The House System

The Lawrenceville House System is unique among independent schools in America. Rooted in the centuries-old tradition of British boarding schools, the Lawrenceville plan treats student housing as a rich educational opportunity in itself.

Through a comprehensive residential curriculum, students in each of the School's 20 houses are guided by a team led by a resident housemaster. When parents wish to find out how their children are doing, the Housemaster is the first person they call for answers. Each Housemaster is supported by an assistant master, who also lives in the House, and several other faculty members. These adults take part in all aspects of House life from academic advising, to study hall supervision, to coaching intramural teams. Their efforts are supported by carefully selected, extensively trained Fifth Formers who reside in the Houses as prefects.

Each House thus develops a distinct character, shaped by the personalities of its leaders. As members of a small community with a large group of adults looking on, students in each House enjoy a high level of attention and guidance, and a high level of accountability and responsibility. Since Lawrenceville draws students from around the world and every walk of life, each day brings lessons in tolerance, cooperation, and leadership, through which House leaders influence students, subtly and dramatically, by directive and example.

Each House bears its own flag to which each student bears as strong allegiance as to the School at large. Indeed, when our students say "my House," they often mean their Lawrenceville experience. The contests between Lawrenceville Houses in intramural tackle football date back to the origins of the game in this country and are older than all but a handful of college rivalries. House traditions that have developed over the years are carried on today, and House identity is sustained through separate dining rooms in the Irwin Dining Center.

The Houses of Lawrenceville are organized into three distinct student communities, based on the conviction that adolescents of different degrees of maturity require different degrees of freedom and supervision. Students in the Second Form (ninth grade) live in one of the Lower School Houses. Students in the Third and Fourth Form live in one of the Circle or Crescent Houses, while Fifth Formers, with considerable independence, live in one of six Fifth Form Houses. As students move from the Lower School to the Circle or Crescent to the Fifth Form, they develop close associations with small groups of students their own age.