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 463 acres (1.87 km2) campus in Blairstown in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of New York City.
As of 2025, the school had an enrollment of 470 students and 65.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.3:1. The school's student body was 50% white, 26% international, 7% Black, 6% multiracial, 5% Asian and 3% Hispanic.
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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 (AP) 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 (which includes Blair Academy, Peddie School, Lawrenceville School, The Hill School, Hun School of Princeton and Mercersburg Academy). The school's traditional mascot is the "Buccaneer" (with the team called the Bucs) 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 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 (known to Blair as the Peddie Chickens). On Peddie Day held at Blair in November 2021, Blair claimed the Kelley-Potter Cup for the ninth time.
Football
Former Blair football player Dion Lewis was drafted in the 5th round of the 2011 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 (No. 6), All America Team (first team), All-Big East, as well as ESPN.com "Big East's 25 Best" No.1.
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.
Basketball
Former Blair Blair basketball players Luol Deng, Charlie Villanueva, Royal Ivey, Marial Shayok, Temi Fagbenle and Olivia Miles have played in the NBA and WNBA.
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 (five lighted), 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. The all-weather track was resurfaced in 2024.
Statistics
Enrollment
Characteristics of the student body:
Total enrollment: 470 (84% boarding / 16% day)
Male/female ratio: 52% / 48%
Number of postgraduate students: 8
Number of countries represented: 30 (21% of student body)
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
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (since 1928). The school's accreditation status was extended for seven years in Fall 2018.
School memberships
It is a member of Mid-Atlantic Boarding School Group (MABS).
ADVIS – Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools
CASE – Council for Advancement and Support of Education
NAIS – National Association of Independent Schools
NJAIS - New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
Endowment
Market value (approximate): $145 million as of the 2025–26 school year, the 26th-largest of any U.S. private school.
Campus
The campus, set among 463 acres (1.87 km2) 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
Jabri Abdur-Rahim (born 2002, class of 2020), basketball player for the Providence Friars
Onome Akinbode-James (born 2000), Nigerian basketball player who played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team and has represented Nigeria internationally
Mahlon Apgar IV (1941–2023, class of 1958), businessman and former Assistant Secretary of the Army
John C. Bogle (1929–2019), founder of The Vanguard Group
John W. Campbell (1910–1971), science fiction writer and editor of Astounding Science Fiction
John Cassavetes (1929–1989), actor, screenwriter, and director
Camille Clarin (born 2001, class of 2019), basketball player who played for the NU Lady Bulldogs and the Philippines women's national basketball team
Burleigh Cruikshank (1890–1982), American football player and Presbyterian minister
Anthony D'Amato (born 1987), singer and songwriter
Ray Davis (born 1999), NFL running back for the Buffalo Bills
Branson DeCou (1892–1941), photographer and traveler
Luol Deng (born 1985, class of 2003), former professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves
Jordan Dingle (born 2000, class of 2019), college basketball player for KK Vojvodina of the Basketball League of Serbia