Boarding Schools – NSW

In Australia, especially in NSW, families are fortunate to have an abundance of quality schools to choose from. There’s a school for your child, whether you live in the heart of Sydney or its outer reaches in regional NSW.

There are a lot of boarding schools in NSW, how do you choose the right one for your child?

Over the last 19+ years we have helped over 13,000 children on their journey to find a boarding school. We’ve found that the answer to this question largely depends on your personal preferences. Location, facilities, student activities, scholarships and school fees are just some of the important factors.

Choosing the right NSW boarding school is all about doing your due diligence as a family and seeing how the school lines up with you and your child’s interests and preferences, as well as core beliefs.

• Compare your family values to the schools you’re considering.
• See what extracurricular programmes the school offers.
• Attend one of our Boarding Schools Expo events where the schools you are most interested in are attending.
• Make sure that you’re comfortable with the school fees.
• Look at whether there are scholarships or bursaries available.
• Involve your child in the decision-making process.

Consider this directory your go-to guide for everything you need to know about boarding school options in the NSW. Use our comprehensive checklist of questions to consider, as you narrow down your shortlist to find the school that is the best fit for your child (and your family).

Search Boarding Schools in NSW

Use our search filter to narrow down your choices and click through to school profiles to discover more about what they offer.

Use our location map of NSW & ACT Boarding Schools to find all the options in your area and to consider a distance that will work for your family.

Boarding Schools Expo – Free Admission

Excited to explore any of these NSW Boarding Schools in person? Then head to our Boarding Expo pages where you’ll find information on both our in-person and online events. 

Are boarding schools common in Australia?

The popularity of the boarding school model isn’t just specific to New South Wales. Australia is home to a range of boarding school types, including boys boarding schools, girls boarding schools, co-ed boarding schools, as well as non-denominational and religious institutions—all the way from primary through to secondary and senior years of school.

What makes a boarding school different from a day school?

Boarders in NSW schools receive not only the best in classroom education, but also enjoy:

• Tremendous freedom when it comes to extra-curricular activities
• The chance to mingle with peers from diverse backgrounds
• An experience-based learning component that allows them to grow as a student and as a person

Advantages of Sydney boarding schools

Academic excellence

In terms of academic quality, these independent schools and selective government high schools have a reputation for being more challenging than some other schools. Often, they focus not only on classroom learning but also on experience-based learning, bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world.

These schools commonly have smaller class sizes to provide students with greater opportunities to interact with teachers and their fellow peers, and at the same time providing great support and encouragement.  These intimate learning environments allow for a higher chance of learning success through building confidence and an overall greater standard of quality education.

Extracurricular activities

Boarding schools are known to be academically more challenging than day schools, though academics are not for every child and boarding school is a great opportunity to pursue all of the child’s interests whilst being an enthusiastic member of the school community. It’s often said that boarders bring the spirit to a school and it’s for this reason so many boarders become involved in everything the boarding school has to offer. NSW boarding schools offer a wide range of opportunities for girls and boys to be more active, creative and reach their true potential.

How much do boarding schools cost?

Boarding school fees are typically broken down into boarding costs and tuition costs, though prices do typically vary depending on location and exclusivity. As a guide, families should plan on paying around $25k to $33k in tuition and around $25k in boarding during secondary years. For more information go to our Fees Directory.

To help you decide what’s best for your child (and your family) we have developed a checklist of questions to consider.