Data taken from the 2026 State of the Academy.
The release of The Phillipian’s 2026 State of the Academy (SOTA) last Friday prompted reflections on survey results related to feminism, socioeconomic status, the Head of School, and drug use at Andover. Conducted annually by The Phillipian, SOTA is an anonymous survey that aims to represent student experiences and perspectives at Andover. This year, 76 percent of the student body completed the 134-question survey, marking a 1.8 percent increase from 2025’s completion rate.
In the SOTA’s Politics & Worldview section, 96.3 percent of respondents said they supported the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of feminism, while only 67.4 percent said they considered themselves feminists. Vivienne Giebels ’29 explained how it conflicts with her own understanding of feminism.
“That’s disappointing. I mean feminists are just fighting for equality of females. If that is the correct definition or if that’s how I’m viewing it, that’s not good,” said Giebels.
Henry Wall ’27 expanded on this ambiguity, suggesting the addition of questions that address varying definitions of feminism between students.
“I overheard someone talking about how the definition of feminism has changed, because the word itself can carry certain connotations. For some men, calling themselves feminists can feel emasculating, even if they support women’s rights. It’s important that both questions are included, because supporting women’s rights and equality probably gives a more accurate sense of where Andover students stand on feminist issues than simply asking whether they identify as feminists,” said Wall.
The 2026 SOTA reported that 58.6 percent of respondents whose families make between $500,000 and $999,999 annually still considered themselves middle or upper-middle class. Philip Molina ’28, who looks at this statistic each year, explained how it reveals differences in student experiences and perspectives.
“There were definitely people in the higher tax brackets that thought they were middle class when by America’s standards, they would be upper class. There is something to be said, though, about the fact that we have a large amount of international students. As someone from New York City, which has a higher yearly income for you to be considered wealthy would be harder because of the high cost of living. If you’re from a more rural state or an international country that may not be so economically strong, a lower income could make you upper class or could make you lower,” said Molina.
Molina continued, “I do not think that people who do not know their private income are automatically privileged, that they don’t know the number because money isn’t an issue for their family… It is totally [a] case-by-case basis. Some people just don’t have those conversations because their family chooses to withhold that number or avoid the topic entirely.”
This year marks a shift in student reception of Head of School Raynard Kington, with 46.3 percent of students expressing approval of his work, a decrease from 55.6 percent last year. Azul Cabrera ’28 suggested that some students, especially upperclassmen, may be more critical about his position than others, contributing to this decrease.
“I am pretty neutral about the Head of School. I’ve been here for two years, and he’s been the only Head of School, so I don’t have a point of reference. Maybe the reason why it goes down by grade is because people have been with him for longer. They’ve experienced stuff that might make them more cynical of the head of school and had more time to experience the flaws of him,” said Cabrera.
This year, 58.0 percent of respondents believe that drug use is normalized at Andover, down from 67.7 percent reported in the 2025 SOTA. Despite the improvement, Molina believes that there is potential for work to be done, particularly with the advent of the Wellness Council.
“The Wellness Council might be able to help change our drug use culture. I’m really excited to see what the wellness council does. I deeply admire these students who are working towards it because it is such an important goal for Andover. There is no one better to lead it than a council of students themselves who understand the culture here and life and can do something about it,” said Molina.
