Delphian School: a K-12 boarding school in Oregon with ten students per teacher

Choosing a US boarding school is a different exercise from choosing a university: class size, the staffing ratio and whether the school genuinely lives alongside its students matter more than any ranking. Delphian School is worth a look among the smaller schools.

Where it is and how big

The campus sits in Sheridan, Oregon, about 80 km south-west of Portland. It is an independent K-12 co-educational school taking both boarders and day students — 57% of students board on campus.

The figure that matters most to families is the ten-to-one student-teacher ratio. At secondary level that ratio decides whether your child is called on in class or sits quietly through a term — particularly in a first year while English is still coming along.

Students come from 15 countries: an international community diverse enough that no one is isolated, without being so large that students group only by nationality.

Accreditation — verifiable, not hearsay

Delphian School is accredited by NWAIS (Northwest Association of Independent Schools) and Cognia. You can check this yourself on the school's "Affiliation and Accreditations" page.

For a US private secondary school this is the step to take before any other. Accreditation determines whether the diploma is recognised by the universities your child will apply to.

What the programme does differently

• Twenty practical projects and internships are a graduation requirement, not optional enrichment.
• Twenty-three interscholastic teams across nine sports — in a school this size, the chance of actually making a team is high.
• 44% of students receive financial aid and/or a scholarship, on the school's published figures.

The school also reports that 85% of its students are admitted to their first-choice university. That figure is compiled and published by the school; VNIS repeats it with its source rather than verifying it independently, and any individual result depends on that student's own application.

Tuition

Delphian School does not publish tuition on its website. VNIS requests the current schedule directly from the school by grade level and by boarding or day status when you get in touch — we do not estimate this figure.

Getting in touch through VNIS

VNIS Education works directly with Delphian School's admissions office. Leave your details and we will send the fee schedule, grade-level entry requirements and interview availability; the admission decision rests with the school.