In short: Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts enrolls 650 students with an average class size of 12, has largely moved away from AP courses, charges $79,940 for boarding in 2026-27, closes applications on January 15, and meets the full demonstrated need of admitted international students.
Applying to Deerfield Academy?
SSAT or ISEE (PSAT/SAT/ACT for grade 11 and above) prepBook a school consultation- Location
- Deerfield, MA
- Founded
- 1797
- Official Website
- deerfield.edu
Application timelineper school website
- Priority application and financial aid deadlineDeadline
- Decisions released
- Enrollment contracts dueDeadline
Overview
Deerfield Academy sits at 7 Boyden Lane in the village of Deerfield, in rural western Massachusetts. Chartered in 1797, it enrolls grades 9 through 12 and a PG (post-graduate) year. Its 2025-26 school profile reports 650 students, 575 boarding and 75 day, from 32 states, the District of Columbia and 44 foreign countries, with 13 percent international students and 38 percent receiving financial aid. The school reports that 91 percent of faculty live on campus and 70 percent hold advanced degrees, and it has announced a new West Campus dormitory for fall 2027 alongside a shift to a fully boarding model.
Academics
Deerfield runs on trimesters, so there are no conventional first-quarter or midyear grades; fall term grades appear after Thanksgiving. The day is a six-period rotating block with three 90-minute classes, and students take five graded seminar-style courses per term, with a sixth by permission. The profile publishes an average class size of 12. On Advanced Placement, the school states that it has moved away from teaching AP courses and now offers official AP courses only in mathematics and the arts plus an AP Seminar, with many courses described as taught at AP or post-AP level. Deerfield does not rank students and does not report a weighted GPA; work is graded numerically from 0 to 100 with 60 as the passing mark. Co-curricular commitment is required: roughly two hours every weekday afternoon of faculty-supervised activity.
Applying
The application has three parts. Part one is the candidate profile through Gateway to Prep Schools, with a fee of $60 for U.S. and Canadian applicants and $125 for international applicants. Part two is three pieces of writing: a short answer, a personal essay, and a graded essay carrying the teacher’s comments. Part three is grades and recommendations, from math, English and a third academic teacher plus the principal or counselor, with current and prior-year grades. Performing arts applicants may add a portfolio through SlideRoom. The priority application deadline and the financial aid deadline are both January 15, decisions are released March 10, and enrollment contracts are due April 10.
Cost and aid
For 2026-27 the school publishes $79,940 for boarding and $57,850 for day students. These are the posted rates for that year. Deerfield has announced that from fall 2027 it will move to a single comprehensive tuition rate with no additional fees; that figure will be published separately. The school commits about $15 million a year to aid and meets 100 percent of the demonstrated need of admitted families.
What California families should plan for
Budget the travel honestly: connecting flights plus a one- to two-hour drive at each end, four or more trips a year, and a three-hour time difference that puts your evening at your child’s bedtime. Talk through dorm independence before applying, not after, and identify an adult in New England who can reach campus quickly. EDUBUS is based in Irvine and handles school selection, SSAT preparation, essays and interview coaching on a calendar built backward from the January 15 deadline; see our private school planning guide for the full sequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which tests does Deerfield Academy require?
Grade 9 and 10 applicants submit the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) or ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) taken between January 2026 and January 2027. Grade 11 applicants may use the ACT, PLAN, PSAT, SAT or SSAT; grade 12 and PG (post-graduate year) applicants use the ACT, PSAT or SAT. English language learners additionally submit an IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or Duolingo English Test result.
Is an acceptance rate published?
No. Neither the admission pages nor the published school profile gives an acceptance rate or applicant count. Ranking sites are not a source EDUBUS uses for this. If you want a read on selectivity, ask the admission office during a visit.
Is financial aid available to international students?
Yes, with a caveat. The financial aid page states that if admitted, the school meets the full demonstrated need of international students, up to 100 percent of tuition. It also states that the aid budget is limited and that the school cannot always admit every admissible aid applicant, which makes admission need-aware. The school profile reports that 38 percent of students receive aid.
Does the school still teach AP courses?
Largely not. The 2025-26 school profile states that Deerfield has moved away from teaching AP (Advanced Placement) courses and currently offers official AP courses only in mathematics and the arts, along with an AP Seminar. Students may still sit AP exams: 317 students took 718 exams in 2024-25.
What does the location mean for a family flying from Orange County?
Deerfield is a rural village in western Massachusetts, not near a major city. Travel usually means flying into Boston or Hartford and then driving one to two hours. The school has announced a new dormitory for fall 2027 and a move to a fully boarding model, which steadies weekend campus life but also means a child who is genuinely far from home.
