Phillips Exeter Academy

Phillips Exeter Academy (also called Exeter or PEA) is a coeducational independent boarding school located in Exeter, New Hampshire. It is considered by many to be one of the finest secondary schools in the United States. It was established in 1781 by John and Elizabeth Phillips.

Since a 1930 gift by Edward Harkness, the school's principal mode of instruction has been by discussion around an oval table (the "Harkness table").

Phillips Exeter has been co-educational since 1970; prior to that time, it was an all-boys school.

The school is also known for its library, designed by Louis Kahn.

Alumni

• Daniel Webster (1796)
• George Bancroft (1811)
• Lewis Cass (1811)
• Pierre DuPont III (1930)
• Joyce Maynard (1971)
• John Knowles (1945)
• Robert Todd Lincoln (1860)
• Franklin Pierce (1820)
• George Plimpton (1944)
• Gore Vidal (1943)
• Daniel Dennett (1959)

• Philips Exeter Academy website
• PEA Alumni/ae website