How do Top British Boarding schools compare to those in America?

Prep School Admissions
1

I see American boarding schools being discussed a lot in this community but not much related those that we have in England.

So my question is the same as the title. How do the top British boarding schools like Eton, Sevenoaks and Winchester compare to top American schools such as Exeter, Andover and Choate in terms of academics, campus facilities and extracurricular activity offerings?

Would be great if the specific examples that I mentioned be used in the comparison, as these are the options that I am considering at present for myself. Thanks.

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Just a note that this site is geared towards US schools so you may not get the information you are seeking.

3

The American schools you mentioned are all coeducational. The British schools vary. Perhaps you prefer one type of environment over the other?

4

Similar across the board. Obviously the UK schools follow the Cambridge curriculum and the US schools do not. The UK schools have a formal dress code; the US schools - at least the ones mentioned - do not.

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Would guess that theres a cultural difference in that the US schools are very oriented to (trying to) increasing access to kids from a wide spectrum of financial resources. Do people still put kids down at birth for some UK schools? Only 20 years ago this was the case. Financial aid is just less of a thing in the UK.

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This is pretty much as far as I got when my D30 became interested in boarding schools. Her vision for her secondary school curriculum was not compatible with the UK model. More specifically, it seemed potentially workable through the GSCE level, but the AS/A-Level part was sort of the opposite of what she was looking for at that stage.

I wasn’t too surprised, though, because this is sort of what killed my S24’s interest in UK universities for undergrad (although we did get as far as a post-offer visit to St Andrews). If you are looking forward to the more exploratory US approach that basically continues through the first couple years of undergrad, the UK approach is probably not going to be very appealing.

Anyway, my two cents is this is really the first thing people need to be thinking about, academically at least. Once you know what curriculum model you prefer–which really extends all the way through undergrad–you can figure out which schools with that model are otherwise the best fits for you.

But I would personally never advise trying to pick based on which school was “better” in some abstract sense. Because in my view, a school being very good at doing something that is not right for you is not actually helpful.

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7

These schools are preparing students for different university systems which, as a result, emphasize different factors in admissions.

All are very selective, but they select for somewhat different things.

And a degree from UK schools points you toward different university options than a degree from US schools.

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I attended a British boarding (“Public”) school many years ago and my kids now attend a US one. I’d say there are more similarities than differences - academic rigor, demographics, etc. Main differences are, as some people have already pointed out, dress codes and the fact that everyone is preparing for A levels, which really aren’t comparable to APs. Other big thing is alcohol. As an American, I was kind of shocked that you could drink on campus (in certain settings) in your final year.