10 Reasons for International Students to Attend an American Boarding School

American boarding schools offer unique opportunities that you’d be hard-pressed to find in classrooms elsewhere, including both public and private day schools. For international students, the advantage is even greater, as American boarding schools provide some of the highest quality academics across the globe. For almost twenty years, we’ve been helping domestic, expat, and international students find the right American boarding school to reach their needs, so we’ve come up with a list of over 10 reasons for international students to attend American boarding schools.

1. Quality of instruction and dedicated teachers

The quality of instruction that is found in boarding schools is unmatched by even the most prestigious day schools. With small class sizes and a classroom culture that thrives on interaction, each student has the opportunity to learn in a way that best suits them. 

2. A plethora of hands on experiences are offered

From science labs to robotics, to art studios, theater spaces, and musical performance, hands-on learning in all areas is not only encouraged, but it is facilitated to its fullest. Beyond allowing students to express their creativity, hands-on experiences allow learning to go beyond the theoretical and into the practical side of knowledge, helping students to really make meaning of the world around them. 

3. Warm, close, inclusive community from students to faculty

At a boarding school, students are immersed into a living/learning community and surrounded by people who see them, care about them, want to see them succeed. Students, faculty, and administrators all live within close proximity to one another, bringing learning experiences to students’ everyday lives outside of the classroom. This type of lifestyle facilitates great character development for students from a young age, setting them up for great success. 

4. Specialized programs to help students with learning differences who need extra support

Regardless of what a child’s needs are, the perfect school for them does exist. Students with learning disabilities and differences from mild to severe can thrive in the right environment, and some American boarding schools specialize in working with students with particular needs. This type of education is rare overseas, but some American institutions were founded with this sole purpose. 

5. Opportunities for world-class preparation in specialized fields

Some boarding schools have incredible programs for those going into the arts or STEM fields. If your child has a strong interest in one of these areas, the immersive, hands-on experience a boarding school promotes will allow your child to learn, grow, and improve in the most significant way.  

6. Strong faculty-student relationships

At most boarding schools, teachers live on or near campus with their own families, so they are there after hours to give students extra help and serve as mentors and advisors. Teachers often open their homes to students and eat meals with students, creating much stronger bonds than are common at day schools, and encouraging intelligent conversations that bring inside the classroom learning to everyday life. 

7. Some schools are small and extremely personal, others medium size, and others are quite large.

Whatever environment your child thrives in, there’s a perfect match for them. Each type of school has something unique to offer in its culture and community, and different students are best served in different environments. Some schools offer a very small, intimate experience, while others are more similar in size to a small college. 

8. Various schools have different strengths and offer unique electives students can take for fun like glassblowing, jewelry making, and all kinds of art and music classes

Your students strengths and interests can all be given the attention they deserve at the right boarding school. Creativity is proven to be a learned, rather than innate, quality, and engaging in the creative electives that boarding schools offer will help students to use their creativity in solving complex problems. 

9. Amazing facilities in some schools on par with a small university

The world-class facilities that some boarding schools offer rival those of some of the most prestigious small universities. Some art studios, robotics labs, science labs, and more offer state of the art equipment that students can use from a young age. This offers the most impactful learning opportunities and puts children way ahead of their day school peers in terms of experience and knowledge. 

10. Students take cool trips and travel as a class both domestically and abroad

Imagine learning about a historical event or geological phenomenon and then being able to experience it for yourself. This unique experience is often possible at boarding schools, as students are not limited to field trips that are just a bus ride away. The learning that takes place on trips goes far beyond the obvious knowledge-based offerings, but also steps into problem solving, self-sufficiency, financial responsibility, and building character.

11. A warm welcome to international students – we want you! 

We found one more important reason ….. American boarding schools are happy to welcome international students! The more diverse the student body is, the better learning experience every student has. New perspectives and experiences are always welcome and invited for the good of all! 

If any of these experiences resonate with you as a past international boarding school student, please let us know in the comments down below! If you are a parent who is looking to give their child the incredible opportunity that an American boarding provides, please contact us today so we can help you find the best school for your child’s unique needs.