Blair Academy is a coeducational, boarding and day school for students in high school. The school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades as well as a small post-graduate class. The school's campus is located on a campus in Blairstown in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately west of New York City.
As of 2026, the school had an enrollment of 484 students and 97 faculty (on an FTE basis), for a student–faculty ratio of 5:1. The school's student body was 50% white, 26% international, 7% Black, 6% multiracial, 5% Asian and 3% Hispanic.
Academics Blair's academic program follows the traditional four-year college-preparatory plan. Diploma requirements are governed by college entrance requirements. In 2024, the school moved away from Advanced Placement (AP) courses, in favor of a new curriculum designed by the faculty to allow "students to demonstrate their ability to handle advanced coursework in a greater variety of disciplines."Moving Toward a New Vision of Advanced Curriculum, Blair Academy. Accessed August 13, 2024. "This redesign of our program has allowed us to build a more comprehensive, engaging and distinguished program in place of AP courses."
Currently, Blair offers 160 courses, with 68 honors and advanced classes available to students.
Athletics Blair primarily competes in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (which includes Blair Academy, Peddie School, Lawrenceville School, The Hill School, Hun School of Princeton and Mercersburg Academy). The school's traditional mascot is the "Buccaneer" (with the team called the Bucs) and the school colors are navy blue, white and grey.Blair Academy, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Blair's traditional arch-rival is The Peddie School of Hightstown, New Jersey. Since 1903, Blair and Peddie have competed in football, and the rivalry constitutes New Jersey's oldest continuous prep football competition.Staff. "Hill-Hotchkiss, Peddie-Blair Battles Head Important Schoolboy Football Card Today", The New York Times, November 13, 1936. Accessed June 26, 2011. "The Blair-Peddle contest at Hightstown. NJ. will extend the oldest prep school rivalry in New Jersey. Blair and Peddle will meet for the thirty-fourth time since their uninterrupted series began in 1903." Each November, the two schools compete against one another in a fall sports competition, with the winner receiving the Kelley-Potter Cup.Tatu, Christina. "Peddie School takes top prize at annual Peddie Day tradition", New Jersey Herald, January 23, 2009. Accessed June 26, 2011. "Not the chilly weather, the spitting rain or the four-hour drive from his home in Annapolis, Md., could keep 89-year-old Art Richmond from Blair Academy's 105th annual Peddie Day, a day of sporting events between its rival the Peddie School in Hightstown."
During the days leading up to Peddie Day, spirit abounds at Blair. The campus is bedecked with banners hanging from windows, often poking fun at Peddie's Falcon mascot (known to Blair as the Peddie Chickens). On Peddie Day held at Blair in November 2021, Blair claimed the Kelley-Potter Cup for the ninth time.
Football Former Blair football player Dion Lewis was drafted in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has received numerous honors in 2010 such as, Sporting News Top 5 Heisman Trophy Candidate, Top 25 Overall Players (No. 6), All America Team (first team), All-Big East, as well as ESPN.com "Big East's 25 Best" No.1.
Swimming The boys swimming team won the NJSIAA state Non-Public state championship in 1926, 1932 and 1935-1940.NJSIAA Boys and Girls Team Swimming History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
Wrestling The most successful athletic program at Blair Academy is the wrestling team. From 1981 to 2013, Blair Academy won 33 consecutive National Prep Championships.National Prep Wrestling Championships Team Records. nationalprepwrestling.org. Retrieved August 8, 2025. Jeff Buxton served as an assistant and then head coach of Blair Academy from 1982 to 2012, helping lead the team to 30 consecutive National Prep Championships during his tenure as a coach.Jeff Buxton - Wrestling Coach - Columbia University Athletics. Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved August 8, 2025. The school has produced a number of collegiate wrestling national champions and All-Americans, along with Olympic gold medalist Bobby Weaver. Considered one of the most successful high school programs in the nation, they have won in total over 40 National Prep Team Championships.
Basketball
Former Blair Blair basketball players Luol Deng, Charlie Villanueva, Royal Ivey, Marial Shayok, Temi Fagbenle and Olivia Miles have played in the NBA and WNBA. In September 2026, Olivia Miles unanimously received the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
Facilities Almost all campus architecture is in the Richardson Romanesque style, and modern buildings reflect the features and themes of the older structures. There are six major academic buildings: Clinton Hall, Bogle Science Center, Timken Library, Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts, Weber Hall, and the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration.
Bogle Science Center, dedicated in 1989 and expanded and renovated in 2019, provides laboratories and classrooms for the science department and includes the 100-seat Cowan Auditorium. Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts was dedicated in 1997 and includes the 500-seat DuBois Theatre, the black box Wean Theatre, and practice rooms. The renovated Timken Library opened in 1998. Annie Hall, a girls' dormitory, opened in the fall of 1999. The Romano Dining Hall was completed in the fall of 2000, and renovation of Insley Hall was completed in 2001. A major expansion and renovation of the school's athletic and activities facilities and fields occurred between 2006 and 2009: a lighted, synthetic turf field for football, field hockey, and soccer, with new stands, press box, and 400 meter all-weather track; ten new tennis courts (five lighted), a new junior varsity baseball field, and expansion of the existing, natural grass fields. The renovation and expansion of the existing athletic center, including a new student center, concluded in March 2009. This facility, known as Hardwick Hall, houses seven squash courts, three gymnasiums, wrestling facilities, aerobic space, a fitness center, a training room, and locker rooms, and also includes Blair Commons, home of the School's bookstore, The Black Canteen, and college counseling offices. Blair's athletic facilities also include a nine-hole golf course.
The School's pedestrian campus was completed in 2010, making the center of campus vehicle-free. In 2015, the School opened Kathryn Hall, an upper-school girls' dormitory, and Lakeside Hall, an upper-school boys' dormitory, each of which includes three faculty apartments. The Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration, a modern, technology-rich academic facility was completed in 2017 and serves as home to Blair's technology and fine arts departments. Also in 2017, Weber Hall was renovated to best facilitate the teaching of math. In 2018, Blair added the J. Li Golf Training Center and seasonal winter sports complex to its athletic facilities. In 2021 a crew training center was opened and the "Shipyard" outdoor basketball court was named. The all-weather track was resurfaced in 2024.
In 2025, the School opened the Center for Health & Well-Being, attached to Hardwick Hall's athletics facilities. This marks the first time Blair's counseling and health services have been brought together in a space that includes a classroom, yoga studio and student union.
In 2026, Blair Academy opened a new Center for Health and Well-Being, a transformed athletic field, updated dormitories, inviting outdoor gathering spaces and additional student housing. Together, the projects represent a $35 million investment.
Statistics
Enrollment Characteristics of the student body: Total enrollment: 484 (85% boarding / 15% day) Male/female ratio: 53% / 47% Number of postgraduate students: 8 Number of countries represented: 27 (17% of student body) Number of states represented: 27
Tuition and fees For the 2026–27 academic year, Blair charges $81,950 for tuition, room and board. Day students are charged $57,000, which covers tuition, study rooms, and meals at school.Tuition & Financial Aid, Blair Academy. Accessed September 9, 2025.
Scholarship grants total $9.9 million for the 2026–27 academic year, with 36 percent of students receiving financial aid. The average day student award is $38,049 and the average boarding student award is $58,361.
Faculty Student/Faculty Ratio: 5:1 Head of School: Peter G. CurranHead of School's Welcome, Blair Academy. Accessed January 31, 2022.
Accreditation Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (since 1928).Blair Academy, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 31, 2022. The school's accreditation status was extended for seven years in Fall 2018.MSA-CESS Fall 2018 Accreditation Actions, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, Fall 2018. Accessed April 25, 2021.
School memberships It is a member of Mid-Atlantic Boarding School Group (MABS).
ADVIS – Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools CASE – Council for Advancement and Support of Education NAIS – National Association of Independent Schools NJAIS - New Jersey Association of Independent SchoolsList of Member Schools, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. Accessed August 10, 2017.
Endowment Market value (approximate): $190 million as of the 2026–27 school year, the 26th-largest of any U.S. private school.Largest Endowments, Boarding School Review. Accessed September 22, 2025. "26 Blair Academy $145 M"
Campus The campus, set among of rolling hills in the shadow of the Delaware Water Gap, is home to numerous grand old buildings and in 1992 was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historic and architectural significance.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the campus was used in the summer by Camp Racquet, a tennis camp run by Charlie Lundgren, then the coach of the tennis team at Upsala College.
Notable alumni
Jabri Abdur-Rahim (born 2002, class of 2020), basketball player for the Providence FriarsJabri Abdur-Rahim, Georgia Bulldogs basketball. Accessed August 13, 2024. "High School: Blair Academy" Onome Akinbode-James (born 2000), Nigerian basketball player who played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team and has represented Nigeria internationallyMeet the athlete: Onome Akinbode-James, Washington Athletic Club. Accessed September 9, 2025. "Onome Akinbode-James began playing basketball in Abeokuta, Nigeria, when she was 13 years old.... She moved to the U.S. on her own as a high school junior in 2016, played at Blair Academy in New Jersey, and was recruited by Duke." Mahlon Apgar IV (1941–2023, class of 1958), businessman and former Assistant Secretary of the ArmyStaff. "Anne Demarest Nelson Plans Bridal", The New York Times, March 31, 1970. Accessed December 11, 2017. "Mr. Apgar is the son of Mr. Apgar 3d of Ridgewood, N. J., and Mrs. Dorothea Tipper Apgar of Baltimore.... The future bridegroom, a graduate of Blair Academy and Dartmouth College, where he was a Rufus Choate Scholar, studied at Magdalen College of Oxford University and received an M.B.A. degree from Harvard."