Why Boarding School

A Conversation About Boarding Schools

Here is a compilation of the various concerns and questions I have fielded from readers. Don't hesitate to DM me on Facebook or Instagram with your questions. I will do my best to answer them.

Canva generated this picture of some parents sitting with the director of admissions of a boarding school.

Parent: Tell me about the advantages of sending my daughter to a boarding school.

School: Your child will build a network of friends that she will have for life.

• The demands of rigorous academic studies combined with compulsory athletics and required extracurricular activities will stretch her ways you never thought possible.
• She will build confidence in her abilities as she accomplishes things she probably didn't realize she could achieve.
• You will know that your child is receiving a comprehensive and balanced education that consists of academics, sports, and extracurricular activities.

Parent; How do I know which school is the best one?

School: You determine that by comparing schools.

• So, make lists of schools. Review their websites.
• Watch their videos. Check out their social media pages pages.
• Did you find any that offer the academic subjects, sports, and extracurricular activities you feel are essential for your child?
• Put those schools on another shorter list.
• Visit those three or four schools. The visit and interview will reveal much about each school.
• Apply to the

We live in the misinformation and disinformation age. That applies to boarding schools as it does to anything you can think of. While I've previously written about boarding school misconceptions in Boarding School Myths, I thought it would be helpful to parents investigating sending their child to a residential school. After all, your child will hear a chorus of misconceptions on social media before you tell her the facts. That's the downside of our receiving information and opinion from social media. Journalism investigates. Social media postulates.

The History of Boarding Schools

The history of boarding schools in the United States is as complex as it is profound. They originated in the colonial period, but their importance grew significantly during the 18th and 19th centuries. The first boarding schools were established by religious groups aiming to provide education to the children of the wealthy elite, often integrating religious teachings with a more traditional curriculum. Many of these early boarding schools were single-gender institutions, instilling a rigidly structured environment that shaped young people according to the societal expectations of the time.

President George Washington visited the Academy during its first year, and spoke in 1789 as part of his tour of New England.

Source: History of Phillips Andover Academy

The 19th century saw the emergence of Native American boarding schools, a less lauded chapter in the history of boarding schools in the U.S. This system was an attempt by the U.S. government to assimilate Native American

A To Z Of Boarding Schools

A - Applying to boarding school

Applying to most boarding schools has become easier in the last 10-15 years. That's because you can apply online at most schools. When schools don't have online applications, they usually have all the application forms and information you need online for you to download.

B - Be aware that diversity is part of boarding schools' DNA in the 21st century.

Yes, back in the 1950s and 1960s, you might have been able to say that boarding schools were elitist. At least, that was the general public's perception. Of course, the media reinforced this perception. However, in the 21st century, boarding schools have made diversity and tolerance the center of their mission and philosophy as most schools seek to prepare their students for life and work in a global community.

C - Competitive schools

Many parents have grand ideas about which boarding schools they want their children to attend. As a result, they focus on the top 10 schools, which receive ten times as many applicants for whom they have places. Having one very competitive school on your shortlist is wise only when you also have two relatively safe schools on that list. Just as with investing, t makes no sense to put all your eggs in one basket.

This brief video showcases Phillips Andover Academy.

D -

American boarding schools have been popular with families from countries outside the United States for many years. The International Education Specialists website lays out five reasons why this is so. Why Study In The USA? 5 Reasons and Benefits Make USA The Best discusses international students in American universities. But the same reasons apply to residential high schools here in the United States.

Canada, the United Kingdom, and several European countries also have residential high schools. They certainly offer families options. So, why then are American boarding schools so popular?

Learning the English Language

There's nothing like a language immersion program to develop a young person's fluency in English. And that's precisely what boarding schools in the United States offer. All classes except foreign language classes such as Spanish and French are taught in English. In addition, English is the language used in most extracurricular activities and sports programs that schools offer. As a result, students for whom English is their second language must speak, read, and understand English, both oral and written, during classes, on stage, and the playing field.

Being immersed in an American boarding school's academic and community life also means that students quickly learn how to speak and think in conversational English. In their daily routines, they pick up the common, everyday casual expressions that you and I take for granted. However, they also learn to switch to more formal phrases when the occasion warrants it.

With all this in mind,

I asked William Ellis, Associate Headmaster for Enrollment Management, Director of Admission, and Director of Financial Aid at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, to discuss educating boys. Bill very kindly offered the following essay in response to my request. ~Rob Kennedy.

Boys’ residential college preparatory schools are more important now than ever before. Statistics, surveys, and polls all show that boys’ achievement is not as strong in high school as their female counterparts. Women outnumber men in four-year colleges by a nearly three-to-two ratio that has been growing since the late 1970s. Some would say a boy crisis in education is brewing or already here. I was at my niece’s graduation from a large, highly competitive university where anecdotally the Chancellor was a woman, the keynote speaker was a woman, the president of the senior class was a woman, three of the four honorees were women and an amazing 65% of the graduates were women. Having been raised in a house of four strong sisters and a superb Mom (Dad and I were outvoted often), believe me, I am proud of all of the strides made by women since I was a boy, and I do not think their journey is complete by any means.

Having spent the first 25 years of my career at independent coed boarding schools, I have had a front-row seat to this phenomenon, of consistently outperforming the boys. My colleagues used to ask me “What’s wrong with the boys?” At first, I