| Proctor Academy | |
| Streetaddress: | 204 Main Street |
| Zipcode: | 03216 |
| Country: | USA |
| Coordinates: | 43.4373°N -71.824°W[1] |
| Head Of School: | Brian Thomas |
| Faculty: | 85[2] |
| Ceeb: | 300015 |
| Avg Class Size: | 12 |
| Ratio: | 5:1 |
| Tuition: | $67,200 boarding / $39,100 day |
| Endowment: | $34 million[3] |
| Enrollment: | 360 total 285 boarding 75 day |
| Grades: | 9-12 |
| Campus: | Small town |
| Campus Size: | 2,500 acres (12 km²) |
| Conference: | Lakes Region |
| Motto: | Live to Learn, Learn to Live |
| Mascot: | Hornet |
| School Colors: | Green and White |
Proctor Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located on 2500acres in Andover, New Hampshire. The school was established in 1848 by the town of Andover, with Dyer H. Sanborn as the principal. There are about 370 students.
Proctor Academy first began as Andover Academy, established in 1848 by the town of Andover. The idea of the school spawned from a sewing group conversation between the wives of the area's prominent families, in the living room of attorney Samuel Butterfield. The women shared a strong conviction that their town needed a school for its expanding population.[4] On June 23, 1848, the incorporation of the academy was approved, with Samuel Butterfield as president, Walcott Hamlin as secretary, and True Brown and John Fellows as executive committee members.
The academy opened its doors in August 1848, on the second floor of the church on Main Street,[5] with many of the desks, chairs and chalkboards donated by the Butterfields.[4] Mrs. Eliza Butterfield set up the curriculum with Dyer H. Sanborn as the principal and Miss Eliza Wingate as "preceptress". The first term had 43 girls and 65 boys enrolled, but within four years the school had grown to just over 250 students.
Principal Sanborn (1850–1851) was very popular with the students, and the school thrived through its first couple of years with funding from generous patrons. After two years, Sanborn stepped down, and Moses Leland Morse of Bowdoin College took over for the next two years as principal. Under Morse, the student body more than doubled, as chemistry was added to the curriculum and the guaranty fund reached $3,000. Woodbury Langdon, Luther Puffer (law student), and John Simonds were some of the first graduates to go on to college. After Principal Morse stepped down, Thaddeus W. Bruce (1852–1853) of Dartmouth College took the helm with Miss Marcia Foster as assistant (who later married).[6] Around this time future world-renowned artist David Dalhoff Neal also attended classes. George Dustan took over as principal in 1854 when the school fell victim to a smallpox outbreak, in which one of the teachers and a former student died.
The smallpox epidemic in 1854-1855 forced the school to close, and for the next three decades the school struggled with its identity and funding. In 1857, the school reopened its doors as the New England Christian Literary and Biblical Institute, then again in 1860 as the Andover Christian Institute. In 1865, the school was closed and reopened in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, as the Wolfeboro Christian Institute.
As the school struggled, former Andover resident John Proctor, the inventor of the threaded wood screw, returned, in 1857, to build up the town. By the 1870s Proctor helped to return the school to Andover, debt-free, as well as build a new dormitory on the site of modern-day Gannett House. In 1879, the Unitarian Church sought to purchase the Andover school in order to create a school "free from...theological dogmatizing and unnatural religious methods." Andover was a hotbed of Unitarian thought, which helped to facilitate the sale of the school. In 1881, the school was opened as Proctor Academy in honor of John Proctor's contributions to the school.[7]
Not realizing the severity of the economic downturn, in 1932 the trustees of the school invested $45,000 to build Maxwell Savage Hall. At the first assembly of the 1935 school year, Headmaster Carl Wetherell announced that he was quitting due to the poor outlook for the school. A search for a replacement was hurriedly started. John Halsey Gulick took the job, and immediately instituted sweeping reforms of the school, creating mechanical arts programs such as boat building, wood shop, and machine shop. Students were involved in the upkeep and improvement of the school, clearing the land for the school's first ski area, Slalom Hill, as well as a farm which was used to feed the community.[8]
Lyle Farrell—a 1929 graduate of the University of New Hampshire and captain of the 1928 Wildcats football team[9] —who started teaching at Proctor in the 1930s, took over as Headmaster of the school in 1952. During his time as Headmaster, he pushed for the expansion of the school, leading to the construction of Holland Auditorium, Shirley Hall, Farrell Field House, Leonard Field, Farrell Field and the Blackwater Ski Area. Farrell also established the learning skills programs for college-bound students with dyslexia.[10]
In 1971, David Fowler succeeded Lyle Farrell as Headmaster. He instituted a democratic student government, rather than a seniority system. Realizing the unique location and programs that Proctor offered, they created a wilderness orientation program for new students, which still exists today. In 1974, the mountain classroom program was created, combining an Outward Bound type of small group outdoor experience with specialized academic sessions. By 1975, Proctor had faculty and facilities in Madrid, Spain, and Clermont-Ferrand, France, which led to later experiential education programs in Segovia, Spain, and Pont-l'Abbé, France.[11] European Classroom, an art and French language program, was created in 2011, replacing the France program.
Proctor Academy is located on 2500acres in the town of Andover, New Hampshire. The property is a state-certified tree farm.
One of the newest additions to the campus, Peabody House, was completed in 2008[12] on the former site of Morton House, which was torn down in August 2007.
Proctor Academy has 19 dormitories that are either in use or are no longer in use:[13]
Notable people who have attended the school include:[16]