Independent School League (New England)

Independent School League
ISL
Established	1948
Association	NEPSAC
Members	16
Sports fielded	25[1] men's: 11 women's: 12 coeducational: 2
Region	New England
Website	http://www.islsports.org

The Independent School League (ISL) is composed of sixteen New England preparatory schools that compete athletically and academically. Founded in 1948, the ISL's sixteen members compete in eighteen sports in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC). Notable to the league, they do not allow for schools to have postgraduate students compete in athletic competition, and consequently, many of the member institutions do not offer postgraduate programs. ISL schools are also not allowed to give athletic or academic based scholarships, and are only allowed to give need-based ones. The teams that make up the ISL are some of the highest rated schools in New England both academically and athletically.

History[]

Charter members of the Private School League were Belmont Hill, Brooks, Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N), The Governor's Academy, Milton Academy, Noble & Greenough, St. Mark's, and Tabor. Like the Ivy League, the ISL began as a loose affiliation to promote football among academically rigorous, Northeastern schools; however, administrators formalized the league during 1948.

In 1968 Middlesex joined, and in 1972 Groton replaced Tabor – both private boarding schools in the Boston area.

In 1973 St. Sebastian's was added and in 1974 Roxbury Latin was added. The league changed its name to the 'Independent School League' in 1974.

St. Paul's, Lawrence Academy, The Rivers School and St. George's joined during the mid-1970s.

For 2017-2018, with the departure of St. Paul's, a new addition to the Independent School League is Tabor Academy (Massachusetts), joining the league in 2017 after playing as a non-league competitor against several of the schools for many years, and being one of the original founding members.^[2]

Members[]

School	Location	Colors	Team name	Established	Enrollment	Joined ISL	Rivals
Belmont Hill School	Belmont, MA		N/A	1923	420	1948	St. Sebastians, BB&N, Roxbury Latin
Brooks School	North Andover, MA		N/A	1926	370	1948	The Governor's Academy
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N)	Cambridge, MA		Knights	1883	1,025	1948	Belmont Hill School, Noble and Greenough
The Governor's Academy	Byfield, MA		Governors	1763	375	1948	Brooks School
Groton School	Groton, MA		Zebras	1884	350	1972	St. Mark's School
Lawrence Academy at Groton	Groton, MA		Spartans	1793	375	1973
Middlesex School	Concord, MA		Zebras	1901	350	1968	St. George's School
Milton Academy	Milton, MA		Mustangs	1798	1,000	1948	Noble and Greenough
Noble and Greenough School	Dedham, MA		Bulldogs	1866	625	1948	Milton Academy Roxbury Latin
The Rivers School	Weston, MA		Red Wings	1915	491	1973	Noble and Greenough
Roxbury Latin School	West Roxbury, MA		Foxes	1645	300	1974	Belmont Hill School Noble and Greenough
St. George's School	Middletown, RI		Dragons	1896	350	1981	Middlesex School
St. Mark's School	Southborough, MA		Lions	1865	325	1948	Groton School
St. Sebastian's School	Needham, MA		Arrows	1941	380	1973	Belmont Hill School
Tabor Academy (Massachusetts)	Marion, MA		Seawolves	1876	515	2017
Thayer Academy	Braintree, MA		Tigers	1877	675	1948

Reputation[]

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ISL schools are noted for high tuition, wealthy students, academic excellence, superior college placement, athletics, and in many cases, storied histories. For example, the ISL features one of the United States' ten wealthiest boarding schools, Groton.^[3]

The ISL features two of the United States' ten oldest boarding schools,^[4] Governor's and Lawrence, and the oldest school in continuous existence in North America, Roxbury Latin.

The ISL also boasts the only day school to make the 2006 Forbes Most Expensive Private High Schools list: The Buckingham Browne and Nichols School.^[5]

Leadership[]

Each school's athletic program is run by an experienced and well-respected administrator, many of whom rose to their positions after successful coaching careers either at their present school or prior to their arrival.

School	Athletic Director
Belmont Hill School	George Tahan
Brooks School	Roberta Crump-Burbank
BB&N	Chuck Richard
Governor's Academy	Claudia Barcomb
Groton School	Robert Low
Lawrence Academy	Kevin Potter
Middlesex School	Kenneth Risley
Milton Academy	Lamar Reddicks
Noble & Greenough School	Alex Gallagher '90
The Rivers School	Keith Zalaski
Roxbury Latin School	Tony Teixeira
St. George's School	Robert Pipe
St. Mark's School	John Levandowski
St. Sebastian's School	David Hinman
Tabor Academy	Conan Leary '97
Thayer Academy	Rick Foredsteiré

Sports[]

Member schools compete in the following sports:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Crew
• Cross country
• Field hockey
• Football
• Golf
• Ice hockey
• Lacrosse
• Sailing
• Skiing
• Soccer
• Softball
• Squash
• Swimming and diving
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Football[]

The ISL is currently divided into two divisions - the ISL 7 and ISL 9. Below are the 2017 divisions.^[6]

ISL 7	ISL 9
BB&N	Brooks School
Belmont Hill	Groton School
Governor's Academy	Middlesex School
Lawrence Academy	Noble & Greenough School
Milton Academy	The Rivers School
St. Sebastian's	Roxbury Latin
Tabor Academy	St. George's School
	St. Mark's School
	Thayer Academy

• In 2020, the football season was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
• In 2019, Milton Academy won the ISL Championship, going a perfect 8-0.
• In 2018, St. Sebastian's, BBN & Belmont Hill shared the ISL Championship with 7-1 records.
• In 2017, Lawrence Academy (ISL 7) and Brooks School (ISL 9) claimed the league championship and both teams went on to win their respective NEPSAC Bowl Games.
• In 2016, Brooks won the ISL going 7-1 (4-0 in ISL 10) by defeating Lawrence Academy 20-0 in week 8 to clinch the title and a Bowl Game appearance.
• In 2015, St. George's won the ISL Championship with an 8-0 record, and won their bowl game to complete an undefeated season at 9-0.
• In 2014, Brooks, Governors Academy and Lawrence Academy shared the ISL title.
• In 2013, Milton Academy and Governors Academy shared the ISL Championship and both teams went on to win their respective NEPSAC Bowl Games.
• In 2012, St. Sebastian's and The Governor's Academy won the Independent School League both going undefeated (9-0), and winning their respective bowl games.
• In 2011, Governors Academy won the Independent School League Championships.

Boys' Ice Hockey[]

The ISL is divided into two divisions for boys' ice hockey - the Keller Division^[7] and Eberhart Division^[8]

Keller Division	Eberhart Division
Belmont Hill School	Brooks School
Governor's Academy	BB&N
Lawrence Academy	Groton School
Milton Academy	Middlesex School
Noble & Greenough School	The Rivers School
St. Sebastian's	Roxbury Latin
Thayer Academy	St. George's School
Tabor Academy	St. Mark's School

2018-19 Champions: Lawrence Academy (Keller) and The Rivers School (Eberhart)

In 2017, The Rivers School won the ISL Eberhart Division for the third time in four years (2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17)^[9] and qualified for the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Stuart/Corkery Open Tournament,^[10] becoming the first ISL Eberhart Division team to do so. Rivers defeated Belmont Hill School and Phillips Exeter Academy to reach the final, where they lost to Kimball Union Academy.In 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 season St. Marks School won the New England Prep Small School Championship, and in the 2014-2015 season Brooks School won the New England Prep Large School Championship. Both teams were from the Eberhart division on the ISL.

In 2011-2012 Lawrence Academy won the Independent School League Championship, as well as the NEPSAC championship defeating Nobles in the final round (3-2). In 2010-2011 Milton Academy went to win the Independent School League championship for ice hockey and then continued the success to win it all in the NEPSAC championship. In the 2009-2010 hockey season Nobles won the ISL championship. In the 2008-2009 hockey season Lawrence Academy won the ISL championships.

In 1988—then Governor Dummer Academy—won the Eberhart Division and the NEPSAC Div. II Championship defeating The Gunnery School. That win propelled GDA into the prestigious Keller Division where it has competed since 1988-89.

Of all the schools in the ISL, it is the newest, St. Sebastian's, that has had the most first round NHL draft picks (5). Their 5 picks are more than any high school in the US. Their most recent was in the 2015 NHL draft, when Noah Hannifin was drafted 5th overall to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Boys' Soccer[]

In 1948 eight local private schools banded together to form one of the first high school soccer leagues in the area. A number of the schools had been competing informally and a structured league was desirable. Full round robin play was not achieved until 1952 but has been a constant feature since that year. The original eight schools included Belmont Hill, Brooks, Browne & Nichols, Governor Dummer, Milton, Nobles, St. Mark's, and Tabor.

In 1948 a championship cup was procured and was named in honor of Richard Gummere, a longtime teacher and coach at both Browne & Nichols and Haverford College; the Gummere Cup is undoubtedly one of the oldest secondary school soccer trophies in the country. In 1968 Middlesex joined the group and in 1971 Roxbury Latin competed before joining permanently in 1974. 1972 saw Tabor leave the league and Groton join. That brought the league to ten schools where it remained until 1984.

The original Private School League had expanded during this time and had grown into the 16 school Independent School League. In order to include the six ISL schools not in Gummere Cup play at the time (Lawrence, Rivers, St. George's, St. Paul's, St. Sebastian's, and Thayer) the Athletic Directors created a separate ISL soccer league in 1980.

Because full round robin play was not possible at that time, North and South Divisions, each with eight schools, were established. A Championship Final was held on the Wednesday following the regular season.

Both the Gummere Cup and ISL competitions operated simultaneously from 1980 through 1983. Due to the ban on post season league-sponsored play no finals were held in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, a full round robin schedule was adopted and all sixteen schools began competing for the Gummere Cup. No league games were played nor championship conferred in the fall of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ISL has a tradition of providing a high level of play in soccer, fielding many competitive teams each year and sending numerous athletes to various college programs across the country each year.

School	Number of Championships (Since 1980)[11]	Most Recent Championship
Brooks School	9	2017
Noble & Greenough School	8	2011
Thayer Academy	5	2006
Milton Academy	4	2019
Lawrence Academy	3	2014
BB&N	3	2009
St. Paul's	3	2000
The Rivers School	3	2021
Belmont Hill	2	2008
St. Mark's School	2	1992
Middlesex School	2	2018
Groton School	1	1991

Girls' Soccer[]

Noble & Greenough have been the preeminent team in the ISL since 1981^[12] and claimed the 2016 ISL Championship.^[13]

School	Number of Championships[12]	Most Recent Championship
Noble & Greenough School	19	2018
Brooks School	9	2013
The Rivers School	4	2015
BB&N	5	2019
St. Paul's School	3	1992
Governor's	2	2012
Buckingham, Browne & Nichols	1	2017
Tabor Academy	1	2018[14]

Boys' Lacrosse[]

ISL lacrosse has sent many players to top division one (D1) lacrosse universities, and has had numerous All-Americans.

School	Number of Championships[15]	Most Recent Championship
Belmont Hill School	13	2017
Middlesex School	11	2012
Governor's Academy	9	2018
Milton Academy	2	2004
Noble & Greenough School	3	2018
Thayer Academy	1	2014
St. Sebastian's School	2	2019
The Rivers School	1	2009
Roxbury Latin School	1	2000
St. George's School	1	1990
St. Mark's School	1	1991

Tennis[]

Boys ISL Champions: Groton School (15-0)

Girls ISL Champions: Milton Academy (15-0)

Girls' Ice Hockey[]

Many ISL schools participate in girls' ice hockey. The ISL has sent many women to D1 schools and to the Olympics. The 2018 champions were the Tabor Academy Seawolves (12-1).^[16]

Boys' Basketball[]

The Independent School League has produced some of the finest players in New England High School Basketball history in addition to being an incredibly deep and competitive league. Since 2000, ISL players have earned the Gatorade Massachusetts State Player of the Year award six times:^[17] Mike Jones (Thayer Academy, 2003), Richard Roby (Lawrence Academy, 2004), Stevie Mejia (Lawrence Academy, 2008), Nate Lubick (St. Mark's School, 2009 & 2010), and Azar Swain (The Rivers School, 2017).

Brooks School won its fifth consecutive ISL Championship in 2019^[18] posting a perfect 15-0 record in league play for the fifth consecutive season. At the end of the 2018-19 season, Brooks' ISL winning streak sat at 84-straight victories while its overall winning streak was snapped by Hamden Hall in the first game of the season, ending a run of 66-straight victories.^[19]

The Rivers School won the ISL Championship in 2013-14, posting a perfect 15-0 record in league play.^[20]

Girls' Basketball[]

The 2018 and 2019 ISL champion was the undefeated (13-0 and 10-0) Tabor Academy basketball team.^[21] Prior to Tabor joining the league and earning their 2018 and 2019 championships, Noble & Greenough had won the previous 14 Independent School League Championships. (2004-2017)^[22]

Baseball[]

St. Sebastian's won back-to-back ISL Championships in 2017 and 2018. They previously had won the league title in 2007 and 1996.^[23]

The Governor's Academy claimed the 2016 ISL Championship with a 12-4 record.

In 2012, Belmont Hill won the ISL championship by beating BB&N 11-1.

In 2011, Lawrence Academy capped of an undefeated ISL season(16-0,18-2 Overall) by defeating Rivers 13-2 and winning the league title.

BB&N is the 2010 ISL champion after completing the first undefeated season (20-0) in school history.

Belmont HIll, Lawrence Academy, St. Sebastian's, Milton Academy, and Governor's Academy are also consistently at the top of the league.

Softball[]

BB&N won the ISL in 2018 by posting a perfect 10-0 record.^[24]

The Governor's Academy has dominated the ISL in recent years, claiming six championships in seven years between 2011 and 2017.^[25]

Brooks was the preeminent team in the ISL from 1999 through 2007, claiming seven championships in nine seasons.

Crew[]

Only a few ISL schools participate in crew, but among those include: Belmont Hill, BB&N, Brooks, Groton, Middlesex, Nobles, Thayer, and St. Mark's races eight-man boats, and does not compete with the other ISL schools in head-to-head regattas. The regular season ends with the NEIRA regatta, with the top two boats automatically entered into the National Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio. Almost every year, a New England boat wins the national title. Some perennially strong crews include BB&N, Groton, Middlesex, Nobles, and Brooks, but Belmont Hill has been the most dominant program of late, they have won eight consecutive New England Championships (2003–2010) and four National Championships (2003, 2006, 2007, 2010) with its first boat.

School	Home water	Location
Buckingham Brown & Nichols	Charles River	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Belmont Hill	Charles River	Belmont, Massachusetts
Brooks School	Lake Cochichewick	North Andover, Massachusetts
Groton School	Nashua River	Groton, Massachusetts
Middlesex School	Concord River	Concord, Massachusetts
Nobles and Greenough School	Charles River	Dedham, Massachusetts
St. Mark's School	Lake Quinsigamond	Worcester, Massachusetts
Tabor Academy (Massachusetts)	None, but practice in	Marion, Massachusetts
Thayer Academy	Bay Pointe Marina	Quincy, Massachusetts

Golf[]

Most ISL schools participate in golf, though St. Mark's and Governors’ are the only ones with their own golf courses. Schools which participate: St. Sebastian's, Belmont Hill, Brooks, BB&N, Governor's Academy, Lawrence Academy, Middlesex, Milton, Noble & Greenough, St. George's, St. Mark's, Thayer Academy, Rivers School. In 2018, Tabor Academy will also join the league.

The schools play match play and their season takes place in the spring as opposed to the fall (Most publics and Catholics play in the fall.) There is a league championship each year awarded by a point system, and there also is a stroke play championship (The Kingman Cup) each year.

St. Sebastian's has proven to be the most dominant ISL competitor in recent years, winning four consecutive titles from 2016 to 2019, and compiling a 67-1-2 record in league play.

Wrestling[]

From the 90's to present, ISL wrestling has been dominated by Belmont Hill. The team has won the ISL Dual Meet 15 times; has won 15 Graves Kelsey (ISL) Championships and won New England Championships in 2007, 2009, 2016, 2018, and 2019.

References[]