At Loomis Chaffee, academic excellence is greater than just a priority; for many, it is a culture. However, though the ambition in our student body is admirable, it also fuels anxiety on campus as comparison becomes difficult to avoid. Since each student takes their own journey at Loomis, navigating through a range of unique and diverse challenges, the question arises: can their achievements be reduced to a simple number? Though juniors and seniors are given access to simulated GPAs within the context of college applications, the school chooses to withhold GPA numbers from freshmen and sophomores. The idea is not to hide information, but to give students time to grow without the burden of numerical judgment too early. And I believe that it should continue to be this way in the upcoming years.

Some students argue for transparency, one being Abdoulaye Sow ’26. “I think from freshman and sophomore year, we should be able to see our GPAs,” he said. “It sort of gives us a feel for how we’re doing… in case [you] don’t have the best GPA… freshman year, you know that you have to step it up sophomore year.” From this perspective, the number offers accountability and a benchmark for academic improvement.

However, this motivation comes at a cost. “Once I started seeing other people’s GPAs and saw mine, I felt like I wasn’t good enough,” said Stephanie Flores ’26. That sentiment, quietly experienced by many juniors and seniors, exposes the emotional toll GPA visibility can have, especially in a high-performing setting such as Loomis. Academic comparison, while inevitable to some degree, becomes toxic when numerical rankings are introduced early. A freshman only just beginning to adjust to the pace of high school doesn’t—and shouldn’t—have to dwell on a number so often mistaken for a reflection of self-worth. 

There’s also the question of culture. “It’s a lot of comparison here, and like, a lot of competition,” Stephanie said. “It’s not really good for oneself.” Though Loomis fosters ambition, the school also values balance, self-reflection, and growth. These principles can easily be clouded if freshmen and sophomores are pulled into an early GPA competition. Cathy Zhang ’26, said, “We don’t really talk about GPA that much at school. So I think it’s better just to focus on doing well without that pressure. At Exeter, my brother’s school, they have things like top 10%, top 20%, and it creates pressure. I think it’s better for freshmen and sophomores to ease into school and not feel like they have to compete with their peers right away.”

All in all, it’s important to remember that Loomis still offers a cohesive academic overview for students even with the lack of a GPA number. Students have access to transcripts, teacher comments, and advisor check-ins, which are often more than enough. Additionally, those who want to learn their academic standing can do so through context rather than direct competition. GPAs should remain hidden from the underclassmen, not for the sake of secrecy, but for the sake of giving students the room to grow and learn before numerical metrics are interpreted as permanent labels. Once they become visible in junior year, most students are far more prepared and integrated into the school system, therefore ready to face the number as just a grade and never an indicator of self-worth.