International families considering a US boarding school for a teenager usually work through the same checklist: what kind of school it is, which programs are on offer, what entry requirements apply to non-citizens, and what the full cost looks like. Elite Preparatory Academy（精英预备学院）, an independent liberal arts boarding and day school in New Jersey and Connecticut for students aged 13-18 (grades 8-12), publishes answers to all four on its own website. This guide is compiled from those pages as checked on 5 August 2026; tuition, dates and requirements change year to year, so the latest official pages are the reference point.
School profile and campuses
Elite Preparatory Academy describes itself as a liberal arts boarding and day school with a STEM-based learning model and strong music and visual arts electives. It operates two campuses: Hopatcong, New Jersey, a 65,000 sq ft facility with more than 50 classrooms, a music studio, cafeteria, gym, science lab, weight rooms and four student lounges; and Southington, Connecticut, a 32-acre campus with seven buildings totalling 113,000 sq ft, including classrooms, labs, dormitories, a campus café, bookstore and athletic facilities. The school’s mission is framed around the R.I.S.E. philosophy — Reveal, Inspire, Shape, Empower — and its website describes a small-class, college-preparatory environment in which every student is encouraged to lead in their own way. The school accepts students from around the world and states that applications are reviewed in the same manner regardless of citizenship or country of residence.
Programs and signature academic tracks
Elite Preparatory Academy runs a college-preparatory curriculum across Foundational, Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) levels. Core sequences cover English (English I-IV with honors options, AP Seminar and AP Capstone, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition), mathematics (Algebra through AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Statistics, multivariable calculus and linear algebra), science (honors and AP Biology, Chemistry, Physics, AP Environmental Science, plus electives such as marine biology, genetics and biotechnology), social science (AP U.S. History, AP World History, AP Psychology, AP Micro- and Macroeconomics) and computer science (AP Computer Science A, programming in Python, Java and C++, advanced algorithms and data structures). World languages include Spanish, French, Latin, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. On top of the core curriculum, the school offers six Signature Academic Tracks that students declare by 10th grade: STEM Innovation & Engineering, AI & Computational Thinking, Business Finance & Entrepreneurship, Arts Media & Performance, Environmental Studies & Sustainability, and Global Studies & Communication. Each track bundles advanced coursework with signature projects, competitions and research, and students may add a secondary concentration. The arts offering is broad, with AP Music Theory, chamber music, contemporary band, music production, composition and music business courses alongside the visual arts sequence.
Entry requirements and the international application
Applications to Elite Preparatory Academy are submitted through the online application form, with a registration fee of $50. The school is SEVP-approved to issue I-20 forms so that international students can apply for an F-1 student visa, and it states that all applications are reviewed in the same manner regardless of citizenship or country of residence. TOEFL, SSAT or SLEP scores are described as helpful but not required; after enrolment, students take an English assessment to determine whether English as a Second Language (ESL) classes or make-up courses are needed. The school’s published guidance for international applicants covers the visa interview: bring your passport, I-20 and admission letter, bank statements and other financial documents, and be ready to explain why studying in the US matters to you; after the F-1 visa is granted, the first year’s tuition and boarding fees are wired to the school within two weeks. Every student is also asked to contribute 20 hours of volunteer service per year. Visa eligibility itself is a statutory matter that the school’s website does not summarise, so current US regulations and the school’s latest pages are the authoritative references.
Tuition, room and board
Elite Preparatory Academy’s website publishes tuition of $45,000 per year for grades 8-11 and $49,000 for grade 12. Room and board ranges by room type: $24,000 per year for 4-5 person rooms, $26,000 for 3-person rooms, $28,000 for double occupancy and $35,000 for single occupancy. Dormitories come furnished with bed, desk, dresser and storage, and include 24-hour security, keyless entry, wireless internet throughout, adjustable climate control, shared bathrooms, a 24-hour study lounge and on-site package, mailbox and postal services. These are the school’s published rates for the current schedule; the exact figures for a given year should be checked against the latest official pages. For domestic families, need-based financial aid is available from kindergarten up, and scholarships are awarded on a combination of merit and need, with an audition and interview required for all scholarship applicants.
Campus life and college support
Life at Elite Preparatory Academy is organised around the dormitories, evening study sessions and weekend activities, and the school’s own accounts mention trips to New York and events such as dinners and sports. Students who are not yet strong in English can join tutorials, and the school runs group study sessions every night. College counselling starts early and is personal: each student works with a dedicated counsellor on course planning, college list development, essays, interview preparation and financial aid and scholarship guidance, guided by the R.I.S.E. philosophy. The school’s published acceptances from 2005 to 2025 include MIT, Stanford, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, NYU, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Imperial College London, University College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Sydney and University of Melbourne, among others. These figures are the school’s own published record and should be read as such rather than as an independent ranking.
Academic calendar and planning ahead
Elite Preparatory Academy runs a trimester system. The published 2026-2027 calendar: trimester one begins Monday 14 September 2026, with new student check-in on Friday 11 September, midterms in October, finals in November and no school 26-27 November for Thanksgiving; trimester two starts Monday 30 November, the holiday break begins mid-December, classes resume Monday 11 January 2027, and there is no school Friday 5 February for Chinese New Year; trimester three starts Wednesday 10 March, spring break runs 5-9 April, midterms fall on 19 April, finals week begins Monday 24 May, the trimester ends Thursday 27 May and graduation is Friday 28 May. The school does not publish a single application deadline on its website, so families should confirm the current window against the latest official pages and plan to apply at least a full academic year ahead, leaving time for the English assessment and visa steps. If you would like to weigh your child’s grade level, English level and budget against what Elite Preparatory Academy offers, our consultants can talk through your specific situation.