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.

During orientation in September, you will begin meeting your classmates. For the freshman class, orientation continues throughout the fall with peer mentor groups which are run by seniors. You also will get to know your classmates through your Best Self Seminar. New sophomores will meet other members of their class during orientation, in their Common Good Seminar, and during the sophomore outing in the fall. Many activities are organized by class — hikes, dodgeball games, bowling, and so much more. Of course, you will meet friends in classes, on sports teams, at meals, and in various other activities. One of the best activities early in the fall is the Pelican Games which is an epic community competition. You will be assigned a team (for life!) and compete for the Pelican Cup each year.

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, Thursdays, and Fridays, three classes are 75 minutes and one class is 70 minutes. Each day has time built into it for either Pelican Time (school-wide convocations or other smaller group meetings), Consultations (meetings with faculty), and Meetings (class meetings or All-School meetings). On Wednesdays, classes are 50 minutes long and there is a consultation time block.

You are welcome on campus for breakfast before classes, and through your daily and evening activities as well as on the weekends for socializing with your friends. On a school night, day students may stay on campus through the end of evening study hall.

Yes — you are welcome for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.

Yes. All students — boarding and day — have ID cards that give them access to the dorms. Day students are welcome to join their boarding friends in the dorm common rooms during the class day. In the evenings, there are visitation rules for all students outlined in the Student Handbook.

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 Office of Student Life 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 to all other dorms.

Absolutely yes! There is always something happening on the weekends and all students are invited to participate. From broomball tournaments to concerts on campus, from film festivals to game nights, there is always plenty to do.

Student Activities

There are lockers available in Chaffee Hall and in the Athletics Center. You can sign up for a gym locker during registration in the fall. There are also special lockers for musical instruments available in Hubbard Music Center.

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, class dinners, classroom presentations, meetings with visitors to campus, away games, 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. 

The Scanlan Campus Center has great spaces for all students to hang out including the Loomis Hall lounge, a.k.a. the SNUG, which has TVs, a ping pong table, a foosball table, and a snack bar. The library is a popular space to meet friends or find a quiet space to study. Many students also enjoy hanging out in the Athletics Center or with boarding friends in dorm common rooms. When the weather is nice, Rockefeller and Grubbs Quads are popular spots for students to socialize and study.

Throughout the year, students may have evening commitments such as community dinners, athletic practices, music rehearsals, Student Council meetings, or other school events. Information about these activities is shared through school communications and by advisors, coaches, and program leaders to help families plan accordingly.

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 Loomis Chaffee Parents Association’s new family receptions in the local area.

Students have an incredible web of support at Loomis. All day students have a dean and an advisor. Students also develop relationships with the faculty who teach and coach them, advise clubs they are involved in, and interact with them in any number of ways. Student leaders are trained to support students and be an additional resource. They work closely with our Counseling Department to be a liaison if additional help is needed. Our goal is to make sure that there are many times each day when students connect with an adult or student leader at Loomis. As parents, you will also connect with certain adults, and if you feel that you need to speak with someone, there are a number of people to choose from — advisors can often speak to academic and social needs and concerns, and deans can help with general issues. If in doubt, start with the advisor and they will work to find the answer to your question.

All current parents are members of the Loomis Chaffee Parents Association (LCPA) and are invited to LCPA meetings to hear from the head of school and other invited faculty. Most of those meetings are held over Zoom, making it easy for parents outside the local area to participate. The LCPA also hosts receptions for parents during opening days and on Family Weekend, sponsors an online book club for parents, and plans several faculty/staff appreciation events and the popular Winterfest semi-formal for students. The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations also hosts regional receptions throughout the year, and all parents receive the weekly Parent eNews with news just for parents and Pelican Pride, a weekly news digest that celebrates the accomplishments of Loomis Chaffee students, faculty, and alumni.