Blair Academy


Blair Academy is a coeducational, boarding and day school for students in high school. The school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades as well as a small post-graduate class. The school's campus is located on a campus in Blairstown in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately west of New York City.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 474 students and 65.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 7.3:1. The school's student body was 53.4% White, 27.4% Asian, 8.9% Black, 6.3% Hispanic and 4.0% two or more races.
WWW Official Site

History

Blair Academy was founded in 1848, when John Bunnell, a local carriage maker, and the Rev. John A. Reiley, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, began the enterprise of establishing a school in Blairstown. Local businessman and church member John Insley Blair, who would become a railroad tycoon later in life, was the third of three men noted for their particularly commendable efforts in supporting the institution during its formative period.
Bunnell, Reiley and Blair met on April 6, 1848, and the co-founders agreed upon the school's hilltop site, adjacent to the village of Blairstown. The land and one-third of the cost of a small building, known today as the Old Academy, were given by Blair, and soon the Blair Presbyterial Academy began educating boys and girls from the surrounding community.
John I. Blair remained the school's principal benefactor for a half-century, and his philanthropy facilitated Blair Academy's early growth and even re-established the school when it would have otherwise foundered. Buildings including Insley Hall and Locke Hall were erected in the late 1800s, and Blair's son, DeWitt Clinton Blair, funded campus expansion and improvements, including the construction of Clinton Hall, in the early 20th century.
In 1992, the school was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historic and architectural significance.
From its founding and through its original deeds of trust, Blair Academy has always been associated with the Presbyterian Church, specifically, the Presbytery of the Highlands. Blair was coeducational until 1915, when it became an all-boys’ school. Coeducation was reinstated in 1970.

Academics

Blair's academic program follows the traditional four-year college-preparatory plan. Diploma requirements are governed by college entrance requirements. In 2024, the school moved away from Advanced Placement courses, in favor of a new curriculum designed by the faculty to allow "students to demonstrate their ability to handle advanced coursework in a greater variety of disciplines."

Athletics

Blair primarily competes in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League. The school's traditional mascot is the "Buccaneer" and the school colors are navy blue, white and grey. Blair's traditional arch-rival is The Peddie School of Hightstown, New Jersey. Since 1903, Blair and Peddie have competed in football, and the rivalry constitutes New Jersey's high school football rivalries (100 years+)|oldest continuous prep football] competition. Each November, the two schools compete against one another in a fall sports competition, with the winner receiving the Kelley-Potter Cup.
During the days leading up to Peddie Day, spirit abounds at Blair. The campus is bedecked with banners hanging from windows, often poking fun at Peddie's Falcon mascot. On Peddie Day held at Blair in November 2021, Blair claimed the Kelley-Potter Cup for the ninth time.

Basketball

Blair's basketball program has developed alums including NBA players Luol Deng, Charlie Villanueva and Royal Ivey.

Football

Former Blair football player Dion Lewis was drafted in the 5th round of the NFL draft">National Football League">NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has received numerous honors in 2010 such as, Sporting News Top 5 Heisman Trophy Candidate, Top 25 Overall Players, All America Team, All-Big East, as well as ESPN.com "Big East's 25 Best" No.1. Other notable alums from the Blair football program include Baltimore Raven players Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo.

Swimming

The boys swimming team won the NJSIAA state Non-Public state championship in 1926, 1932 and 1935-1940.

Wrestling

The most successful athletic program at Blair Academy is the wrestling team. From 1981 to 2013, Blair Academy won 33 consecutive National Prep Championships. Jeff Buxton served as an assistant and then head coach of Blair Academy from 1982 to 2012, helping lead the team to 30 consecutive National Prep Championships during his tenure as a coach. The school has produced a number of collegiate wrestling national champions and All-Americans, along with Olympic gold medalist Bobby Weaver. Considered one of the most successful high school programs in the nation, they have won in total over 40 National Prep Team Championships.

Facilities

Almost all campus architecture is in the Richardson Romanesque style, and modern buildings reflect the features and themes of the older structures. There are six major academic buildings: Clinton Hall, Bogle Science Center, Timken Library, Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts, Weber Hall, and the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration.
Bogle Science Center, dedicated in 1989 and expanded and renovated in 2019, provides laboratories and classrooms for the science department and includes the 100-seat Cowan Auditorium. Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts was dedicated in 1997 and includes the 500-seat DuBois Theatre, the black box Wean Theatre, and practice rooms. The renovated Timken Library opened in 1998. Annie Hall, a girls' dormitory, opened in the fall of 1999. The Romano Dining Hall was completed in the fall of 2000, and renovation of Insley Hall was completed in 2001.
A major expansion and renovation of the school's athletic and activities facilities and fields occurred between 2006 and 2009: a lighted, synthetic turf field for football, field hockey, and soccer, with new stands, press box, and 400 meter all-weather track; ten new tennis courts, a new junior varsity baseball field, and expansion of the existing, natural grass fields. The renovation and expansion of the existing athletic center, including a new student center, concluded in March 2009. This facility, known as Hardwick Hall, houses seven squash courts, three gymnasiums, wrestling facilities, aerobic space, a fitness center, a training room, and locker rooms, and also includes Blair Commons, home of the School's bookstore, The Black Canteen, and college counseling offices. Blair's athletic facilities also include a nine-hole golf course.
The School's pedestrian campus was completed in 2010, making the center of campus vehicle-free. In 2015, the School opened Kathryn Hall, an upper-school girls' dormitory, and Lakeside Hall, an upper-school boys' dormitory, each of which includes three faculty apartments. The Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration, a modern, technology-rich academic facility was completed in 2017 and serves as home to Blair's technology and fine arts departments. Also in 2017, Weber Hall was renovated to best facilitate the teaching of math. In 2018, Blair added the J. Li Golf Training Center and seasonal winter sports complex to its athletic facilities. In 2021 a crew training center was opened and the "Shipyard" outdoor basketball court was named.

Statistics

Enrollment

Characteristics of the student body:
  • Total enrollment: 470
  • Male/female ratio: 51% / 49%
  • Number of postgraduate students: 8
  • Number of countries represented: 30
  • Number of states represented: 25

Tuition and fees

For the 2025–26 academic year, Blair charges $78,980 for tuition, room and board. Day students are charged $55,050, which covers tuition, study rooms, and meals at school.
Scholarship grants total $9 million for the 2024–25 academic year, with 36 percent of students receiving financial aid. The average day student award is $33,173 and the average boarding student award is $54,896.

Faculty

  • Student/Faculty Ratio: 6:1
  • Head of School: Peter G. Curran

Accreditation

School memberships

It is a member of Mid-Atlantic Boarding School Group.

Endowment

  • Market value : $145 million as of the 2025–26 school year, the 26th-largest of any U.S. private school.

Campus

  • The campus, set among of rolling hills in the shadow of the Delaware Water Gap, is home to numerous grand old buildings and in 1992 was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historic and architectural significance.
  • In the 1960s and 1970s, the campus was used in the summer by Camp Racquet, a tennis camp run by Charlie Lundgren, then the coach of the tennis team at Upsala College.

Notable alumni