All Girls
We’ve learned how to raise our hands, as simple as that may seem. The confidence instilled in us inside the classroom and beyond is sometimes easy to overlook. Of course we feel free to speak our minds, to slice through a lecture with our open palms, actively grasping at new information. But the fact that we’re so comfortable doing so, that its alternative actually seems strange, is really telling. This confidence is not the norm, especially among girls our age. Stone Ridge imparts the deep understanding that mistake and confusion are part of learning—a process that only really begins when we take the first step, when we choose to reach out and reach up.
Nora Gosselin '15 (excerpt from her valedictory address)
All girls schools are more relevant today than ever before.
American culture is awakening in a more meaningful way to many of the issues that Stone Ridge has been addressing for almost a century now, as we have consistently educated our graduates to be female leaders in their families, in their communities, in the Church, in their industries, and in our world.
The research is clear on the benefits of an all-girls education and the adolescent experience of girls. The words and experiences of the girls who attend or have attended an all girls school and of their teachers and parents speak volumes.
Stone Ridge girls occupy every role: every part in the play, every club leader, and every position on every team. Our girls collaborate, lead, mentor, and learn from each other, and our faculty teach to how girls learn best. Not only do our girls have abundant avenues for self-exploration and development, they develop strong, lifelong female friendships, and will always be a part of a special community that lasts a lifetime.
At Stone Ridge, we provide for you the opportunity to begin exploring why you might choose a girls school. As we encourage our girls to be curious and to engage in the process of discovery, we encourage and invite you to visit our campus and experience for yourself a day in a girls' school. To truly know the power of a girls' school, you must see it in action.
To schedule a visit, please contact our Admissions Office.
Girls’ schools teach girls there is enormous potential and power in being a girl.
Learn more from NCGS.
Rachel Simmons has been researching young women for two decades, and her research plainly shows that girl competence does not equal girl confidence—nor does it equal happiness, resilience, or self-worth. Backed by vivid case studies, Simmons warns that we have raised a generation of young women so focused on achieving that they avoid healthy risks, overthink setbacks, and suffer from imposter syndrome, believing they are frauds. As they spend more time projecting an image of effortless perfection on social media, these girls are prone to withdraw from the essential relationships that offer solace and support and bolster self-esteem.
- Enough as she Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyound Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy, nad Fulfilling Lives by Rachel Simmons
In her New York Times best seller, Dr. Lisa Damour draws on decades of experience and the latest research to reveal the seven distinct—and absolutely normal—developmental transitions that turn girls into grown-ups, including Parting with Childhood, Contending with Adult Authority, Entering the Romantic World, and Caring for Herself. Providing realistic scenarios and welcome advice on how to engage daughters in smart, constructive ways, Untangled gives parents a broad framework for understanding their daughters while addressing their most common questions.
- Untangled by Lisa Damour
Under Pressure starts by addressing the facts about psychological tension. Damour explains the surprising and underappreciated value of stress and anxiety: that stress can helpfully stretch us beyond our comfort zones, and anxiety can play a key role in keeping girls safe. When we emphasize the benefits of stress and anxiety, we can help our daughters take them in stride.
- Under Pressure by Lisa Damour, Ph.D.
Resources
Women Graduates of Single Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in their Characteristics and their Transition to College, Linda J. Sax, Ph.D, UCLA
Grads of All-Girl Schools Show Stronger Academic Orientations than Coed Grads, Kathy Wyer, 2009, UCLA
The National Coalition of Girls' Alumnae Survey, November 2005
The Girls' School Experience, A Survey of Young Alumnae of Single-Sex Schools, October 2005
Resources
National Coalition of Girls' Schools - Quick Facts
Untangled, Lisa Damour, PhD
Enough As She Is, Rachel Simmons
Girls on the Edge, Leonard Sax, MD
How Girls Thrive, JoAnn Deak, PhD