Boarding School Sexual Abuse

Understanding Sexual Abuse at Boarding Schools

At boarding schools, students live on campus and away from the protection of their families. They often reside alongside teachers, coaches, and dorm parents who have significant control over their daily routines.

This unique environment may allow adults to spend time alone with children unsupervised. Many predators have exploited this arrangement by sexually abusing students — but survivors are now coming forward to seek justice.

Boarding school sexual abuse lawsuits allege: 

• Abusers used their positions of authority to gain trust and groom students
• Reports of abuse were often dismissed, ignored, or minimized by school officials
• Known predators were allowed to continue working with students
• Schools prioritized their reputation over the safety of students and often failed to notify law enforcement about allegations of abuse

“For children living away from home, staff play a unique role in their lives, and this may create a dynamic of power and control that can be abused by offenders. The innate power imbalance between children wanting to succeed and staff responsible for helping them can facilitate abuse.”
– The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse 

When adults exploit the responsibility entrusted to them at a boarding school, the impact on their students can last a lifetime.

Boarding School Abuse Settlements & Verdicts

Boarding school abuse can cause some students to struggle with depression, anxiety, addiction, and other issues well after they’ve left the school.

Compensation from a boarding school sexual abuse settlement or verdict can help survivors access the resources they need to heal and allow them to hold abusive institutions accountable.

Payouts from boarding school abuse lawsuits include: 

• $345 Million to 20 students who were sexually abused at Darlington School in Georgia during the 1970s and 1980s
• $166 Million for Native Americans who were abused at Jesuit-run boarding schools in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska
• $1.2 Million for a student who was sexually abused by a female coach at the Ben Lippen School in North Carolina
• $14 Million to a former male student of the California School for the Deaf
• Over $100 Million to individuals who were abused at Miracle Meadows in West Virginia, which has ties to the troubled teen industry

Hundreds of other boarding school sexual abuse lawsuits have resulted in confidential settlements, meaning the amount awarded has not been made public.

List of Abusive Boarding Schools in the U.S.

Over the past several decades, dozens of boarding schools across the United States have faced allegations of sexual abuse.

Many of these institutions are accused of not acting on credible reports of abuse, fostering a culture of silence, and failing to protect young students.

Boarding schools where abuse allegedly occurred in the U.S. include:

• Many Native American boarding schools
• Agape Boarding School
• California School for the Deaf
• Choate Rosemary Hall
• Darlington School
• Deerfield Academy
• Horace Mann School
• The Lawrenceville School
• Miss Hall’s School
• Miracle Meadows
• Phillips Exeter Academy
• St. George’s School
• The Thatcher School

Find out more about these boarding school sexual abuse cases below.

Abuse in Native American Boarding Schools

From the early 1800s through the late 20th century, the U.S. government established hundreds of boarding schools for Native American children. These institutions were designed to strip Indigenous children of their language, traditions, and identities.

Thousands of kids were sent to live at schools that were far from their homes. They were often told they’d never see their loved ones again if they spoke out about the sexual abuse they experienced.

Native American boarding school abuse reportedly took place at:

• Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
• Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon
• Holy Childhood of Jesus Boarding School in Harbor Springs, Michigan
• St. Catherine’s Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico
• St. Ignatius Mission School in St. Ignatius, Montana
• St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota
• St. Mary’s Mission School in Omak, Washington
• St. Paul’s Mission School in Hays, Montana
• Wrangell Institute in Wrangell, Alaska

Many of these boarding schools were operated by religious institutions like the Catholic Church. Over 100 priests and other clergy members have been accused of sexually abusing Native American students.

Agape Boarding School Abuse

Agape Boarding School in Stockton, Missouri was an all-boys Christian school that closed in January 2023 following allegations of physical and sexual assault:

• Dr. David Smock, the school’s physician, was arrested and charged with multiple sex crimes against minors in 2021
• At least 5 other staff members have also faced criminal charges for abusing students
• One Agape boarding school lawsuit alleges that the sexual abuse suffered by a former student caused lasting trauma and contributed to his death years later

To date, at least 16 former students have received confidential settlements for the abuse they endured while attending Agape.

California School for the Deaf

Ricardo Rose, who spent decades working as a dorm attendant at the state-run California School for the Deaf, was accused of sexually abusing a former student between 2009 and 2011.

Multiple other survivors have since come forward regarding sexual abuse by Rose, including one boy who allegedly told a teacher and the principal about the abuse but was dismissed.

Choate Rosemary Hall Sexual Abuse

Choate Rosemary Hall, a co-ed boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, has faced decades of sexual abuse claims. In 2017, an investigation found that at least 12 faculty members reportedly abused students between the 1960s and 2010s.

In many cases, administrators handled allegations internally, opting to quietly dismiss staff members or allow them to continue teaching. One such case involved Charles Timlin, who worked at Choate for over 25 years. In 2010, he was accused of kissing a student.

“[The headmaster] said Mr. Timlin could stay on at Choate if he saw a psychiatrist and moved out of the girls’ dorm, where he worked as an adviser. He was also required to sign a letter of resignation, which could be used if any other accusations came to light or if the episode with the student ‘became more of a public matter.’”
– The New York Times 

Darlington School

In April 2024, a judge awarded $345 Million to 20 survivors of sexual abuse at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia.

The abuse occurred from 1977 to 1988 and reportedly involved Robert Stifflemire, an English teacher and dorm parent at the school. One student who attempted to resist Stifflemire’s advances was expelled in his senior year as a result.

Lawsuits also claim that Darlington staff members knew or should have known about the abuse but remained silent and, in some cases, attempted to conceal information about Stifflemire’s misconduct.

Deerfield Academy Sexual Abuse

Deerfield Academy is a private boarding and day school in western Massachusetts. The school has been the subject of multiple sexual abuse allegations involving teachers and members of the athletic department.

In 2013, Deerfield Academy released a report acknowledging that administrators were aware of abuse allegations as early as the 1980s but failed to take meaningful action. One teacher was only given verbal and written warnings for his behavior.

Faculty members accused of sexually abusing students include:

• Peter Hindle
• Bryce Lambert
• Norman Therien

Deerfield Academy has since paid out several settlements to resolve sexual abuse claims brought by former students.

Horace Mann School Sex Abuse

More than 60 former students of the Horace Mann School in the Bronx were reportedly sexually abused by staff members between the 1960s and 1990s.

In 2013, the school publicly acknowledged the abuse and agreed to enter mediation with those affected. However, survivors were reportedly offered limited compensation and asked to agree to a media blackout as part of the settlement.

At the time, New York’s statute of limitations prevented many from taking legal action. Since then, the state has passed legislation extending the deadline for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits, giving some former Horace Mann students a renewed opportunity to seek justice.

Lawrenceville School Sex Abuse

The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey is a preparatory high school for boarding and day students. Multiple former students have accused school staff of serious sexual misconduct, which the school has since publicly acknowledged.

Many of these claims involve Bruce Presley, a former Lawrenceville teacher and housemaster who reportedly had students exercise naked in front of him as a form of punishment.

School administrators were allegedly aware of this behavior as early as the 1970s, but they allowed Presley to continue working.

Miracle Meadows Sexual Abuse

Miracle Meadows was a boarding school for troubled youth in Salem, West Virginia that was operated as a ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The school was open from 1987 until 2014, when reports surfaced of staff members isolating, starving, shackling, and sexually assaulting children. Since then, multiple survivors have received compensation from Miracle Meadows lawsuits.

Miracle Meadows abuse settlements include:

• $52 Million: In 2020, approximately 29 former students received compensation for the physical and sexual abuse they endured at Miracle Meadows.
• $50 Million: In 2023, after the statute of limitations on sexual abuse claims in West Virginia was extended, an additional 32 survivors came forward and received compensation.

With payouts totalling over $100 Million, this is believed to be one of the largest sexual abuse settlements in West Virginia’s history.

Miss Hall’s Sexual Abuse

Miss Hall’s School is an all-female boarding school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In 2024, former employee Matthew Rutledge was accused of grooming and sexually abusing multiple students.

Rutledge used his role as a coach, teacher, and advisor to gain the trust of both students and their families before abusing the girls he was supposed to care for.

This Berkshire boarding school sex scandal brought to light administrative failures at Miss Hall’s, as survivors had reportedly informed staff members about the abuse decades before it became known to the public.

Phillips Exeter Academy Sexual Abuse

Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire is often ranked among the top boarding schools in the country. However, the prestigious institution has faced intense scrutiny over their decades-long pattern of sexual abuse.

Claims against Phillips Exeter Academy allege:

• At least 11 former staff members sexually abused students
• Principals and deans held confidential files that detailed abuse allegations against staff
• Reports of abuse were left out of personnel files, allowing predators to get hired at other schools
• Administrators failed to report sexual misconduct to the authorities

Exeter has also come under fire for their response to peer-on-peer sexual assault. In one case, the school ordered a student to bring homemade bread to the girl he assaulted each week, forcing her to have repeated contact with her abuser.

St. George’s School Sexual Abuse

In 2016, an independent investigation found that St. George’s staff members failed to protect students and prevent extensive abuse from taking place. Over 60 girls and boys who attended the Rhode Island school experienced sexual abuse.

In the 1970s, at least 20% of female students were sexually abused by Al Gibbs, a trainer at St. George’s, according to the investigation.

The school reportedly continued to support abusers after they had been fired, including awarding Gibbs a $1,200 annual grant for distinguished service and providing another predator with a letter of recommendation for other teaching jobs.

Thacher School Abuse

The Thacher School, an elite boarding school in Ojai, California, has been the subject of multiple lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct over more than 40 years.

In 2021, an independent investigation identified at least 8 staff members accused of sexually abusing or engaging in inappropriate behavior with students.

Staff members named in the report include:

• Brandon Doyle (coach and advisor)
• John Friborg (college counselor, teacher, and coach)
• Rod “Jake” Jacobsen (teacher)
• Derick Perry (teacher)
• Tim Regan (teacher)
• Dana Vancisin (horse department staff)
• Tom Woodward (teacher and coach)
• Willard “Bill” Wyman (headmaster)

This is not a complete list of boarding schools where sexual abuse may have occurred. If you or a loved one experienced abuse at a boarding school, you are not alone — and you may have legal options.

Boarding School Sexual Abuse Reports & Statistics

Since boarding schools often operate with limited oversight and may work to cover up allegations of abuse, statistics on boarding school sexual assaults are limited.

As private institutions, these schools are often exempt from public records requests. Some survivors are also made to sign nondisclosure agreements when receiving a settlement, which may prevent them from speaking out.

Yet in recent years, independent investigations, surveys, and brave survivors who have come forward about their experiences have shed light on the widespread abuse occurring in boarding schools across the country.

Since 1991, at least 67 private schools in New England alone have faced accusations of sexual abuse and harassment, with more than 200 students reporting abuse by staff members, according to the Boston Globe.

Additionally, an estimated 27% of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) — children who grow up in a culture different from their parents — who attend boarding school report experiencing sexual abuse, according to a survey by TCK Training.

While the full scope of sexual abuse in boarding schools remains unknown, our team is committed to helping survivors get the justice they deserve.

Get Help from Boarding School Abuse Attorneys

No child should have to endure sexual abuse, especially in a place that’s meant to protect and educate them. Sadly, abuse in boarding schools has occurred for decades at schools across the country.

Our legal partners have the resources needed to hold negligent institutions accountable in order to prevent future abuse and pursue compensation for those who have been harmed.

The boarding school abuse attorneys in our network have:

• Over 45 years of experience fighting for survivors of abuse
• No upfront costs or hourly fees
• More than $10 Billion total secured for our clients

If you or a loved one experienced boarding school sexual abuse, you deserve justice.

Contact us now to get a free, no-obligation case review. We’re here to listen and help you take the next step.