Why Choose a Small Boarding School? I Prep School Articles

Why Choose a Small Boarding School?

Article generously provided by the Small Boarding School Association

The benefits of attending a small boarding school are examined in this article by the Small Boarding School Association.

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When you attend a small school, you belong to a community in which everyone knows you and you get the careful attention you deserve. Living in a small community, you will make friendships that will last a lifetime. You will be surrounded by loving adults who are outstanding teachers, coaches, and mentors. You will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities, some of which you may never have tried before. In small schools, you don't have to compete against dozens of other kids for limited spots on a team or other activity. And there's no getting lost or overlooked in the classroom. Small schools mean small classes, where your question or comment will make a difference, and your teacher will get to know you as an individual. In small schools, teachers teach kids, not classes.

When that small school is also a boarding school, the benefits are multiplied exponentially. In a boarding school, you will have access to your teachers as you never have before. These relationships will go well beyond the classroom as you get to know your teachers as people. After all, they don't go home at three o'clock when classes are over; they live with you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, what goes on in the classroom is just a small part of a boarding school experience. Some of the most important learning goes on once classes are over. Boarding schools are able to provide the structure after school hours and evening study hours that day schools don't offer and that parents want but can't provide by themselves on a consistent basis.

While all small boarding schools share these important benefits, small boarding schools are NOT all the same. Small boarding schools are generally mission-driven so each tends to serve a specific type of student. Some are strictly college preparatory but may vary in whether they serve more high achieving students or students who benefit from some support in developing better study habits. Others serve students with special needs, such as learning disabilities or ADD. There are also those that serve students who require a therepeutic component to their education.

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