Students enrolled at day & private boarding school in the United States or United Kingdom can expect to take part in different types of indoor & outdoor sports.
Multiple and varied types of physical sports and exercise are taught by the schools sport physical education teachers in formal class lessons during the normal school day where its compulsory for all students to participate.
After school competitions are also held between the schools students in a number of sports and students can take part in inter school and club sports matches.
Not all sports types are offered at every school, although specialist sports private schools will have more individual and team indoor & outdoor sports on offer to student over other schools.
Individual and team sports could include for elementary & high school students:
Types of sports in private schools
- Swimming and platform & board diving.
- Field individual sports including javelin, discus and shot put.
- Basketball contact team sport taught by teachers in lessons, also played after school by some interested school pupils.
- Trampoline supervised and taught by the sport teacher or coach.
- Fencing combat sport.
- Athletics that include steeplechase, triple & high jump, and relay.
- Cycling, mountain biking or road racing.
- Badminton play as singles or a doubles taught during lessons and after school activity.
- Lacrosse which is part of private & boarding school taught lessons to girls.
- Baseball played on a court in teaching lessons and played by students during extra curricula time.
- Table tennis indoors.
- Cross country running where a private school has big enough campus.
- Hockey on an all weather surface and on grass when good weather permits.
- Ruby taught during class lessons, generally to male school students.
- Cricket taught by the school teacher in lessons.
- American football played in the United States at high school age.
- Golf part of extra curricula activates for interested students.
- Football taught during school lessons where students play against an opposing team.
- Netball during physical education teaching classes played by female students.
- Squash play at some private schools with a court as singles or with a partner.
- Archery organized after the school ends for the day and at weekends for students that board.
- Tennis taught by the teacher and additional tennis instructor played by students on grass or hard court.
- Ice hockey is an extra curricula school sport at boarding or private school in a few northern USA states.
- Horse riding lessons and instruction after formal lessons have finished and at weekends at boarding school.
- Rowing as an individual, two’s or multiple boat crew.
See Do private schools have sports
Sports class lessons at private school in USA & UK
Formal private day and boarding schools lessons taught by the physical education teachers or held between 9am-4pm school week days.
Sports are individual and team out door & indoor sports depending on the weather.

Elementary age students don’t receive or take part in full contact sport, although private high school and boarders should expect to be given teaching instruction in many of the following sports:
Basketball | Gymnastics | Trampoline | Volleyball | Badminton |
Lacrosse | Baseball | Table tennis | Hockey | Ruby |
Netball | Squash | American football | Football | Cricket |
Swimming & diving | Triple & high jump | Cross country | Field sports | Tennis |
Sports teachers will teach students a variety of typical and school sports and a few more unusual sports types depending on age of students and availability of space and equipment required.
School students require taking part in both indoor & any outdoor sport the teacher asks during lessons, although when snow & ice or bad weather conditions inside sports will be taught.
Sports facilities at private school
Individual private schools will have bigger and better school & sports facilities depending on school budget, city or rural location campus size.
- All weather and all purpose playing field used for hockey and 5 aside football.
- 20 to 50 meter swimming pool and diving pit.
- Fully equipped gymnasium.
- Fitness suite.
- Changing rooms & showers.
- Sports hall for indoor volleyball, badminton, table tennis and other sports.
- Football, baseball, lacrosse and hockey fields on campus or close by owned by the school.
- Courts for netball, basketball, tennis.
- Riding & equestrian facilities as well as livery for horses & ponies at some schools.
- Rowing skulls and boat house.
- Squash court at some private schools.
- Sailing boats moored at a nearby marina.
- Cycling trail for mountain biking.
- Climbing wall at a few schools.
- Athletics track for running.
- Long jump, high jump area.
- Field area for sports such as javelin and discus throwing.
Extra curricula sports at high & elementary private school
When school lessons have finished for the day, normally around 16.00 at private school elementary to high school students can participate in sports available.
Sports consist on campus team or individual sport or off campus school sports competitions against other individual or teams, such as football, rowing or ice hockey locally in the USA.
Sports teachers and other class teachers normally supervise or teach the sport.
Additionally, specialist sports coaches such as a tennis coach, diving or swim instructors come to the school or parents can arrange extra instruction for competitive sports tuition to participate as athletes at a high level.
For one or two students an athletics scholorship at a private high school could be given if donated by an organisation or person for part school fees funding.
2 day weekends at private school
How a boarding school works for students
Bus transportation at private school
Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings private schools have a range of indoor & outdoor sports for all students to participate from basketball, swimming, cycling, horse riding to archery.
These times are set aside so all elementary junior to college prep students can take part in a sport they want instead of school study.
All extra curricula sporting activates are optional for day students, although for school boarders around 2 hours per week students are required to take part in some type of physical activity.
School sports competitions are arranged for students to participate in competitive events including golf, table & lawn tennis, American football, athletics, cycling, and lacrosse matches.
Private school students at any age in the USA or UK don’t require joining a competitive game sport team, such as the football or swim team.
You should expect if you wish to be part of a sports team, taking part in off campus competitions you’ll require applying and be good enough to compete.
Extra curricula sports are not all available at the same time as a school teacher or sports instructor would require supervising.
Day and private school boarding students can choose afternoon/evening and weekend sports from:
Archery | Golf | Rowing | Cycling | Gymnastics |
Ice hockey | Basketball | Trampoline | Badminton | Lacrosse |
Baseball | Table tennis | Hockey | Ruby | Cricket |
American football | Netball | Squash | Football | Tennis |
Swimming & spring board diving | Field individual sports | Triple & high jump & relay | Cross country running | Horse riding lessons |