The Truth About Boarding Schools

A 2024 survey commissioned by The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) in partnership with Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) sheds light on the distinct advantages that the boarding school experience offers. The School Life in Focus survey received over 11,000 student and alumni responses from more than 100 boarding, day, and public schools in North America. 

Boarding schools provide personalized, supportive, and challenging academic environments. The survey found that boarding school students are 50% more likely to learn one-on-one with their teachers when compared to their public and private school counterparts. It was also reported that boarding school students are “nearly 80% more likely than non-boarding students to spend at least ten hours per week engaged in academic work outside the classroom.” 

Boarding school graduates describe feeling academically and socially prepared for college and life beyond. A boarding school alumnus, Class of 2006, says that “boarding school gave [them] purpose, direction, identity, work ethic, motivation, and a support system. [They] attribute nearly everything good that has happened in [their] professional life to the skills and relationships [they] built there.” TABS and CAIS released this report in order to help prospective students understand the different advantages a boarding school education might provide. The association leads efforts to promote awareness of boarding schools across the US and Canada. You can check out key points from the study, along with a colorful, data-filled infographic, at TABS’s website: “School Life in Focus: The Boarding Advantage.”