Why Boarding School

The decision to attend boarding school is not an easy one. While the quality of resources, activities, and academics offered by boarding schools may be found in local schooling options, boarding schools offer a unique set of benefits and experiences. Our informative articles cover the history of boarding schools in the US, explore the varied types of schools, and provide an overview on why boarding school can be an excellent educational option for your child. Learn more about issues affecting international students, identify some of the oldest and most prestigious boarding schools in the US, and review expert advice on making the right choice.

View the most popular articles in Why Boarding School:

Boarding Schools in a Minute

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Boarding Schools in a Minute
Boarding Schools in a Minute gives an overview of independent residential schools in North America.

Boarding Schools in a Minute gives an overview of independent residential schools in North America. There is much more to boarding schools than these brief headlines convey. Hopefully, these bullets will encourage you to explore this very special education option in depth.

95% of these boarding schools are high schools serving grades 9 through 12, with many schools offering a Post-Graduate Year or Grade 13. A handful of junior boarding schools serve grades 6-9.

Most boarding schools operate within a traditional school year of September through May. A few schools begin their year in August. A couple ends their school year in June. One school only operates during the summer session.

In 2023, there were approximately 450 boarding schools. Tuition at these schools ranges from free to well over $60,000 annually. Boarding schools come in many shapes and sizes. Some are small, with 125 or so students in grades 10 through 12. Others are large, with over 1200 students in grades 9 through 12. Most fall into what is best described as a medium-sized school with a population of 350-450 students.

Many boarding schools are non-sectarian, i.e., they adhere to no particular religious denomination's teachings and views. What they offer instead is an amalgam of mainline religious thought and philosophy. Other schools follow the teachings and beliefs of a particular religion. For example, Jesuit boarding schools adhere to the teachings of

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5 More Schools and Their Founders

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5 More Schools and Their Founders
A private school in its infancy is quite different from the mature community it becomes over time. I wonder what the founders of these five schools would think about them today. I bet they would be very proud of their creations.

It is fascinating to delve into the beginnings of a private school. It's the time when the school is so malleable and so strongly influenced by its founder's zeal and lofty goals. The community is tiny compared to what it will morph into over the years, indeed over the centuries, in some cases. The hardships and sacrifices which are endured are almost unimaginable in this day and age. when new schools seem to pop out of a delivery box fully funded and all set to go.

I hope that you will explore these five schools against the backdrop which I have set out above. They are unique as private schools always are. They have great personalities, characters, and rich histories. Yet they share a common theme and purpose: to provide the very best well-rounded education for their students so that their graduates can make a difference in the world today.

Annie Wright School, Tacoma, Washington

Founded in 1881 Number of students: 436 Grades PK-12: Boys and girls day school PK-8. Girls boarding and day: 9-12 Religious Affiliation: Nonsectarian Setting: Urban

Overview: The school was established by an Episcopal bishop. James Paddock with the financial support of businessman Charles Wright. Bishop Paddock named the school in honor of Wright's daughter Annie. The school was a girls' school until the earthquake of 1949 damaged Lowell School, the local boys' school. AWS set up temporary quarters for boys. The coeducational program expanded to 8th grade in the 1970s.

AWS

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5 More Founders and the Schools Their Gifts Established

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5 More Founders and the Schools Their Gifts Established
Vision. Generosity. High-minded principles. These are the hallmarks of the benefactors of the five schools featured in this article.

In this article we examine five more remarkable private schools which were established with a vision and supported with munificence. The Phillips Family which established the Phillips Academies at Exeter and Andover back in the 18th century had the purest of motives in mind. They understood that a well-educated citizenry would ensure the future of the very young United States of America. "Above all, it is expected that the attention of instructors to the disposition of the minds and morals of the youth under their charge will exceed every other care; well considering that though goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and that both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to mankind." Echols, Edward (1970). The Phillips Exeter Academy, A Pictorial History" Exeter Press

What was taught in these early schools? Bear in mind that there were no schools in America when the colonists arrived. As a result, the early settlers did not have to follow traditions or laws governing the education of their children. Since freedom from religious oppression was the reason so many of the colonists had left England, they made sure that their religious teachings were the core of their academic curricula. Also on the list of subjects were useful skills such as simple arithmetic and spelling. Schools ran year round.

Milton Hershey and Stephen Girard founded their schools in a different time in our nation's maturation. The industrial revolution

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Why Boarding School? It's All About Standards

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Why Boarding School? It's All About Standards
Teachers and parents are unanimous in wanting children to learn. Boarding schools make that learning possible.

I just read another one of those discouraging articles in the New York Times about the low esteem in which America holds its teachers in the 21st century. Author Sam Dillon is referring to public school teachers. This is a difficult time for most public school boards of education as they try to figure out what programs to reduce or eliminate to balance their budgets. Since local school districts are funded principally from taxes on real property, they cannot simply raise the mill rate. Historically, local residents will not pass budgets that have large tax increases. Inevitably, teaching positions are on the table. Teachers face salary and benefit cuts or, even worse, outright job losses. While I most certainly empathize with the teachers' predicament, I also know that private schools stand to reap the benefit of having some of these gifted professionals join their ranks. Besides being able to have a job in their chosen profession, why else would professional teachers want to teach in a boarding school? They would want to do so for many of the same reasons why you and I want our children to attend such residential schools. Let's look at some of the factors which might make an experienced public school teacher consider teaching in the private K-12 sector.

Academic Standards

Teachers want to teach. They love their subject. They know it inside and out at the level at which they have been teaching. They know all the tricks and ways to light

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Recruitment Fairs

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Recruitment Fairs
North American boarding schools regularly send admissions staff overseas to hold recruitment fairs in your area.

Recruitment fairs are events held in locations all over the world that are meant to help boarding schools with their Recruitment of International Students. For example, Linden Educational Services holds Recruitment Fairs in both the Fall and Spring from locations such as East Asia, Latin America, Central Asia, Africa, and Europe. It's been doing this for 9 years. Aimed at parents and students who live in locations all around the world, these recruitment fairs put admissions staff from dozens of boarding schools on location in various International cities. You can meet school representatives and ask all the questions you have about American, Canadian, UK, and Swiss boarding schools.


Why would students from overseas consider attending boarding school in the States?

There are many reasons. As a rule, the main one is that parents want their children to have a world-class education. An International boarding school education will strengthen your child's language skills. Not just English, though it is pretty much the lingua franca in the business and professional world today, your child will also be able to learn a host of other languages, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese, to name a few. International boarding schools generally offer a rich array of courses in many subjects. As you meet with school representatives, have a list of questions handy so that you will remember to ask about matters pertaining to curriculum.

Boarding schools also offer superb preparation for tertiary or college-level studies. While most boarding schools will follow the American

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Why Boarding School

KINDS OF SCHOOLS
There are several types of boarding schools, each offering a unique set of experiences. The articles in this section will provide more information on college preparatory, junior and therapeutic boarding schools. Here you will explore the pros and cons of single sex education, learn the truth about military schools and identify schools with programs for learning disabled students.
Boarding Schools with IB Programs
Boarding Schools with IB Programs
5 Common Myths About Military Schools
5 Common Myths About Military Schools
What?  Boarding School in Canada?
What? Boarding School in Canada?
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
US Boarding schools attract students from all over the world. International students often face a unique set of challenges. This section will cover topics relevant to global students. From English immersion to preparing for entry into a US college or university, we’ll provide helpful tips and resources to help international students make informed decisions.
International Students: Boarding School Benefits
International Students: Boarding School Benefits
Attending Boarding School: English as a 2nd Language
Attending Boarding School: English as a 2nd Language
Recruitment Fairs
Recruitment Fairs
HISTORY
This section provides a comprehensive look at the history of boarding schools in the US. We’ll cover the evolution of private schools, as learn the importance of school mottoes and explore the history of 15 schools and their founders.
How Private Schools Evolved in the United States
How Private Schools Evolved in the United States
Boarding School Pros and Cons: History and Common Misconceptions
Boarding School Pros and Cons: History and Common Misconceptions
School Mottoes
School Mottoes