About Exeter
About Exeter
Welcome to Phillips Exeter Academy
Co-founded by John and Elizabeth Phillips in 1781 in Exeter, New Hampshire, Phillips Exeter Academy was built on the foundational belief that every student should have access to the very best education — one that embraces the ideals of both goodness and knowledge.
Now a coeducational residential school with more than 1,000 high school students from the U.S. and dozens of foreign countries, Exeter has a centuries-old tradition of academic excellence and a commitment to empowering Exonians to find their place in the world.
We are a community that celebrates curiosity and cultivates potential. Exeter provides unparalleled opportunities for discovery and exploration, of both self and subject matter.
By the numbers
Enrollment in 2025-26, including 892 boarders and 207 day students
Faculty, including teaching instructors and administrators
Alumni spanning nine decades
Total financial assistance awarded for this academic year
Our Campus
700 acres, 147 buildings, the world's largest high school library — and Stillwell's Ice Cream mere footsteps away.
From the Principal
Principal Bill Rawson ’71; ’65, ’70 (Hon.); P’08 has given a lifetime to Exeter — as a student, admissions officer, parent, trustee and now principal since 2018.
Careers at Exeter
Learn how you could become part of the Exeter community and promote our mission and values.
Why Exeter?
What infuses every day here is what makes Exeter such a special place.
Our Commitments
To Equity & Inclusion
Educating youth from every quarter has been an Exeter hallmark since its founding in 1781. Over time, the term “youth from every quarter” has evolved to be an even more inclusive reflection of the greater world in which we live.
To Sustainability
Exeter is dedicated to engaging our entire community about the challenges posed by climate change, and to empowering our students to become future environmental leaders.
Learn more
Principal Search
Follow progress in the search for Exeter’s next principal.