Day Student Experience

At Loomis Chaffee, students rarely define themselves as day students or boarding students. Rather they are Loomis students, each with their own unique interests, talents, and goals — part of a supportive, caring, and fun community. With the exception of sleeping in the dorms, day students are part of every aspect of life at Loomis. They can take advantage of all the resources and opportunities provided by the school while maintaining everyday connections with their families and local communities.

Classes typically begin at 8:30 a.m. except on Thursdays when they start at 9 a.m. Each day you will have up to, but no more than, four classes depending on your particular schedule. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, classes are 75 minutes and there is free time, which we call Community Time or a GAP, built into the day. The Friday schedule is similar but classes are 70 minutes and the Community Time a bit longer. On Wednesdays, classes are 50 minutes long.

Classes end at 3:20 p.m. except on Wednesdays when they end at 12:20 p.m. After classes we have athletics (interscholastic, intramural, and life fitness), theater rehearsals, robotics, community engagement, debate practices, and more. Depending on the activity you participate in, your day will usually end between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. Interscholastic athletics contests are typically scheduled on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Often day students will stay through dinner to attend an evening event such as a PRISM or Student Council meeting or to work on a group project. 

During a designated period in the fall term, day students may apply to be honorary residents of one dorm to have visitation privileges similar to residents of that dorm. The Student Life Office oversees this process and grants these permissions. As honorary residents, day students are expected to follow the guidelines and expectations set forth by the dorm head and adhere to the same policy as boarding students for visitation of all other dorms.

Generally, class day attire will follow the Casual Attire guidelines below. Attire must allow students to engage with the activities they are participating in throughout the academic day. There will be select times students are asked to wear Pelican Attire in order to fully engage with a specific school activity. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, classroom presentations, meetings with visitors to campus, or invited speakers.

Casual Attire (for class)
Shorts, pants, jeans, sweatpants/joggers, leggings, skirt, dress, t-shirt, polo, long sleeve shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, hoodie; and shoes. Hats are allowed, provided they do not prohibit a student’s engagement in class as determined by the teacher.

Not appropriate for casual class attire: sleepwear, bath robes.

For the complete Dress Code, please refer to the Student Handbook. 

Loomis does not provide daily transportation to or from school for day students. The online school directory, which is available starting in late August, does allow families to search for other day families living near them. This tool is helpful for families that would like to arrange carpools or van services. Families also make connections during the LCPA’s new family receptions in the local area.