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Campus Life
Step onto Lawrence Academy's campus, and it will not take you long to see and feel what makes our school different. Yes, you will be warmly welcomed; that is our way. But more importantly, from your first visit to your departure following graduation, you are respected for who you are and who you can become. It is a school that values and emphasizes integrity, trust, self-respect, and concern for the community as a whole. Take a spin around our quad.
Lawrence Academy stands out for its many opportunities—to develop in depth a special talent or skill, to discover and use your leadership abilities, and to take advantage of the school's cultural and social diversity. We provide the challenges and the support that encourage you to take constructive risks and to build self-confidence while contributing to the school community in ways you may never have imagined.
Browsing the links at the left will introduce you to more details of life on our boarding school's campus. It would be a tall order to fill, however, to capture on a Web site what life on our campus would be for you. If what you see interests you, then it's time to come take a look around for yourself.
Our Dorms
 There are 10 dorms on Lawrence Academy's campus, four for boys and six for girls. Dorms range in size from 8 students to 44 students, giving students many different options during their time at LA. Click the photo at the right to tour this dorm room. Each dorm also serves as a residence for one to three faculty members (and their families and pets!). Teams of three to five faculty members supervise the dorms in a nightly rotation, and a dorm parent is in residence overnight at all times. These residential communities offer amenities such as coin-operated laundry (though some students opt to send their laundry out on a weekly basis) and common rooms with TVs, refrigerators, and comfortable seating.
Dormitory Photo Gallery.
Day Student Life
 One unique and prized characteristic of Lawrence Academy is that the student population is evenly divided between day students and boarding students, and between males and females.
Day students are welcome, free of charge, at all meals during the week and on weekends. They have their own lockers and mailboxes in the student lounge. Day students may remain on campus until the end of evening study hours, and they are always invited to join boarding students on weekend trips off campus. Day students and boarders are equally vested in extracurricular activities and student government, sharing leadership positions in both. Although they don't sleep at school, day students certainly develop deep friendships with boarding students who come from a variety of backgrounds and places in the United States and the world. Day students invite boarders to spend the weekend, and boarders travel home with day students during vacations.
We remain committed to preserving this parity at Lawrence Academy because there is no more powerful way in a boarding school to make all students feel equally important.
About Our Weekends
On-Campus Weekends
 For three weekends every academic year, all boarding students stay on campus to enjoy the camraderie and events of the On-Campus Weekend. The Spring '09 weekend was a great example of the spirit that results from students and faculty working together to make a memorable weekend. The weekend kicked off with a silent film festival, organized by faculty member Doc Haman and senior Tim Caron, followed by an all-school "decades" dance. Saturday evening started with a cook-out at the athletic center. Several student  vocalists and musicans performed as openers for the headliner group, the folksy and bluesy Tin Can Tele. As night fell, we gathered with the musicians, who by this time had "unplugged" and started taking requests, around a fire. Students who weren't as muscially-inclined had the option of foosball, air hockey and pool in the gym or watching playoff NHL hockey in the student lounge. Sunday afternoon was low-key, with trips to Kimball's and the outlets, after which boarders gathered for our traditional family-style sit-down meal together in the dining hall. Desserts and dorm meetings back at the dorms concluded another successful on-campus weekend. (On-Campus Weekend Photo Gallery)
Staying  on Campus for Long Weekends
Lawrence Academy provides four Long Weekends each year, allowing students to enjoy the opportunity to spend the weekend away from campus with friends or family. For those students who choose to stay on campus for the duration of any or all of these weekends to enjoy some down-time in a familiar setting, our dorms remain open and are supervised by faculty members on duty. Faculty members also lead trips off campus, ranging from large-group excursions into Boston to impromptu dinners and errand runs in nearby Ayer or Westford.
The weekend activity program provides an excellent springboard for LA students to take advantage of unscheduled time. Off campus, they can enjoy cultural events, trips to the Omni Theater and Fenway Park in Boston, and mall trips for movies, shopping, and restaurants. They can also take advantage of the amenities in the town of Groton, all within easy walking distance of campus. The region also boasts Atlantic Coast beaches and northern New England ski areas. Students can take partake of these opportunities on weekends by signing up for school trips, or, with permission, exploring with friends and their families.
There is plenty of action on campus, too, with school events—music concerts, athletic contests, and lectures—held throughout the week and special activities planned on weekends. Students have their choice of musical groups, dances, stand-up comics, movies, and faculty open houses.
A boarder may opt to spend the weekend with a day student, while day students may return for athletic games, campus events, or just to visit. Open on weekends are the library, the school’s computer labs, the athletic center (including the gym, ice rink and fitness center), arts studios and music practice rooms, the radio station, and the student center.
The calendar below shows the activites for each weekend as they are posted, usually on Monday or Tuesday of each week. Questions should be directed to the Residential Life office at (978)-448-1532.
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