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Best boarding schools

Top schools matching your biggest concerns

Many sources ostensibly offer a list of the best boarding schools. At Our Kids, we're hesitant to do this, because there is no such thing as the top boarding school for any child no matter who that child is. Sources such as The Fraser Institute rank schools based on a variety of criteria. We believe you need to make your own decision about what is best for you and your child, based on your unique needs and considerations. We don't think you should trust anyone else to make that decision for you. That said, we help you prioritize your own needs and find schools that best match your top priorities.
 
Before you decide on the boarding school, in Canada or elsewhere, that is highest on your list, you need to consider the following ideas from our step by step guide to choosing the right school:

Understand the needs of your child, prioritize these, and decide how important it is that a school matches up with these needs. If your child has a learning disorder that takes priority over many other considerations, for example, many boarding schools have a variety of solutions to that.
 
Make a list of priorities that includes other considerations such as finances, location, class sizes, size of the school, and other factors that you might think important.
 
Make a short list of 3 to 5 boarding schools, then begin evaluating which is best for your family's needs. Our Kids' private school expos are the industry leader in helping parents meet face-to-face with schools. If you can attend an expo, this is the best way to learn about the schools you are interested in. It is ideal to narrow your search down to 2 or 3 schools, visit those schools and learn all you can firsthand about them.
 
Download Our Kids' Guide to Choosing the Best School
 
As you move closer to deciding on the boarding school that is best for you, keep in mind this list of other factors:

• The environment created by the boarding school. How big is the school?

• What is the boarding school's philosophy, and how does that match your own? What is the school's motto? What is the school's policy on bullying? Answers to these and other questions should be important in your final decision.

• Extracurricular activities, including sports and others.

• Academic placement. This is a huge factor for many parents choosing a boarding school and one of the biggest determining factors in traditional lists of "best boarding schools." You want to know how many alumni have gone on to the best universities and had the most successful careers. 

All of that said, boarding schools have a lot to offer. Many of these schools provide terrific special needs support, extracurricular resources, and specialized programming. 

Below, easily locate many of the finest boarding schools from across North America and around the world. 

2. Open houses

When boarding schools offer open houses, this affords families a unique opportunity to check out schools, the grounds, and the environment of the school. If you allow yourself enough time to check out a good selection of schools, you can make a wise, appropriately careful decision, finding the best boarding school for you and your family. 

3. Private school expos

The Our Kids' Private School Expos allow you to meet face-to-face with representatives and students from boarding schools from across the world. You'll also get a taste of what boarding school is like, as you talk to students attending those schools, now. In face-to-face conversation, they can share with you their personal experience of what it was like to leave home, attend boarding and immerse themselves in some of the richest education experiences in the world.  Learn more at ourkids.net/expo/.

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