Blog
Expert insights, admissions guides, and stories from inside boarding school communities — everything families need to navigate the journey.
Skiing Boarding Schools: Programs, Teams and What Families Should Know
By Jill Hutchins
16 min readSki boarding schools split into two different kinds of institutions. At one end sit traditional boarding schools with strong ski teams, where alpine racing, fre…
Boarding Schools with Equestrian Programs: Riding, Facilities, and Competition
By Jill Hutchins
13 min readFor families whose children love to ride and want to fold horses into daily life, a boarding school with an equestrian program is a great choice, and usually, t…
Boarding Schools for Athletes: How to Find the Right Sport, Program, and Level for Your Child
By Kim Chorosiewski
13 min readFamilies searching for boarding schools for athletes are usually asking one of two different questions. Some want to know if a school takes their child's sport …
How to Apply to Boarding Schools in Canada
By Jill Hutchins
14 min readCanadian boarding school admissions is a school-by-school process shaped, in part, by province. A student at an Ontario school graduates with the Ontario Second…
Swiss Boarding School Admissions: A Step-by-Step Guide for International Families
By Don McMillan
15 min readSwiss boarding school admissions have no centralized application platform, no single standardized test required across schools, and no universal deadline. Each …
The Benefits of Single-Gender Education: What the Research Says About All-Boys and All-Girls Schools
By Jill Hutchins
15 min readAre single-sex schools still relevant? Do all-boys and all-girls boarding schools actually produce better outcomes, or is that a legacy assumption? And what abo…
The SSAT Explained: Levels, Format, Scoring, and What It Means for Boarding School Admission
By Jill Hutchins
14 min readFor the boarding school admissions process, the SSAT is typically the first standardized test families encounter and one of the more misunderstood. This article…
British Schools vs American Schools: Key Differences for Boarding School Families
By Jill Hutchins
17 min readThe British and American school systems share a language and, across a wide range of institutions, a serious commitment to academic quality. In many other respe…
At What Age Can My Child Start Boarding School? A Cross-Country Guide to Boarding School Entry Ages
By Jill Hutchins
13 min readHow old should my child be before starting boarding school? We hear this question from families constantly. The honest answer is that there is no universal age.…
Boarding School Financial Aid and Scholarships: How to Apply and Maximize Your Award
By Jill Hutchins
19 min readBoarding schools in the United States run structured financial aid programs that distribute grant money based on demonstrated financial need, merit, and institu…
Benefits of Boarding Schools (Evidence, Outcomes, and What Families Should Know)
By Jill Hutchins
17 min readWhy boarding school? It is the question this article sets out to answer, documenting the benefits of boarding schools across academic, personal, and social outc…
The Independent School Admissions Gazette
By Jill Hutchins
4 min readWelcome to the newsletterNewsletter overviewWe are excited to launch our new newsletter, where we update you on the dynamic admissions landscape, and invite you…
The Importance Of Building A Broad And Diverse School List
By Jill Hutchins
3 min readA changing admissions landscape It is no secret that Covid and other factors have disrupted the secondary school admissions landscape. Schools, both boarding an…
When to Consider Boarding School
By Jill Hutchins
2 min readWhy consider boarding school Boston-area schools have long been considered among the best in the country, attracting a large number of applicants every year, as…
Welcome Midwest Boarding Schools!
By Jill Hutchins
1 min readMidwestern boarding schoolsWelcome to this wonderful group of 5 Midwestern boarding schools! Some terrific options for students of all types.Lake Forest Academy…
Top Viewed Schools: Summer 2022
By Jill Hutchins
1 min readTop viewed schools Congrats to our Top Ten Most Viewed Schools this summer on the Owl Boarding School Guide! Tabor AcademyCushing AcademyMillbrook SchoolChoate …
The Boarding School Consortium
By Jill Hutchins
1 min readMeet the consortium The OWL Boarding Guide welcomes the members of the Boarding School Consortium! Check out the individual pages of these distinctive schools, …
Great Boarding School Coalition
By Jill Hutchins
1 min readOur school partners For years, we’ve sent students to these amazing schools and look forward to continuing our relationship with them. We are proud to have all …
Western Connecticut Boarding Schools
By Jill Hutchins
1 min readFeatured boarding schools Highlighted in The Owl Boarding School Guide is this group of 12 special schools that recently hosted us for individual meetings to pr…
Second Edition: The Owl Boarding School Guide has Grown! Highlighting the Small Boarding School Association
By Jill Hutchins
1 min readA supportive boarding communityWe’re so pleased to add and highlight a special group of nurturing, supportive schools known as The Small Boarding School Associa…
The Boarding Advantage in Challenging Times
By Jill Hutchins
5 min readOnline learning experiences Invariably I begin Zoom calls with my shelter-at-home high school juniors with some variation of, “How is online schooling treating …
'You Sent Your Child Away!'
By Jill Hutchins
4 min readDemystifying the Boarding School Experience Common concerns “Why would I send my child to boarding school?” “Boarding schools are for…troubled kids.” We hear th…
Grit, Inspiration, & New Hampshire Boarding Schools
By Jill Hutchins
8 min readUnderstanding grit and inspiration David Brooks recently wrote a column, “Putting Grit in its Place,” in which he references the current fascination with this f…
Why a Boarding School is Also a Good Home
By Jill Hutchins
6 min readEntering boarding school life Seeing boarding schools differently For the record, I grew up a free-lunch kid from a public school in NJ. I had no idea abo…
Campus Visit Darwinism: Top Boarding Schools and Colleges are First to Close Doors to Visitors
By Jill Hutchins
2 min readSelective schools close campuses Evolution often holds true for education: Health concerns surrounding coronavirus have led the most selective colleges and boar…
It's Never Too Early - - Or Too Late - - To Apply To Boarding School
By Jill Hutchins
4 min readExploring spring admission Spring admission opportunities The arrival of spring brings the onset of warmer weather, reimagined hopes, and new opportunities. And…