Getting Started

Finding an affordable boarding school may sound too good to be true. Yet it really is possible. I found twelve boarding schools when I searched Boarding School Review using the simple search string "least expensive schools." Our powerful search engine sorted the boarding schools listed on our site by tuition. I then filtered out three schools: two were located in Canada, and the other was a summer boarding school.

Today, tuition and fees have changed since this article was first published, so families should always verify current costs directly with each school before applying. However, the principle remains the same. There are boarding schools that provide an excellent education at a significantly lower cost than many families expect. If you are beginning your search, Choosing a School: DO's and DON'TS offers practical advice on evaluating schools beyond tuition alone.

Then, a dozen boarding schools charge approximately $20,000 per year or less for tuition, room, and board. I discovered that one school on the list offered 30 Advanced Placement courses, and another offered the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. While tuition figures and academic offerings should always be confirmed with each school, these examples demonstrate that affordability does not necessarily mean sacrificing academic quality. Explore these schools and determine whether perhaps one or more suits your requirements.

When comparing affordable boarding schools, it is also worth looking beyond the published tuition. Financial aid, scholarships, payment plans, travel costs, and additional fees can all influence the total cost of

Recently I landed in Jakarta on a recruiting trip. Immediately upon exiting the terminal, as happens in many countries, a small crowd of entrepreneurial "taxi drivers" surrounded me, all trying to grab my suitcase and waving their "Official Airport Taxi ID" badges in my face. Had I not been a seasoned traveler, it would have been very difficult for me to determine which of them, if any, to believe. They all looked authentic and sounded sincere.

Like inexperienced travelers, most prospective families know very little about boarding schools when they first start looking. They need support in determining which school is right for them. They must rely on word of mouth, the research they can do themselves, online reviews, school profiles, and their own intuition. But this is easier said than done. If you visit enough schools, which you should, they can begin to appear quite similar. Determining which school is truly the right fit for your family can feel overwhelming.

The good news is that families today have more information available than ever before. School websites, virtual events, student testimonials, strategic plans, social media channels, and resources such as Boarding School Review allow families to research schools in greater depth before ever stepping onto a campus. Yet even with all of this information, finding meaningful differences between schools remains one of the biggest challenges in the admissions process.

Why So Many Boarding Schools Sound Similar

If you read the mission statements, vision statements, school philosophies, taglines, and

Why We Chose Boarding Rather than Day School

Deciding whether to send your child to boarding school instead of day school is a decision most of us parents make early on in the private school search process. Here is our story. I taught in day schools and was a deputy director of one of them. Nancy and I choose to send both daughters to boarding schools for the reasons I discuss below. I hope that our experience will help to inform you as you make this critical decision about which kind of private school will be best for your child.

At the time, we were considering sending our children to private schools, and we were fortunate to live in an area with good schools. My late wife, Nancy, indeed graduated from the local high school. In fact, she was chair of the local school board when we decided to explore other options for our daughters' schooling. So it wasn't the schools per se which were the issue. Four factors shaped our decision.

The high school curriculum was solid. The teachers were experienced and competent. The school was small as high schools go, with a student population of 400 students in grades 7 through 12. There were football and basketball teams, a highly-acclaimed marching band and a couple of clubs. That, however, was what made us want more for our daughters. We wanted them to read five Shakespeare plays a year. Not just the one play a year

Part of the fun of parenting is that there is no owner's manual issued when your child is born. You and I buy cars, televisions, and computers with reams of documentation. But nothing came with your daughter or mine. You had to rely on your instincts, judgment, and common sense in order to raise her to become the young adult who now is poised to head off on a great adventure, namely, going off to boarding school.

Your daughter is unique. So are boarding schools. While no two schools are alike, they all share a common aim: to educate your daughter academically, spiritually, and athletically. They strive to build on the solid foundation which you have so lovingly laid over these past fourteen or fifteen years. Now it is time to let her go and advance and grow in this next important stage of her maturation.

Still, all of us parents approach the process of finding the right school with more than a little trepidation. Questions keep popping up. Some questions even nag a bit.

"How do I know which boarding school is the best one for her?"

"How can I compare schools that all seem so wonderful yet are so different?"

"How do I know that she will be prepared properly for college work?"

"Will the school see the potential which I see in my daughter or will she be just another child occupying a place?"

Take a deep breath. Trust your instincts.

Choosing a School: DO's and DON'TS

Choosing the right boarding school is a major milestone for any family.

• The process can feel overwhelming, with countless factors to consider, from academics and campus life to logistics and your child’s unique needs.
• In this article, we break down the essential dos and don’ts of school selection, drawing on years of experience and insights to help you make a confident, informed decision.

Here are some considerations to ponder whilst choosing schools and when your child is actually away at school.

DO: Visit schools.

Visiting schools takes a lot of time and effort.

• It is, however, one of the most important parts of the school selection process.
• Use the search tools on this site to develop a preliminary list of schools that interest you and your child.
• If you are located overseas, be sure to research flights to major ports of entry, such as Seattle and Los Angeles on the west coast and Boston, New York, Atlanta, and Miami on the east coast, and Denver and Chicago in the western and midwestern parts of the country.

If you have to make an emergency trip to your child's school, you will understand why this step is so important.

• Once you have developed your preliminary list, refine it to a shortlist of 3-5 schools.
• Then visit these schools to determine if they are indeed a good fit for your