The schools that would eventually become Choate Rosemary Hall were begun by members of two prominent New England families, the Choates and Atwaters.

Phillips Exeter Academy was established in 1781 by the merchant, banker, and public servant Dr. John Phillips and his wife Elizabeth.

The school was chartered in 1874 by five siblings who had lost all their children and determined to found a school as a gift to the children of others. Almost 8 million dollars in need-based financial aid is awarded to 34 percent of the student body.

One of the oldest prep schools in the U.S., Lawrenceville was founded in 1810 as the Maidenhead Academy by Presbyterian clergyman Isaac Van Arsdale Brown.