Lawrenceville School,NJ
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located on 700 acres (2.8 km2) in the historic community of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, U.S. five miles (8 km) southwest of Princeton.
Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Schools Association, begun informally in 1973–74 and formalized in 2006. Lawrenceville is also a member of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization, founded in 1966. There is a seven-school overlap of membership between the two groups. Lawrenceville is additionally a member of the G20 Schools group.
For the 2009–2010 academic year, the School enrolled 815 boarding and day students, who come from 33 states and 33 countries. As of January 2011, its endowment stood at $275 million. Lawrenceville received 1,778 formal applications for entrance in fall 2009, of which 245 were enrolled.
The Harkness table is a hallmark of the School. In the Harkness method, teachers and students engage in Socratic, give-and-take discussions around large, wooden oval tables, which take the place of individual desks. Classes meet four times per week in one 50-minute and three 55-minute blocs. Most classes also meet for an additional period of time following one of the 55-minute slots: either an "X" period (an additional 40 minutes) which is used by lab courses (such as science or art) or a "Y" period (an additional 25 minutes).
Additionally, the school incorporates "consultation" periods into its schedule. During these periods, students have the option to consult with their teachers regarding their individual course questions. During an academic week, there are four "consultation" periods (on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings) of 40 minutes.
Upon graduation, seniors have the opportunity to be inducted into the Cum Laude Society based on academic achievement in the Fourth and Fifth Form years, with roughly 20 percent of seniors being awarded the honor.
Each year awards are given to members of each form for their unique contributions to Lawrenceville, including but not limited to the Beverly Anderson Prize for Excellence and Scholarship (II Form), the Reuben T. Carlson Scholarship (III Form), the Semans Family Merit Scholarship (IV Form), and the Trustees Cup, Brainard Prize, and the School Valedictorian (V Form).