History

Lake Forest Academy was founded in 1857 as a school for boys in the Presbyterian town of Lake Forest, Illinois. It opened with four students. The Young Ladies' Seminary at Ferry Hall, later simplified to just Ferry Hall School, was founded in 1869. The schools proceeded with their separate missions of educating young men or young women until the early 1970's when the schools coordinated their efforts. Full merger of the schools to form the coeducational Lake Forest Academy-Ferry Hall School took place in 1974. Later, the school name became just Lake Forest Academy.

Ferry Hall
Ferry Hall School was founded 131 years ago, in 1869, as the Young Ladies Seminary at Ferry Hall. The school was established though a $15,000 bequest from the Rev. William Montague Ferry. Unlike many in its day, Ferry Hall was no mere finishing school. From the outset, the school's course of study was rigorous and included rhetoric, classical history, trigonometry and foreign languages.

Ferry Hall came into its own during the tenure of beloved Headmistress Eloise Tremaine, from 1918 to 1945. Miss Tremain's high standards and ideals guided generations of alumnae. Under her leadership, FH expanded its facilities, strengthened its faculty and upgraded its curriculum. Other leaders responsible for the success of FH include Frances Wallace (1945-57), Robert Andrus (1957-64), Marian Smith (1965-70) and John A. Bird (1970-1973).

Ferry Hall always had a strong association with Lake Forest Academy and the two schools officially merged together in 1975. Today, the ideals of a Ferry Hall education are embodied in the girls who prepare themselves for college at Lake Forest Academy.