Clusters

All students at Andover--boarders and day students—are assigned to one of the school's five "clusters," each of which functions as a small neighborhood within the academy. Dormitories are assigned to clusters according to their geographic location; each cluster includes girls' and boys' dorms, about 200 day and boarding students from all classes, and 40 faculty families. Clusters create the personal atmosphere of a small community in which everyone knows everyone else and people do most or many things together. The cluster system brings the advantages of a small school to an institution that already has the advantages of size.

The dean of students oversees the five clusters, each of which is supervised by a cluster dean who works closely with student leaders, who knows all of the students in the cluster, and who is available to students and to parents for information and advice. Each cluster has its own student officers, intramural athletics, and informal social activities.

House counselors and day student advisers

Boarding students live in boys' or girls' dormitories with house counselors and their families. The house counselors are the "point people" for the boarding students. They are charged with running the dorm and creating a sense of community within the dorm. Additionally, a second faculty member is assigned to most dormitories to serve as a complementary house counselor. Ninth-grade boarding students are assigned an academic adviser who is also the complementary house counselor in his/her dorm. From tenth grade on, boarding students can expect to maintain a constant relationship with his/her academic adviser until graduation. Similarly, day students are paired with a faculty member who serves as both a counselor and academic adviser. Students are thus able to plan their academic schedules with an adult who knows them well. Parents can expect to hear from counselors at regular intervals and are encouraged to turn to these faculty members for information about a student's progress.Click here for a list of house counselors and day student advisers.

Dormitories

The dormitories vary in size, housing from four to 44 students; the large dorms have several faculty families in residence. All living arrangements encourage close relationships among students and between students and house counselors' families. One-third of the boarding students live in single rooms, two-thirds in large double rooms. Because students benefit from knowing members of all classes, most dormitories contain lowers, uppers and seniors. Juniors, our youngest students, benefit from extra supervision and guidance and so live together in dormitories with special study and lights-out policies.

For many students, dormitory life is one of the most valuable aspects of their time at Andover. Whether it's planning a pancake breakfast or studying for a history mid-term, sharing it with people from very different backgrounds or from foreign lands is a rewarding learning experience.

Marlys A. Edwards, Dean of Students and Residential Life

Elisa M. Joel , Abbot Cluster Dean
Chad Green , West Quad North Cluster Dean
Aya S. Murata , Pine Knoll Cluster Dean
Clyfe G. Beckwith , Flagstaff Cluster Dean
Peter D. Washburn, West Quad South Cluster Dean