Boarding Student Life

Boarding and day. Artists and athletes. Local, national, and international hometowns. In these ways, and so many more, the Lawrence Academy community is a diverse one.

Lawrence Academy’s student body is evenly split between boarding and day students, so even on weekends and after hours, the elm tree-shaded hillside is bustling. Boarders are encouraged to make campus, both their dorm room and the common areas, their home away from home.

While living on campus, LA students are able to venture off campus (with proper permission, of course) with classmates, family members, and friends, and guests are always welcome on campus as well. Weekend activities — shopping shuttles, group trips to local attractions, and on-campus events — abound, and laundry, mail, and religious services are available in addition to a dining hall that is open for all meals.

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Questions about Student Life at LA

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about Boarding Student Life at Lawrence Academy. We're here to help!

Email: LA@lacademy.edu

Dorms On Campus

Curious what our dorms look like? Click here to visit our Campus and Facilities page where you can take a peek at each of our dormitories on campus.

"We go out of our way to make sure that the students have the opportunity to do things that they find enjoyable. We think that it’s healthy and really important. It's an essential part of community building as well. Honestly, a lot of energy is put into creating moments that encourage students to spend time together so that they develop friendships and a sense of family here on campus."

Andrew Healy, Former Dean of Students

Each student club runs two weekend activities per year, in addition to faculty-organized shuttles to nearby shopping areas, movie nights, trampoline park trips, dances, and more. Some weekend activities are opportunities for students to fulfill their required community service hours.

Once per term, Lawrence Academy hosts on-campus weekends, programmed with input from students, that bring a variety of fun activities to the elm tree-shaded hillside. Both boarding and day students are welcome, but not required, to attend the weekends’ events.

The LA campus is located close to both train and bus lines to Boston and Cambridge, and students frequently take advantage of that access to regularly scheduled, school-sponsored shuttles to the nearest MBTA station. Students must receive parental or guardian approval to make these trips, and their departure from and return to campus is monitored as part of our regular sign-out system.

Boarding Student FAQ's

What can students bring to their dorm rooms?

Each dorm room contains a bed, a desk, a chair, a bureau, and closet space; each room also has at least one window, and the windows are supplied with shades. The shapes and sizes of the rooms vary greatly, so new students are advised to delay bringing extra furniture, large rugs, or window curtains until they have lived in their rooms for a while.

Students must bring their own sheets, pillows, blankets, and bedspreads in extra-long twin size (mattress size: 36 in. x 80 in.; flat sheet size: 66 in. x 102 in. or 167 cm. x 259 cm.; fitted sheet size: 39 in. x 80 in. or 99 cm. x 203 cm.), though an outside linen rental is also available through E&R Laundry. Other suggested items to bring for your dorm room include a desk lamp, a wastebasket, speakers for your music, closet hangers, and a trunk with a lock for additional secure storage, if you so choose.

Is there laundry available on campus?

How do roommate assignments work?

The dean of students works with a committee of faculty to create roommate assignments that take into account both individuality and compatibility for all boarding students. Roommate and dorm information will be made available to students and families only upon arrival on registration day. The school does not release housing information prior to this time in the event of a need for last-minute changes.

How do boarding students sign out during the academic week or for the weekend?

In order for a student to leave campus, the student must first submit a leave request through the online sign-out program. Parents/guardians then receive an email asking them to approve or reject the travel plan.

Sign out through the Dean of Students’ Office is required each time a boarding student plans to leave campus during the academic day. All boarding students who plan to leave campus for a weekend must sign out before 12:30 PM on the Thursday before departing campus. Because Sunday evenings are crucial to the boarding life of our school, we ask that families organize their weekends so that students arrive back on campus by 7:30 p.m. on Sunday evening or the first evening after a break.

For three weekends during each school year, the boarding community comes together for an on-campus weekend. No sign-outs are permitted during on-campus weekends.

The sign-out system will be reviewed with all boarding students during the first weeks of school.

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