Education: Boarding-School Blues

The storied boarding schools of the East are as well-mannered, wealthy and academically rigorous as they ever were. Indeed, many are broadening their curriculums and ridding themselves of anachronistic customs. But they are not so exclusive or sought after as in the past. In selecting students for the fall term, some of the nation's oldest and most prestigious preparatory schools have found applications decreasing. Hence the schools cannot be as selective in choosing their students as they used to be.

Things have come to such a pass that a qualified student can still get...