Most boarding students live in double rooms. New boarding students are matched with roommates with similar personalities and interests. After the first year at Pennington, you are allowed to request your roommate.

What to Bring: A list for boarding students in Grades 8 through 12.

During the week, three meals a day are served in our dining hall  plus a "second dinner" at 9:30 p.m. Two salad bars, wok bar, a panini station, and hot and cold entrees offer a variety of choices. During the weekends, brunch and dinner are served. Vegan and vegetarian choices are always available.

On some Monday evenings, the boarding community gets together for formal dinner. Dress is formal, and students and faculty are assigned to linen-covered tables. After the meal, announcements are made, birthdays are celebrated, and accomplishments are noted.

A snack bar in the Student Center offers a variety of light meals and snacks. A supermarket is one block from the School, and students are free to go shopping there after their academic and extracurricular activities during the week, as well as on the weekends. There are many restaurants within a five-minute walk of campus.

You are required to be in your room at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday for study hall. All boarding students study quietly in their rooms under the supervision of hall parents until 9:30 p.m. If you need to use the library during study hall, you may do so with a library pass from your teacher.

You are allowed to have personal devices in your room. All students have Pennington WiFi accounts for gaining access to online resources, including email, Google Drive, Schoology, and other School-related tools.

There are many things to do on the weekends! A schedule of events is published each Friday, and students can be very busy as they take advantage of the activities that are offered. Weekly activities include trips to the movie theater, area restaurants, and to the mall; library hours; free swim in the pool; Pennington athletic events; open gym; and exercise room sessions. Each weekend there are also special activities included in the schedule, such as trips to theatrical performances, professional sports events, the beach, amusement parks, flea markets, and community festivals, as well as day trips to Philadelphia and New York City.

All students are required to stay on campus for the first weekend of the year. For this weekend, special activities are planned that allow boarding students the opportunity to get to know each other and make new friends. Additional community weekends, when boarding students are required to stay on campus, are scheduled periodically throughout the year to help build a strong boarding community at Pennington. Students are allowed to sign out on any weekends that are not designated as community weekends. 

Washing and drying machines are available in the dormitories or in the laundry room for student use. If you don't want to do your own laundry, you can register with a laundry service for an additional cost.

You are responsible for keeping your room clean and neat at all times. Hall parents check rooms during the evening at the beginning of study hall. All in-room bathrooms must also be kept clean.

There are many ways to communicate with family and friends. When you arrive at Pennington, you will set up a Pennington School email account. Students are allowed to have cell phones, which you may use during free time. Packages are delivered to the Operations Department and signed for when school is in session. 

There is a nominal fee to store items in one of our storage units over the summer. Each student is permitted 4 boxes, 1 dorm-size refrigerator, and 1 chair. Any additional items to be stored must be approved.