For over a century, The Pennington School has fostered the academic success of students from around the world. International students are welcomed and are an integral and essential part of a tradition of encouraging young people to explore, to discover, to strive, and to excel.
As early as 1890, school records show international students coming to Pennington from Cuba, Mexico, China, Japan, England, and Bulgaria. At this time, students would have traveled to New Jersey by boat and train to find dormitories with the finest hair mattresses, folding beds, and gas lamps. These students came to Pennington for the college preparatory academic program and to gain a mastery of English in language classes.
International Students Today
Whether they come for a year or to prepare for an American college or university, international students will find that Pennington offers a rare combination of academic excellence and a nurturing and supportive environment. In recent years, our student body has included students from Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
There are many reasons for the success of international students at The Pennington School: We have a long tradition of respect for all cultures and religions. Each student's unique potential is realized, and a course of study is customized to his or her abilities and interests. Our four-level English as a Second Language (ESL) program provides the linguistic education foreign students might need. In addition, a comprehensive academic program is offered in the Upper School that includes Advanced Placement and honors courses in all academic departments, which affords a smooth transition from the course of study begun in the home countries.
Pennington's international students have continued their academic careers at some of America's finest colleges and universities, including University of Chicago, Cornell, Brown, Rhode Island School of Design, Boston University, Columbia, and Northwestern. After college, they have gone on to achieve success in science, the arts, engineering, architecture, business, and the humanities.
Pennington supports students who have a broad range of language abilities with courses designed to bring them from study in an American middle and upper school to success in an American college. New students are placed in the classes according to their skills and needs as determined by the Dean of Academic Affairs.