered

    Students Receiving Aid: 40%

    Average Awarded: $38,000

    School Finances

    Merit Scholarships: Not Offered

    Students Receiving Merit Scholarships: %

    Average Merit Scholarship: $

    Current Endowment Amount: $47,000,000

    Contact

    285 Cory's Lane

    Portsmouth, Rhode Island United States

    401 643 1248

    Director of Admissions: Brendan McGrail

    Admissions Phone: 401 643 1248

    Fax: 401 643 1355

    Email: bmcgrail@portsmouthabbey.org

    Website: https://www.portsmouthabbey.org

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