Academics

Secondary School Counseling

Students from Country School come to us well prepared to excel in our rigorous academic program and, as a result of their strong preparation, are able to take advantage of some of our most challenging and exciting course offerings. They are also some of our most involved community leaders. They are both wonderful in the classroom and engaged citizens of the community! 

-James F. Ventre, Dean of Admission, Phillips Andover Academy

Working in Partnership with Families

Counseling our ninth graders in their next steps after Country School is an integral part of our educational process. The Secondary School Counseling Office works closely with students and their families to ensure that they find a school that matches the student’s talents, needs and interests and which will contribute to his or her intellectual, physical, social, cultural and moral development.

The process begins in the spring of the student’s eighth grade year with an individual meeting with each family. Together, a list of schools is generated for a range of schools that target the student’s individual strengths and interests. The Secondary School Counseling Office continues to guide students and parents through the process step by step throughout the year with ongoing individual meetings, group meetings, preparation for school visits including mock interview exercises, standardized testing advice, and guidance on how to navigate the application process.  Our approach is highly individualized and collaborative and also includes close partnership with each student’s advisor and teachers.
 
Our graduates move on to a variety of schools after Country School: public and private, boarding and day, single sex and coed. We have developed strong ties with all of our receiving schools, and they value the fact that Country School has prepared our students superbly, and that we know them well and consequently counsel them wisely and appropriately. 

Finding the Right Fit

List of 3 members.

  • Photo of Alison Marcell

    Alison Marcell 

    Co-Director of Secondary School Counseling
    Bio
  • Photo of Lauren Romeo

    Lauren Romeo 

    Assistant Head of Upper School & Co-Director of Secondary School Counseling
    Bio
  • Photo of Brenda Siegel

    Brenda Siegel 

    Asst. Dir. of Secondary School Counseling Office / Asst. to the Head of MS
    Bio

Class of 2023: Secondary School Matriculation

Our graduates are sought after by the best day and boarding schools in the country and have excellent public school options as well. 

Over the past five years (2019–2023), Country School students have matriculated to these schools

    New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.