Phillips Exeter Academy is a highly selective coeducational independent school for boarding and day students between the 9th and 12th grade. It is located in Exeter, New Hampshire, capital of the state during the American Revolutionary War, in the historic New England region, and is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is particularly noted for its innovation and application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking questions and creating discussions. The Harkness method and table is used in every subject taught at the school, and has been widely replicated in private secondary schools around the world.