The Kiski School

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Kiski School

Established	1888
Type	Private all-male secondary
Headmaster	Christopher A. Brueningsen
Students	210
Grades	9–12 & PG
Location	Saltsburg, Pennsylvania USA
Campus	Rural
Mascot	Cougars
Website	www.kiski.org

The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania is the oldest remaining all-male boarding school in the United States. It was founded in 1888 on the site of a former summer resort by Andrew Wilson, cousin of future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The school, approximately 40 miles (60 km) east of Pittsburgh, is situated on a wooded hill overlooking the Kiskiminetas River separating Westmoreland County from Indiana County and has an enrollment of roughly 210 boys from grades 9-12 & PG. 35% of the student body is from outside the United States. The John A. Pidgeon Library, located on campus, has been recognized for its outstanding quality and service.

There are 60 different courses that make up Kiski's classic, yet innovative liberal arts education, including history, literature, social and natural sciences, and fine arts. These courses mirror the curriculum in the nation's best universities. Student life is active, multifaceted, and based around the campus. Kiski has a nine-hole golf course, two swimming pools, tennis courts, and football, baseball, and soccer fields. There are at least 17 active student organizations, performing-arts groups, and community service opportunities. Kiski requires every student to participate in athletics. Because the goal of the athletic program is to encourage every boy to play a sport at his level of ability, students are not graded on their athletic performance. Kiski offers 13 sports teams (10 at the varsity level), and a range of junior varsity and freshmen teams. There is also a summer golf camp. Kiski boys live two to a room in one of nine dorms. Normally, there are two or more faculty members-as well as their families and pets-in each residence. Every Kiski boy eats meals with a faculty family and adheres to a coat-and-tie dress code.

In 2003, Kiski reinstated a day-student program that allows students to attend without having to reside on campus.

The current headmaster is Chris Brueningsen. Kiski's former headmaster, John A. Pidgeon, transformed the school, which was near financial ruin upon his arrival in 1957, to its current level of success, including the development of a healthy endowment and revitalized campus physical plant. Pidgeon retired in 2004.