Thinking about sending you’re child to a residential boarding school in the United States you’ll have many questions as a parent of the individual school you choose.
Each child has a unique individual character as well as present & future aspirations in education and career goal.
The choice of the right type of residential school is important as some types of fee paying schools have a different education, sports and activities structure and daily timetable for students to follow, such as military & regular schools.
US Boarding schools typically work where boys/girls only or co-educational junior-college-prep students live & follow a study timetable at residential school for a year or semester, attending class lessons and take part in sports & extra curricula activities.
What happens in boarding school?
A UK or USA boarding school is where students receive academic lessons, sport & games, activities, school trips, clubs and boarding room & accommodation. The student living areas are staffed by house or dorm parents that look after girls & boys in separate gender accommodation blocks.
Older senior and college-prep school boarding students can look after themselves, although junior middle school age boarders receive living assistance from house parents, dorm school staff and prefects.
Main aims towards students for boarding school is to help to install, respect for others, discipline and hard work towards a good personal & academic future career & life.
Junior & college-prep boarding students are natured, guided and supported in academic, social, emotional and intellectual personal development.
Student boarders are taught formal lessons by qualified teachers during the school day (09.00-16.00) take part in extra curricula after school activities then return to they’re school residential accommodation.
A boarding school can offer student residential accommodation & tuition only, while some schools offer boarding & day student admission where student boarders live at the school and day students return home each evening.
Students, both boarders & day students are taught in the same school class lessons together, all extra curricula activities and school trips.
Students can opt for all year boarding where they live at school and go home in summer vacation or flexi boarding for a few weeks or full semester.
Can you bring a laptop to boarding school
Private US boarding school student facilities
Are students allowed to wear makeup at boarding school
Student admission to boarding school
Parents pay private school fees for a student boarder including academic tuition, boarding room, food & facilities and enrollment costs for a year or semester. School boarding students require paying extra fees costs as optional, such as additional English language lessons, horse/pony livery, music tutor or specialist sports instructor.
UK and US Private boarding schools are funded by student tuition fees, owner personal money, loan finance or business partnerships, school events and hiring school facilities.
Students are enrolled into boarding school at middle school age around grade 6 to college-prep years until 18 years old.
An admission assessment is conducted for each student which entails an entrance written & verbal test and interview.
Parents should also realize I can send my autistic child go to private school in USA, although only highly functioning children to normal or re4ligious school, or opt for therapeutic or special education school.
Students choose from full time all year boarding attendance where they live at school all academic year or flexible boarding just a week, month or semester.
House system for school boarders
Typically what happens at boarding school is students live & sleep at school all year and go home on vacations or stay 5 days a week and go home at weekends.
A student’s own room at boarding school is mainly for senior students (16-18 year old). You’ll require sharing a bathroom, (maybe ensuite), kitchen, lounge, communal areas with other students in the same section house accommodation area.
Students up to 16 years old will share a room with one other boarder while junior children could be sharing with 2-3 other younger students. Strict boys or girl’s only accommodation room & living facilities are provided with no sharing or visiting between student genders.
All students are split into houses which can include boarding accommodation, teams and social activities at school.
Each accommodation block has school boarding room, bathrooms & showers, kitchen & dining area, lounge, games room and possible study area.
Each school house mainly has different age students from junior to college-prep years with seniors as prefects to help organize and give guidance or support to younger students, which helps with the smooth running of the school house.
Student boarders in all schools require following rules & guideline in the living areas and can receive assistance from the house parents, including medical first aid care if required 24 hours a day.
United States structured schedule for school boarders
From getting up, washing, dressed and ready on time for breakfast to the time boarding students require to be in bed with the lights out follows the school daily schedule.
All boarding students are given a class lesson timetable that they require to follow and other fulfillments, such as study time and being in the dining hall for breakfast, lunch and diner at set times of the week day and weekends.
School meals
Breakfast, lunch, evening meal and snacks are served in the schools dining hall 7 days a week for boarders or evening snacks in accommodation blocks. All students are normally required to be dressed in formal dress code ready for the first lesson.
Class lessons timetable
All school students receive a timetable of lessons they require to attend. Junior students will follow a structured timetable being taught a range of compulsory subjects.
Seniors and college-prep year students study compulsory academic subjects and choose optional courses towards US examinations preparation including SAT’s.
School weekend & evenings
From around 4pm on school days and during weekends boarding students have a choice of extra curricula activities including games, sport and clubs.
Borders can study, riding or sports instruction or relax with friends in the student accommodation area games room or lounge.
Students can go off boarding school campus, although require being back by a certain time according to a students age.
Some times a movie is played or events organized for students to watch or participate.
School weekends students can choose what they wish, go on organized school trips or relax.
During evenings & weekends at boarding school in the USA students are allowed phones & computers to call home & video chat with family and friends.
Do private fee paying schools have sports?
Family & friends visiting students at school
Mainly only a student’s family members and close friends are allowed on the school grounds and especially inside buildings. Students would require prior permission to bring any person that’s not enrolled at the school.
School strictness for boarding students
Each type of boarding school can be stricter than another with therapeutic boarding residential school least strict as they accommodate & teach students with behavioral & emotional issues.
Military academies are perceived as the more rigidly structured and strict learning for school age children.
Faith schools for boarders provide lessons in all regular school topics with additional religion & prayers. Religious schools also offer students a school ethos & environment that’s in harmony with student beliefs.
Boarders leaving school campus
United States boarding students are allowed to leave the school outside of normal scheduled lesson time. All students would need they’re parents permission to be allowed off school grounds, which is given when a boarder is first enrolled at a school.
Each school has its’ own rules according to age, distance, group size and places you’re allowed, and not allowed to be when leaving the schools campus alone or with another student.
Silent student study time
As boarding students are ultimately at school to study and receive a good education each school has directed study time for student boarders to complete.
Study time is in the evening after extra curricula activities and dinner, 2-3 days a week where students will sit silently in a room area, library, or own school boarding room completing homework or revision.
Semesters & vacation time at boarding school
Each boarding school has different start and finish time of the academic year, although expect 3 semesters around 12 weeks long with 1-2 week school vacation in between, such as Christmas/new year and Easter and thanks giving.
Students are given approximately 13-15 weeks vacation time away from school each year depending on the school, although school days are longer at private schools.
Boarding students during holiday’s can return home or stay at the school for the full academic year.
School rules student follow
All teachers, support staff and students require following school rules and policies while enrolled at a United States school, where consequences are administered if a student breaks rules.
Students need to be in the school dress code for lessons timetabled during the day, although school boarders can then change into casual clothing after, normally around 4pm.
USA boarding schools have rules and guidelines in place so the school can be operated efficiently, and students to receive a good education in an environment where teachers & students respect each other.
What is a day like in a boarding school for students in USA?
| 7am-7.30am get out of bed, wash & shower getting dressed in school dress code/uniform. |
| 7.30am-8.30am breakfast served in the school dining hall where you sit at assigned tables. |
| 8.30am-9am School assembly, prayer or house meeting with student attendence check. |
| 9am Class lessons start, 40 minutes each, single or double. |
| 11am Morning break for students and teachers. |
| 11.15am Lessons start again. |
| 12.30/12.40 Lunch time where students and teachers sit eating in the dining hall. |
| 1.30pm Class lessons continue with single or double sessions. |
| 4pm End of school lessons day where students return to boarding room & change clothing. |
| 4pm-7pm Extra curricula activities sports, games or clubs where you choice to participate. |
| 5pm-6pm Evening meal served in the dinning hall. |
| 7pm-8.30pm Study & homework time that’s normally mandatory. |
| 8pm-9pm Evening snack & drinks served in the dining hall or student boarding house. |
| 8.30-10pm Student free time for to relax or call family. |
| 10pm Students to be in they’re own boarding room, where house parents do a roll call. |
| 11pm All boarding students to be in they’re bed and lights out with not talking. |