Every New Girl is paired with a senior Old Girl who serves as a mentor or “big sister” during the New Girl year. Old Girls help New Girls acclimate to Porter’s by means of this special relationship and a series of Old Girl/New Girl events throughout the year.

New Girls will hear from their Old Girls over the summer by email, phone, text, or letter. Some Old Girls and New Girls arrange to meet in person prior to the start of the school year. 

We use the New Girl Questionnaire to help pair New Girls and Old Girls (see downloads below).

Please refer to the school’s updated Attendance Policy for comprehensive information regarding absences and attendance requirements.

Miss Porter’s School promotes and celebrates self-expression. We have confidence in our students to make the decisions regarding dress that best support and maximize their learning.

There are some general expectations for student dress, which include that students must wear bottoms, tops, shoes, and clothing that covers private body parts with opaque material.  Students should be dressed in clothing that allows for full participation in academic, artistic, or athletic activities when necessary. 

Click here to review the full dress code.

Families are welcome and encouraged to attend games, performances, and special events, both on campus and virtually. We also have formal volunteer opportunities for parents and guardians seeking a larger role in school life. These include:

• Parent Leadership Committee (PLC), which works to connect Porter’s families to one another and the school through engagement opportunities, fundraising support, and helpful resources. 
• Parent Admission Association (PAA), who serve as invaluable ambassadors in our effort to enroll exceptional students for each incoming class. 
• Porter’s Family Ambassadors, who serve as local host families for our new international students.

New boarding students complete a questionnaire, which includes questions regarding living habits. We try to make the best possible matches based on students’ responses. When roommate matches are made, students are placed in dorms and corridors based on similar grade levels.

New Girls receive their housing assignments in August prior to Opening Day.

If you would like to ship items to School, please clearly label each box according to the sample address here. Boxes should not be shipped until mid-August when dorm assignments are released, as boxes will be delivered directly to the student’s dorm room.

Please note that you are shipping at your own risk. Porter’s cannot be held responsible for missing packages. If you are shipping a package with a high monetary value we encourage you to ask for a signature upon delivery, you can reach out to the Office of Student Life for assistance.

Each dorm is equipped with a no-cost washer and dryer for student use.

For a fee, an off-campus laundry service is available through E&R The Campus Laundry. E&R will send students information over the summer regarding its services. Families who choose to sign up their student for the laundry service are asked to do so online. Dorm pick-up and drop-off services occur once a week.

For a fee, an off campus service is available through Student Health Advocates should you need unaccompanied minor and/or a local guardian service. Please plan to make advance arrangements should you need one or both of these special services.

The unaccompanied minor service often includes arranging for a chaperone to accompany you to the gate and stay with you until departure, but each airline has individual requirements so please contact them well in advance.

The emergency contact representation service enables the parent/guardian to use Student Health Advocates as an emergency contact should you have no other representation within the designated distance required by school.

Students can sign up for a school shuttle to take them to the Hartford bus and train station or Bradley International Airport for school breaks. Prior to each long weekend and break, students will be able to sign up for shuttle transportation using Orah. School provided transportation will not be offered until the end of the academic day so as to encourage students to remain in class if their travel plans allow. 

Students seeking to depart from a major metropolitan area airport will be provided with a list of verified car services. Students and families may arrange transportation on their own or in smaller groups based on individual travel details and needs and should contact services directly for airport destination information, fee structures, passenger and luggage capacity information, and unaccompanied minor services.