Top 10 International Boarding Schools In The World

Canadian Academy, Japan

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Canadian Academy (CA), founded in 1913, is an independent pre-K–12 international school in Kobe, Japan on the man-made Rokko Island; more than 35 nationalities are represented in its student body.

Prior to its move to Rokko Island, the school was located in Nagamine-dai, a residential area located below Mt. Maya and Mt. Rokko and overlooking the city of Kobe, for many decades. The school is accredited by the US-based Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS), and is certified to award both International Baccalaureate and US high school diplomas. CA has implemented the IBO Primary Years Program (PYP). and Middle Years Program (MYP).The curriculum is in English.

CA is a member of the Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC). The school's sports teams and arts groups send students to annual tournaments and festivals in coordination with other international schools from China, Hong Kong, Korea and the Philippines and participate in the Western Japan Athletics Association.

CA is the alma mater of Jovan Yamagishi, a professional soccer player who has spent time with teams in Uruguay and Norway, Taizo Sugitani, a member of the Japanese Olympic Equestrian team, guitarist Ellen McIlwaine,singer Jon Levy, and Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress Kelly Chen

The student body is truly international in its make up, with about 17 per cent of students from North America, 7 per cent from Europe, 55 per cent from Asia, and 20 per cent representing the rest of the world. Canadian Academy has an international dormitory for students in grades 9-12. The layout of residences for boarders has been devised to create a family environment and to foster a closer relationship between students and their resident house parents.

Geelong Grammar School, Australia

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Geelong Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located at Corio, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay.

With five specialist campuses – Bostock, Toorak, Timbertop, Middle and Senior School – Geelong Grammar caters for all ages of school students. Now more than 150 years old, Geelong Grammar has developed into one of the most prestigious boarding schools in Australia, most famously hosting HRH Prince Charles at its Timbertop site in 1966.

Geelong Grammar School is Australia’s largest co-educational Boarding School, attracting a remarkable diversity of students from around the world, and promoting the philosophy that education is dynamic and continuous.

The Boarding Campus at Corio is a vibrant centre for sport, recreation and supervised study with more than 100 co-curricular activities available for students.

Teaching at Geelong Grammar School employs implicit and explicit teaching of Positive Psychology skills and principles across every campus and across all aspects of school life which are known to be effective in improving critical thinking skills and increasing positive emotions in students.

Dulwich College Management International

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Dulwich College Management International (DCMI) commenced operations in China, with the establishment of Dulwich College in Shanghai, a co-educational, non-denominational academic institution offering education to the expatriate community, based on the same educational philosophy of Dulwich College London.

Following the success of the Shanghai College DCMI have established Dulwich College in Beijing, Suzhou, and Seoul (South Korea). These Colleges are among the leading private schools in each city with a strong reputation for quality education.

Dulwich College originated in London in 1619. Today, DCMI together with Dulwich College London have entered into a 100 year, exclusive global franchise agreement to expand the Dulwich network around the world, with a specific focus toward the major global financial and cultural capitals in Asia and the Middle East.

Along with expanding the Dulwich College network, DCMI has opened bilingual kindergartens under a separate brand name, Windsor, and the Dulwich College International High School Programme in Zhuhai, located next to Macau in Southern China.

The latter is a unique concept aimed at providing the Dulwich concept of education to the local market. The success of these Colleges and Schools has established DCMI as a leading provider of international school education.

Woodstock School, India

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Situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, Woodstock School is one of the elite residential schools in India. Woodstock School was founded in 1854, and for the majority of its history primarily served the needs of missions and families engaged in social service in India.

This heritage continues today in the school’s commitment to values of excellence, personal responsibility and service. Woodstock aims to develop responsible global citizens and leaders by providing a world-class international education, rooted in its Christian heritage and values, for a diverse group of students, especially from families in Christian or public service, in an Indian Himalayan environment.

The School provides education for students aged 3 to 18, although boarding is only available to students from grade 3 onwards. Woodstock has an international reputation for excellence, as demonstrated by the fact that the majority of its students come from countries other than India.

United World Colleges, Singapore

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United World College of South East Asia promises no less than a holistic, life-defining educational experience for its students across its two campuses in Singapore.

UWCSEA is the second of 13 colleges around the world that are part of the United World College movement, which was established with the aim of averting wars by using education to promote international understanding, uniting people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.

As such, UWCSEA has an international focus and has developed a worldwide reputation for providing a challenging holistic values-based education with an emphasis upon academic achievement, service to others, environmental stewardship, teamwork and leadership.

UWCSEA offers programs for children from kindergarten to grade 12, including a number of International Baccalaureate qualifications

Charterhouse School, England

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Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school (also referred to as a public school) situated at Godalming in Surrey.

Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charterhouse Square, Smithfield, it is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868 which derived from the Clarendon Commission of 1864. Today pupils at Charterhouse are still referred to as Carthusians, and ex-pupils as Old Carthusians or OCs.

Charterhouse celebrates an extraordinary 400 years of public education as one of the great historic schools of England. However, Charterhouse offers a dynamic and progressive education, and its graduates continue to fill the best universities in Britain. Its priority is not examination grades but the stimulation of independent inquiry and intellectual curiosity.

Students are encouraged to maintain a balance between academic work and a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, with sporting and cultural achievements valued equally.

Boys are admitted to Charterhouse in Year 9, when most of them are 13. A limited number of boys from overseas are admitted after taking tests in English, Mathematics and Science, usually in the January of the year of entry. Charterhouse also caters for around 50 girls who are admitted each year into the sixth form.

Westminster Business School, England

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Westminster Business School (WBS) is the business school of the University of Westminster. It is located at the Marylebone campus of the University in Central London, opposite Baker Street station and Madame Tussaud's. It is one of London’s leading centres for business education and has a large and diverse staff base with extensive business, consultancy and research achievements.

To understand what an exceptional educational institution Westminster School is, all you need to do is read the amazing role-call of famous alumni, ranging from historical figures like Christopher Wren, Ben Jonson and AA Milne through to actor Peter Ustinov, the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and famous modern day pop stars, like Dido and Gavin Rossdale.

Westminster Business School is one of London’s leading centres for business education based in the heart of London and its political, media and financial services scene. The School has a large and diverse academic body with extensive business, consultancy and research achievements. Westminster Business School offers a wide range of under and postgraduate business programmes including MBA and other professional and executive education courses.

Westminster School is one of the world’s most distinguished independent boarding and day schools. Amazingly, the origins of the School can be traced back to the monastic school of a Benedictine abbey founded over a thousand years ago. Over each of the past five years, 50 per cent of pupils were accepted by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, 45 per cent chose courses to suit them at the country’s other leading universities and 5 per cent have taken up places at universities in America.

The Business School has a large and diverse staff base with extensive business, consultancy and research achievements, and is accredited by a number of leading bodies. We are committed to the excellence of our teaching and research which is evidenced by our international partnerships and accreditations.

Diocesan School for Girls, New Zealand

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Diocesan School for Girls is a private girls' school in Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand. It is consistently a top-achieving school nationally. The school is Anglican-based and was established in 1903.

The Auckland campus of Diocesan School for Girls is one of the top-performing schools in New Zealand. It has been in operation for more than a century and carries on the sort of reputation for excellence that sees daughters and granddaughters returning to the campus.

Despite its proud traditions and history, this is not a school that stakes its reputation on past glory. It’s on the shortlist of New Zealand’s most dynamic centers of learning, equipped with cutting-edge classroom resources and spectacular recreational facilities. And it’s only getting better with each year.

Many of the students in attendance hail from the area, but a strong contingent of international students is also enrolled. Innes House also has room to accommodate up to 35 boarding students.

Diocesan School history

The school was founded in the early 20th Century by Bishop Moore Richard Neligan of the Anglican Church. The school was a modest operation in those days, but it enjoyed the full support of the community. The charter group was 25 students strong, and it has grown from there into one of the most successful private schools in the country.

The Chapel of Saint Barnabas dates to the earliest years of the school. It was moved onto campus in 1910 and has undergone several restorations and enlargements in the years since. In 1922, an even bigger nave was added, and at that point the building looked much more like it does today.

Today, the school caters for more than 1,600 students that span every level of primary and secondary education. Many of the school’s traditions remain the same, but a wave of technological enhancements has had a profound effect on the way today’s students learn. Millions have been spent on notebook computers, interactive whiteboards and computer facilities. In fact, Diocesan is now one of New Zealand’s top-100 IT organizations.

Academics

At the root of the school’s educational philosophy is an earnest desire to inspire lifelong learning. The typical graduate is a digital native, a critical thinker and a person of genuine resolve. This is partially achieved by encouraging interactive learning that sparks a contagious desire to carry on with the material outside of the classroom.

Two study tracks are available to seniors: the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and the National Certificate of Educational Achievement. Each student and her family must choose one or the other, but the school provides ample resources and advisement in coming to a decision.

The administration also stresses the importance of ethics and morality. Diocesan School advocates a list of four STAR Values: success, tradition, achievement and respect. Girls are encouraged to find innovative ways to implement the values both in their academic careers and in their daily lives.

Branksome Hall, Canada

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Branksome Hall is an independent girls' school for day and boarding students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. Founded in 1903, the school is located on a 13-acre campus in in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Educating girls from junior kindergarten to university entrance, it is an independent, non-denominational girls’ day and boarding school and teaches the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB), a qualification recognized around the world.

Branksome offers a strong liberal arts curriculum that develops critical thinking and inquiry skills, fosters a balance between academics and co-curricular choices, and emphasizes a global perspective. Boarding students at Branksome can enroll from Grades 8-12, and enjoy an enriched program within the caring residence environment.

Branksome has an international outlook, with many of its highly qualified teachers having international teaching experience, and girls from Branksome are now to be found in the top universities around the world. Notable alumni include prominent journalists, politicians, authors and actresses.

A century of excellence

Branksome Hall has over 100 years experience inspiring girls to embrace learning and affect change for a better world. From the school’s inception, the administration recognized the importance of physical fitness in promoting health and confidence, and even the earliest groups of students were engaged in outdoor activities like basketball, archery and lacrosse.

The curriculum focuses on liberal arts, and students are encouraged to fine tune their skills of critical thinking and inquiry. Participation in the IB association ensures that the highest educational standards are maintained at every grade level, so that graduating seniors are among the most qualified and university-ready in the world.

Campus life

A small contingent of students lives on campus as part of the residency program. These students live in one of three boarding halls in an idyllic 13-acre forested setting. Each girl in the residency program has a roommate assigned according to age, grade and mutual interests. Beyond this, activities including spirit week and the “Walk for the World” encourage a tighter-knit campus community.

The residence halls each have their own communal areas with cable television and comfortable sofas. There is also a computer workroom where girls can access their e-mail accounts and use the internet to help with homework assignments and projects. A piano area, kitchen and laundry room are also on hand.

Life in Toronto includes fantastic cultural opportunities, as well. Students in residence embark on weekend excursions that explore local art galleries, museums and libraries, and there is ample opportunity to head out on supervised shopping expeditions. Boarders also undergo thorough orientation, so that they can make full use of the city’s transit system, festivals and restaurants when appropriate.

JFK International, Switzerland

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Switzerland is synonymous with high quality boarding schools, and one of the reasons for this is JFK International.
Located in one of the most beautiful mountain villages in the Swiss Alps, JFK is a classic English language international boarding and day school that caters for 60 to 70 students between the ages of 5 and 14.

While JFK is internationally renowned for its excellence in education, it prides itself on being a small family-style organization where children are treated as individuals. While JFK maintains the latest computer learning aids, the school considers the interaction between students and teachers to be the most important factor in developing the talents of every child.

The Kennedy School is an idyllic place for children to grow and develop. The curriculum at JFK is especially designed for international schools and provides students with many experiences through activities, excursions and sports. Fundamental to its success is the strong belief that each child is a unique individual with differing needs.

Teaching philosophy

Upon entering the school, parents and students will see a beam inscribed with the words, “Of those to whom much is given, much is required.” It’s a biblical verse that was dear to namesake John F Kennedy. The administrators and teachers who work at the school believe that those with the opportunity to study at such a prestigious institute have a debt to society. It’s a powerful sentiment that underpins every aspect of life on campus.

The school’s curriculum embraces globalization and reflects the latest breakthroughs in teaching methods and classroom technology. A total of six classes have anywhere from 10 to 15 students each, ensuring that each child benefits from a high level of access to teachers and facilities.

In addition to studying English, mathematics, social studies, science and French, students are also immersed in the arts, including music and drama. Information technology and physical education also factor into the weekly course load.

Campus life

Students live in the boarding chalet, a rustic Bernese farmhouse that can house up to 30 boarders. Genders are separated by floor, and live-in house parents look after each student’s health and wellbeing.

The school is planted in Saanen, a forested and agricultural area. Students participate in sports and activities on campus, and roughly 40 planned activities involve hiking, visiting art galleries and attending festivals. On top of this, every class embarks on a six-day excursion during the final term.

Each student receives a weekly allowance and has the opportunity to head into Saanen or Gstaad for shopping and other low-key activities. Of course, children are closely supervised by teachers and staff regardless of where they venture.