The Phelps School
Overview
The Phelps School is a private, nonsectarian boarding and day school for boys in grades 6–12, with an optional postgraduate year. The school inhabits a beautiful, 70-acre wooded campus in Pennsylvania's historic Chester County, 25 miles outside of downtown Philadelphia. With approximately 100 students and an average class size of seven, The Phelps School offers the ideal setting for boys who thrive in a small, nurturing, and structured environment. The learning experience is personalized for each student, with offerings ranging from Advanced Placement and college-level dual-enrollment courses for academically gifted students to a comprehensive Academic Support Program for students with learning differences. Beyond rigorous academics, students will find a robust athletics program, numerous extracurricular activities, and a strong support system comprising deeply caring faculty and peers. The Phelps School empowers each student to reach his highest potential. Our mission is to bring out the best in each boy, to help him earn new confidence and respect, to teach him about leadership, humility, and service to others. Boys succeed at Phelps in small classes, with teachers who will not let them give up. They learn how to learn. Their full potential is maximized as they grow and transform physically, socially, and morally. They build supportive relationships and develop a real sense of family with young men who are all quite different, and, in many ways, so much alike. Our mission is to help each Phelps boy become a better man. Our educational philosophy and key to our transformation of the individual boy and maximization of his individual potential is The Phelps Method. This is an educational paradigm focused on developing the whole person (mind, body, and spirit) while sustaining a young man's need for independence, structure, individual achievement, and team-oriented success. The paradigm is grounded on a foundation of individual attention and relational teaching, which research has shown is key to how boys learn best. Through the Method, our students achieve academic and physical excellence, while developing character, personal motivation, accountability, and responsibility. The Method is supported by our Phelps Profiles, developed through a range of assessments (from academic performance through learning style and personality profiles), we are able to gain a 360-degree snapshot of each young man, allowing us to advance his academic, social, and emotional achievement.
Academics
Department Director John Phillips
Student/Teacher Ratio: 5:1
Average Class Size: 7
Summer Programs: Not Offered
Full Time Teachers: 23
Number of AP Courses Offered: 0
Teachers Holding Advanced Degrees: 61%
Number of IB Courses Offered: 0
Noteworthy Information:
Phelps has partnered with both the University of Pittsburgh and Immaculata University to offer dual-enrollment courses. These are college-level courses with the potential to earn college credit for a small additional fee.
Learning Support
- Evening Study Assistance
- Learning Differences Support
- Subject Tutoring
- ADD/ADHD Support
English
- Literature
- Composition
- American Literature
History
- United States History
- World History
Foreign Languages
- Spanish
- English as a Second Language
Humanities / Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Human Geography
- International Relations
Sciences
- Anatomy
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth Science
- Environmental Science
- Health
- Physical Science
- Physics
- Physiology
- Forensics
- Life Science
- Computer Science
Math
- Algebra
- Calculus
- Geometry
- Statistics
- Pre-Calculus
- Pre-Algebra
Performing / Visual Arts
- Art History
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Pottery
- Sculpture
- Studio Art
- Woodworking
Special Programs
- Community Service
- Personal Finance
- Independent Study
- Physical Education
Campus Life
Dorm Life
Number of Dorms: 7
Average Students Per Dorm: 17
Number of Girls Dorms: 0
Number of Boys Dorms: 7
Dorm Amenities
- Game Room
- Laundry Facilities
- Lounge
- Vending Machines
- Wireless Internet
Other Dorm Amenities
Facilities
- Baseball Field
- Basketball Court
- Fitness Center
- Indoor Basketball Court
- Soccer Field
- Tennis Courts
- Weight Room
- Athletic Fields
- Turf Fields
- Cross Country Trails
- Lacrosse Field
Other Facilities
Clubs & Organizations
- Chess Club
- Community Service
- Dorm Proctors
- Drama Club
- Foreign Language Clubs
- Gardening Club
- International Club
- Investment Club
- National Honor Society
- Peer Tutoring
- Photography Club
- Student Activities
- Student Government
- Theater Club
- Weightlifting Club
- Robotics
- Film Club
Arts & Athletics
Summary: The Phelps campus is home to two major outdoor sports fields flanking the main campus, suitable for soccer, baseball, and lacrosse. We have four clay-surface tennis courts and an indoor turf field located in the Fieldhouse. Our historic Lyon Gym is home to our original basketball court, a fitness center with weights and cardio equipment, and a wrestling room. Our state-of-the-art event gym, The Phelps Athletics Center, hosts basketball home games and tournaments and may be divided into three nearly-full-sized basketball courts for practice.
Arts Department Director:
Athletics Department Director:
Notable Achievements: While Phelps offers 8 different team sports, basketball is a big part of campus culture. The Phelps School Basketball Program strives to compete at a national level year in and year out. Competing variously in the Penn-Jersey Athletic Association (PJAA), The Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA), and Great Atlantic Conference (GAC), Phelps has become one of the premier programs in the mid-Atlantic region for both traditional high school students, as well as students completing their post-graduate (PG) years. Phelps boasts 88 alumni competing at the NCAA level in the program's 12 year history, with students hailing from as close as our home town of Malvern, to many countries around the globe. In the past four seasons, Phelps has sent 8 players to the Division I level, with two alums earning Defensive player of the year in their conference last season (Mike Watkins-Penn State University) and Quincy McKnight (Seton Hall University). Phelps strives to find each athlete the right fit in their matriculation to college, while preparing them for the challenges of being a student athlete at the college level.
Arts
- Art History
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Pottery
- Sculpture
- Studio Art
- Woodworking
Interscholastic Sports
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country Running
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Track and Field
Recreational Sports
- Martial Arts
- Table Tennis
- Weight Lifting
- Wrestling
- Running
Graduates
College Information
Precentage of graduates who attend college: 100%
Middle Percentile of SAT Scores | Reading | Math | Writing |
---|---|---|---|
25th percentile | |||
75th percentile |
Vital Information
Student Body Type: All Boys
Total Boarding: 70
Total Day: 30
Total Enrollment: 100
Boys: 100
Girls: 0
Boarding Grades Offered: 6-12
Day Grades Offered: 6-12
School Type: Middle, High School, Post-grad
Dress Code: Formal
Applications Accepted: SAO
Application Deadline: Rolling
Tuition & Financial Aid
7-Day Boarding: $57,000
5-Day Boarding: N/A
Day Tuition Fee: $34,000
Need-Based Aid: Offered
Payment Plans: Offered
Students Receiving Aid: 40%
Average Awarded: $
School Finances
Merit Scholarships: Not Offered
Students Receiving Merit Scholarships: %
Average Merit Scholarship: $
Current Endowment Amount: $1,500,000
Contact
Director of Admissions: Len Armstrong
Admissions Phone: 610-644-1754
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.thephelpsschool.org







School Events
Sunday Apr 03 2022 - Sunday Apr 03 2022
11:00:00am - 02:00:00pm