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On this page we cover boarding schools and outline the means for applying to study in the US. For a complete guide to boarding, including information about admissions, please see our introductory guide.
School Name | Pace | Cost | |
---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School (est. 1976)
Middleboro, Massachusetts(USA) Co-ed therapeutic boarding school in Massachusetts for students 11-22 years. Student support is offered for learning disabilities, OCD, anxiety, ADHD, NLD, ASD, attachment disorder, bipolar disorder and depression. View profile |
|
US $100,000 to US $185,000
View profile |
|
Interlochen Arts Academy (est. 1962)
Interlochen, Michigan(USA) Interlochen Arts Academy is the nation’s premier fine arts boarding high school, where emerging artists from around the world transform their passion and potential into purpose. View profile |
|
US $38,000 to US $66,875
View profile |
|
AHA International School (est. 2001)
Greensboro, North Carolina Award-winning college preparatory academics. Pre-professional life skills. Global citizenship reimagined. Beyond academics, AHA features 88,000 square foot athletic center and natatorium, plus a 22-acre lake. View profile |
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US $24,000 to US $42,000
View profile |
|
Montverde Academy (est. 1912)
Montverde, Florida Founded in 1912, Montverde Academy is an elite college preparatory school for students in grades Pre-K3 through post-graduate studies with a distinct student population from over 80 countries worldwide. View profile |
|
US $7,875 to US $51,350
View profile |
Our boarding school guide has advice specific to finding boarding schools. For insights that are more general (on how to evaluate school options) we recommend you review our hub on choosing a school. You can also read our guides to questions to ask private schools and questions students get asked at school interviews.
Private school expos are ideal launching pads for your school-finding journey. All expos are held in the fall at a number of centres across Canada. There are three expos hosted in Ontario, one in Toronto, one in Halton-Peel, and one in Ottawa. Expos are also held each fall in Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. All are opportunities to speak with administrators from leading boarding schools within the regions in which the expos are held.
Word-of-mouth is another powerful tool in your school-finding arsenal. The Our Kids private school discussion forum allows you to discuss your options and debate topics around gifted education. You can use our community of parents, educational experts, alumni, and schools to help answer your questions and stimulate your thinking. Parents are also invited to review our US private school rankings.
Attending open houses is obviously a great way to learn more about a school and get a feel for the environment. For some advice on open house visits, go here. For questions to ask that are specific to boarding programs, refer to our main boarding school hub.
Broadly speaking, the cost of boarding reflects the cost private school tuition in general, though with premiums added to cover housing and meals.
Many schools offer financial aid, including scholarships and bursaries. Financial aid is needs-based, and financial aid programs are created as a means of broadening the student base and attracting students, independent of means, who will contribute most to the culture of the school. Generally speaking, the larger and more expensive schools provide the most aid.
You can read more about financial aid and scholarships in our dedicated guide.
Below you'll find the range of costs at United States boarding schools:
Tuition (boarding school) | Students receiving financial aid | Grade eligibility for financial aid | Avg. aid package size (annual) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Interlochen Arts Academy | 9 - 12 | |||
AHA International School | 41% | 9 - 12 | $18,329 | |
Montverde Academy | 26% | 6 - 12 | $7,500 |
Founding date | Endowment | Admissions rate | Enrollment | Enrollment per grade | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School | 1976 | $0 | 100% | 120 | 17 |
Interlochen Arts Academy | 1962 | 545 | 136 | ||
AHA International School | 2001 | 60% | 140 | 35 | |
Montverde Academy | 1912 | $0 | 45% | 1216 | 81 |
Primary curriculum | Secondary curriculum | Curriculum pace | Academic culture | Average class size | Language immersion | Special needs support | Tech integration |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School | Traditional | Student-paced | Supportive | 10 to 12 | Special needs school | Heavy integration | ||
Interlochen Arts Academy | Liberal Arts | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | Indirect Support | Light integration | |||
AHA International School | Liberal Arts | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 5 to 12 | No support | Heavy integration | ||
Montverde Academy | Traditional | Accelerated | Rigorous | No support |
Legend:
Chamberlain International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interlochen Arts Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
AHA International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Montverde Academy |
Admission deadline | SSAT required | Interview required | Acceptance rate | Next open house | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 6 - 12 | 100% | ||
Interlochen Arts Academy | Day: Jan 14, 2021 Boarding: Jan 14, 2021 | 9 - 12 | |||
AHA International School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 9 - 12 | 60% | ||
Montverde Academy | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 3 - 12 | 45% |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School | |||||||||||||||||
AHA International School | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | |||||||||||||
Montverde Academy |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School | |||||||||||||||||
AHA International School | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | |||||||||||||
Montverde Academy |
Math | Science | Literature | Humanities Social Sciences | Foreign Languages | Fine Arts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Traditional | Perennialism | Equal Balance | Equal Balance |
Interlochen Arts Academy | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance |
AHA International School | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance |
Montverde Academy | Traditional Math | Equal Balance |
Student council | School newspaper | Yearbook | Radio club | Photograph club | Art club |
Choir | Band | Dance club | Yoga club | Drama club | Debate club |
Chess club | Math club | Science club | Robotics club | Computer club | Environmental club | Outdoor club | Community service |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamberlain International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interlochen Arts Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
AHA International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Montverde Academy |
Badminton | Baseball | Basketball | Cricket | Equestrian | Football | Golf | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Rowing | Rugby | Soccer | Softball | Squash | Swimming | Tennis | Track and Field | Volleyball | Wrestling |
|
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Chamberlain International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interlochen Arts Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
AHA International School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Montverde Academy |
The United States is home to some of the oldest and most respected boarding schools on the continent, as well as some of the most progressive schools in the world. All participate in a robust, world-class academic tradition that, in many ways, is second to none.
The US is also home to a greater variety of quality boarding options than you'll find in any other part of the world. Included are preeminent schools in the arts, athletics, and military training, as well as schools renowned as pioneers in academic development and special needs. When it comes to boarding options, if you can't find it here, it's very likely that you can't find it anywhere.
Graduation requirements, as well as the degrees offered, can vary between schools based on focus, curriculum, and affiliation. Often, international students who board in the US will work toward the fulfillment of an International Baccalaureate Diploma.
The International Baccalaureate is a two-year advanced secondary school curriculum that was founded in 1968 and is now taught in schools in more than 140 countries, including many alternative institutions in Canada.
The IB curriculum was created for students aged 16 to 19. It is intended to provide a well-rounded, high quality, advanced course of study that delivers the basics of high school education while challenging students to apply their knowledge and skills through collaboration, discussion, and communication.
In order to earn an IB diploma students complete a course of study in six core subject areas (language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts) an essay of up to 4000 words, and sit standard, externally assessed exams. In addition to course work, students are also required to complete two formal projects and a minimum of 50 hours of community service.
Each of Canada's universities is free to sets its own admissions standards and to assess each candidate based on their own internal criteria. There is no national university entrance exam or governing body overseeing university admissions. As a result, admission criteria can vary widely, even between universities within Canada. Students are required to contact colleges or universities directly to find a list of admission requirements and deadlines, and to submit transcripts in support of their application.
While the specific details of recognition can vary between universities—or, in some cases, even between faculty within a university—the IB diploma is widely accepted as an admission credential if scores earned meet certain targets. In some instances, IB courses and exams are recognized for transfer credit within an institution, used in fulfillment of university degree requirements and/or fulfilling course prerequisite requirements.
NOTE: This is not a legal document, and is intended only to provide a very general overview of the process required of Canadians when applying to study in the United States. For up-to-date information, please refer to the US Department of Homeland Security “Study in the States” guidelines.
Canadians attending high school in the US, including boarding schools, need to enter the country with an F-1 student visa. The visa can be obtained by following these steps:
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