UK Boarding Schools By Location: Find One Near You
Choosing the right boarding school is easier when you know what’s nearby. This guide lists top UK independent boarding schools by location, so you can find one close to home or a city that suits your needs. Whether you’re looking near London, Manchester, Edinburgh, or elsewhere, here are your best options.
Table of Contents
What is an Independent School?
Independent schools in the UK are privately funded institutions that operate without government funding or control. They set their own curriculum, admissions policies, and management structure, offering more flexibility than state-funded schools.
These schools are known for their high academic standards, excellent facilities, and dedicated teaching staff. Many provide specialised programmes, smaller class sizes, and a more personalised learning experience.
Parents choose independent schools for various reasons, including strong academic results, individual attention, and unique extracurricular opportunities that can benefit their child’s development and future prospects.
UK Private School Fees
As of January 2025, the UK government has imposed a 20% VAT on independent school fees. Consequently, annual fees now range from approximately £4,320 to £69,228, reflecting this increase.
Several factors influence these fees:
Age: Fees typically rise as students progress to higher year groups.
Academic Reputation: Schools with strong academic performance often charge higher fees due to increased demand.
Facilities: Investment in sports, arts, and extracurricular facilities can contribute to higher costs.
Pastoral Care: Comprehensive student support services may also impact fee levels.
Location: Schools in more expensive or densely populated areas tend to have higher fees.
It’s important to note that while the introduction of VAT has increased fees, initial concerns about a significant shift of students from private to state schools have not materialised. Recent data indicates no substantial increase in applications to state secondary schools following the VAT implementation.
However, the added financial pressure has led some independent school teachers to seek additional employment to supplement their income.
Parents considering independent education should carefully assess these factors in light of the recent VAT changes.
Best Independent Schools in the UK by Location
Best Independent Schools in London
- Harrow School (Harrow)
- Westminster School (London)
- Dulwich College (London)
- St Paul’s School (London)
- City of London Freemen’s School (Ashtead)
- Epsom College (Epsom)
Best Independent Schools in Manchester
- Cheadle Hulme School (Cheadle)
- Rossall School (Fleetwood)
- Stonyhurst College (Clitheroe)
- Ellesmere College (Ellesmere)
Best Independent Schools in Bristol
- Clifton College (Bristol)
- Badminton School (Bristol)
- Queen’s College (Taunton)
- Wells Cathedral School (Wells)
Best Independent Schools in Edinburgh
- Fettes College (Edinburgh)
- Merchiston Castle School (Edinburgh)
- Loretto School (Musselburgh)
- Strathallan School (Perth)
Best Independent Schools in Oxford
- St Edward’s School (Oxford)
- Radley College (Abingdon)
- Cothill House (Abingdon)
- Headington School (Oxford)
Best Independent Schools in Cambridge
- The Leys School (Cambridge)
- St Mary’s School (Cambridge)
- Kimbolton School (Huntingdon)
- Bishop’s Stortford College (Bishop’s Stortford)
Best Independent Schools in Leeds
- Rugby School (Rugby)
- Malvern College (Malvern)
- Bromsgrove School (Bromsgrove)
- Repton School (Repton)
Best Independent Schools in Cardiff
- Ackworth School (Pontefract)
- Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate (York)
- Ampleforth College (York)
- Woodhouse Grove School (Bradford)
UK Independent Schools League Table - Latest Rankings in the Country
| Ranking | School | A Level Result | Candidates | Fees | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff Sixth Form College | 94.7 | 157 | £17,000.00 | Cardiff | Boarding |
| 2 | King's College School (KCS) | 93.8 | 137 | £8,085.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 3 | Guildford High School | 92.9 | 91 | £6,100.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 4 | Oxford International College | 92 | 121 | £17,710.00 | Oxfordshire | Boarding |
| 5 | Westminster School | 90.7 | 189 | £14,424.00 | Greater London | Boarding |
| 6 | King Edward VI High School for Girls | 90.6 | 92 | £4,759.00 | West Midlands | Day |
| 8 | Wycombe Abbey | 89.9 | 98 | £13,750.00 | Buckinghamshire | Boarding |
| 9 | Wycombe Abbey | 89.6 | 207 | £14,550.00 | East Sussex | Boarding |
| 10 | Magdalen College School | 87.3 | 166 | £6,600.00 | Oxfordshire | Day |
| 11 | Hampton School | 86.1 | 194 | £7,300.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 13 | St John's College, Cardiff | 82.2 | 37 | £4,760.00 | Cardiff | Day |
| 14 | Highgate School | 81.9 | 181 | £7,360.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 15 | Dulwich College | 81.8 | 251 | £15,078.00 | Greater London | Boarding |
| 16 | Concord College | 81.2 | 186 | £15,833.00 | Shropshire | Boarding |
| 18 | Queen Ethelburga's College | 80.9 | 100 | £14,012.00 | North Yorkshire | Boarding |
| 19 | Royal Grammar School | 80.9 | 129 | £6,520.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 20 | South Hampstead High School GDST | 80.7 | 80 | £6,690.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 21 | Notting Hill and Ealing High School GDST | 80.4 | 68 | £6,593.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 22 | St Michael's School | 80.1 | 51 | £8,925.00 | Carmarthenshire | Boarding |
| 23 | Sheffield High School for Girls | 79.4 | 59 | £4,542.00 | South Yorkshire | Day |
| 24 | Surbiton High School | 79.2 | 109 | £6,595.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 25 | Reigate Grammar School | 78.8 | 139 | £6,875.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 26 | Rougemont School | 78.6 | 33 | £4,818.00 | Newport | Day |
| 27 | Nottingham High School | 78.5 | 109 | £5,349.00 | Nottinghamshire | Day |
| 28 | University College School, Hampstead | 78.2 | 179 | £7,297.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 29 | St Mary's School Ascot | 78.2 | 59 | £14,260.00 | Berkshire | Boarding |
| 30 | St Helen's School | 78.1 | 74 | £6,657.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 31 | St Catherine's, Bramley | 76.8 | 83 | £10,955.00 | Surrey | Boarding |
| 32 | St Albans School | 76 | 156 | £7,094.00 | Hertfordshire | Day |
| 33 | Merchant Taylors' School | 75.2 | 148 | £7,427.00 | Hertfordshire | Day |
| 34 | The National Mathematics and Science College | 75 | 25 | £15,300.00 | Warwickshire | Boarding |
| 35 | Badminton School | 73.7 | 45 | £11,565.00 | Bristol | Boarding |
| 36 | Bradford Grammar School | 73.4 | 94 | £4,511.00 | West Yorkshire | Day |
| 37 | King Edward's School | 72.7 | 124 | £5,165.00 | Somerset | Day |
| 38 | The Abbey School | 72.3 | 55 | £6,295.00 | Berkshire | Day |
| 39 | Churcher's College | 72 | 150 | £5,480.00 | Hampshire | Day |
| 40 | Leicester Grammar School | 71.6 | 100 | £4,710.00 | Leicestershire | Day |
| 41 | The Grange School | 71.2 | 84 | £4,110.00 | Cheshire | Day |
| 42 | The Cathedral School Llandaff | 70.9 | 49 | £4,671.00 | Cardiff | Day |
| 43 | Royal Grammar School | 70.7 | 129 | £6,520.00 | Tyne and Wear | Day |
| 44 | Colfe's School | 70.6 | 92 | £6,100.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 45 | Hampton Court House | 70.5 | 14 | £6,965.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 46 | Francis Holland School, Regent's Park | 70.3 | 63 | £7,150.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 47 | Roedean School | 70.1 | 62 | £16,550.00 | East Sussex | Boarding |
| 48 | Farnborough Hill | 69.8 | 35 | £5,253.00 | Hampshire | Day |
| 49 | Emanuel School | 69.6 | 118 | £6,715.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 50 | Sir William Perkins's School | 69.4 | 59 | £5,837.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 51 | Bedford Modern School | 68.8 | 147 | £4,814.00 | Bedfordshire | Day |
| 52 | The Maynard School | 68.8 | 41 | £4,910.00 | Devon | Day |
| 53 | Durham High School for Girls | 68.5 | 23 | £4,835.00 | Durham | Day |
| 54 | Leicester High School for Girls | 68.1 | 24 | £4,340.00 | Leicestershire | Day |
| 55 | Oundle School | 67.1 | 185 | £13,105.00 | Northamptonshire | Boarding |
| 56 | Whitgift School | 67 | 168 | £13,850.00 | Greater London | Boarding |
| 57 | The Manchester Grammar School | 66.7 | 181 | £4,460.00 | Greater Manchester | Day |
| 58 | Alderley Edge School for Girls | 66.2 | 23 | £4,680.00 | Cheshire | Day |
| 59 | Royal High School Bath, GDST | 65.8 | 49 | £11,193.00 | Somerset | Boarding |
| 60 | Norwich School | 65.6 | 150 | £5,990.00 | Norfolk | Day |
| 61 | St John's School | 65.1 | 128 | £10,455.00 | Surrey | Boarding |
| 62 | Hurtwood House | 65.1 | 167 | £15,171.00 | Surrey | Boarding |
| 63 | St Peter's 13-18 | 65.1 | 122 | £10,670.00 | North Yorkshire | Boarding |
| 64 | d'Overbroeck's | 64.9 | 174 | £16,830.00 | Oxfordshire | Boarding |
| 65 | Bromley High School GDST | 64.4 | 54 | £6,071.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 66 | Bristol Grammar School | 64 | 139 | £5,159.00 | Bristol | Day |
| 67 | Exeter School | 63.5 | 102 | £4,900.00 | Devon | Day |
| 68 | Chigwell School | 63.2 | 85 | £10,995.00 | Essex | Boarding |
| 69 | Haileybury | 62.9 | 97 | £12,405.00 | Hertfordshire | Boarding |
| 70 | Nottingham Girls’ High School GDST | 62 | 65 | £4,766.00 | Nottinghamshire | Day |
| 71 | Yarm School | 61.7 | 94 | £4,691.00 | North Yorkshire | Day |
| 72 | Epsom College | 61.5 | 168 | £13,493.00 | Surrey | Boarding |
| 74 | St George's College Weybridge | 61.4 | 137 | £7,250.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 75 | Walthamstow Hall | 61.2 | 55 | £7,070.00 | Kent | Day |
| 76 | Immanuel College | 61.1 | 60 | £6,615.00 | Hertfordshire | Day |
| 77 | Brighton Girls GDST | 61 | 19 | £5,111.00 | East Sussex | Day |
| 78 | Newcastle-under-Lyme School | 60.7 | 71 | £4,482.00 | Staffordshire | Day |
| 79 | Claremont Fan Court School | 60.5 | 53 | £6,545.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 81 | Ruthin School | 60.3 | 63 | £12,900.00 | Denbighshire | Boarding |
| 82 | The Faculty of Queen Ethelburga's | 60 | 60 | £14,012.00 | North Yorkshire | Boarding |
| 84 | Ardingly College | 59.4 | 90 | £13,104.00 | West Sussex | Boarding |
| 85 | The Grammar School at Leeds | 59.4 | 199 | £4,917.00 | West Yorkshire | Day |
| 86 | The King's School, Canterbury | 59.2 | 173 | £13,285.00 | Kent | Boarding |
| 87 | The Yehudi Menuhin School | 59 | 17 | £14,751.00 | Surrey | Boarding |
| 88 | Stephen Perse Foundation | 58.8 | 80 | £13,950.00 | Cambridgeshire | Boarding |
| 89 | Queen Elizabeth's Hospital | 58.8 | 120 | £5,100.00 | Bristol | Day |
| 90 | Shrewsbury School | 58.2 | 174 | £13,305.00 | Shropshire | Boarding |
| 91 | Burgess Hill Girls | 58 | 31 | £12,250.00 | West Sussex | Boarding |
| 92 | Ipswich School | 57.8 | 126 | £11,419.00 | Suffolk | Boarding |
| 93 | Loughborough High School | 57.7 | 68 | £4,735.00 | Leicestershire | Day |
| 94 | Reading Blue Coat School | 57 | 151 | £6,013.00 | Berkshire | Day |
| 95 | Stockport Grammar School | 56.9 | 127 | £4,041.00 | Cheshire | Day |
| 96 | Wells Cathedral School | 56.9 | 88 | £11,404.00 | Somerset | Boarding |
| 97 | Jersey College for Girls | 56.5 | 91 | £6,667.00 | Channel Islands | Boarding |
| 98 | Dame Allan's Senior Schools | 55.3 | 115 | £4,852.00 | Tyne and Wear | Day |
| 99 | Loughborough Grammar School | 54.5 | 95 | £11,820.00 | Leicestershire | Boarding |
| 100 | Saint Felix School | 54.2 | 24 | £10,650.00 | Suffolk | Boarding |
| 101 | St David's College | 53.5 | 23 | £12,755.00 | Conwy | Boarding |
| 102 | Lingfield College | 53.4 | 70 | £5,940.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 103 | New Hall School | 52.9 | 116 | £10,824.00 | Essex | Boarding |
| 104 | Bedford School | 52.4 | 116 | £11,810.00 | Bedfordshire | Boarding |
| 105 | Cheltenham College | 52.4 | 149 | £13,520.00 | Gloucestershire | Boarding |
| 106 | Ashville College | 52.3 | 60 | £10,170.00 | North Yorkshire | Boarding |
| 107 | Hymers College | 51.8 | 114 | £4,139.00 | East Yorkshire | Day |
| 108 | RGS Worcester | 51.4 | 112 | £4,726.00 | Worcestershire | Day |
| 109 | The Leys School | 51.3 | 99 | £11,870.00 | Cambridgeshire | Boarding |
| 110 | Thetford Grammar School | 51.2 | 13 | £4,668.00 | Norfolk | Boarding |
| 111 | Hill House School | 51.1 | 44 | £4,870.00 | South Yorkshire | Day |
| 112 | Oakham School | 50.8 | 137 | £12,600.00 | Rutland | Boarding |
| 113 | St Gabriel's School | 50.8 | 22 | £6,260.00 | Berkshire | Day |
| 114 | King Henry VIII School | 50.7 | 92 | £4,220.00 | West Midlands | Day |
| 115 | Battle Abbey School | 50.3 | 56 | £11,292.00 | East Sussex | Boarding |
| 116 | Queenswood | 50 | 48 | £12,520.00 | Hertfordshire | Boarding |
| 116 | The King's School | 50 | 101 | £4,530.00 | Cheshire | Day |
| 116 | Newcastle School for Boys | 50 | 28 | £5,088.00 | Tyne and Wear | Day |
| 119 | Bablake School | 49.3 | 109 | £4,220.00 | West Midlands | Day |
| 120 | The Royal School Dungannon | 48.8 | 81 | £4,000.00 | County Tyrone | Boarding |
| 121 | Abbey Gate College | 48.8 | 27 | £4,551.00 | Cheshire | Day |
| 122 | Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation | 48.7 | 54 | £12,083.00 | Durham | Boarding |
| 123 | Wolverhampton Grammar School | 48.4 | 65 | £4,785.00 | West Midlands | Day |
| 124 | Cokethorpe School | 47.8 | 59 | £6,950.00 | Oxfordshire | Day |
| 125 | Shrewsbury High School GDST | 47.5 | 44 | £5,070.00 | Shropshire | Day |
| 126 | St Margaret's School | 47.3 | 29 | £8,484.00 | Hertfordshire | Boarding |
| 127 | The Ladies' College | 46.9 | 50 | £4,025.00 | Channel Islands | Day |
| 128 | Mander Portman Woodward (MPW) | 46.9 | 199 | £11,023.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 129 | Westholme School | 46.3 | 19 | £4,020.00 | Lancashire | Day |
| 130 | Oswestry School | 46.2 | 30 | £11,475.00 | Shropshire | Boarding |
| 131 | Tring Park School for the Performing Arts | 46 | 74 | £12,535.00 | Hertfordshire | Boarding |
| 132 | Clifton High School | 45.8 | 40 | £5,285.00 | Bristol | Day |
| 133 | The Laurels School | 45.7 | 11 | £5,300.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 134 | Felsted School | 45.6 | 101 | £13,055.00 | Essex | Boarding |
| 135 | Christ College | 45.1 | 56 | £11,473.00 | Powys | Boarding |
| 136 | Denstone College and The Prep at Denstone College | 44.6 | 94 | £10,015.00 | Staffordshire | Boarding |
| 137 | Hampstead Fine Arts College | 44.5 | 71 | £7,820.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 138 | St George's School, Edinburgh | 44.4 | 9 | £10,552.00 | Midlothian | Boarding |
| 139 | Salesian College | 44.3 | 49 | £4,206.00 | Hampshire | Day |
| 140 | Talbot Heath School | 44.1 | 38 | £9,102.00 | Dorset | Boarding |
| 141 | St Columba's College | 43.9 | 62 | £5,703.00 | Hertfordshire | Day |
| 142 | The Edinburgh Academy | 43.8 | 14 | £5,114.00 | Midlothian | Day |
| 142 | Alton School | 43.8 | 16 | £5,565.00 | Hampshire | Day |
| 144 | Mount Kelly | 43.5 | 55 | £11,370.00 | Devon | Boarding |
| 145 | Victoria College | 43.3 | 101 | £2,240.00 | Channel Islands | Day |
| 146 | AKS Lytham | 43.2 | 44 | £4,336.00 | Lancashire | Day |
| 147 | Kimbolton School | 43.2 | 104 | £9,265.00 | Cambridgeshire | Boarding |
| 148 | Ryde School | 42.8 | 51 | £10,420.00 | Isle of Wight | Boarding |
| 149 | Silcoates School | 42.7 | 32 | £4,875.00 | West Yorkshire | Day |
| 150 | Rendcomb College | 42.4 | 31 | £13,200.00 | Gloucestershire | Boarding |
| 151 | Cranford House School | 42.3 | 24 | £6,175.00 | Oxfordshire | Day |
| 152 | Kirkham Grammar School | 41.2 | 89 | £8,080.00 | Lancashire | Boarding |
| 153 | Lewes Old Grammar School | 40.9 | 30 | £5,017.00 | East Sussex | Day |
| 154 | Loretto School | 40.6 | 55 | £11,900.00 | East Lothian | Boarding |
| 155 | Lime House School | 39.7 | 21 | £10,600.00 | Cumbria | Boarding |
| 156 | St James Senior Boys' School | 39.7 | 42 | £6,780.00 | Surrey | Day |
| 157 | Cambridge Tutors College | 39.4 | 24 | £10,695.00 | Surrey | Boarding |
| 158 | Elizabeth College | 38.8 | 60 | £4,324.00 | Channel Islands | Day |
| 159 | Lichfield Cathedral School | 38.8 | 27 | £4,890.00 | Staffordshire | Day |
| 160 | Wychwood School | 38.7 | 11 | £10,700.00 | Oxfordshire | Boarding |
| 161 | The Mount School York | 37 | 17 | £10,560.00 | North Yorkshire | Boarding |
| 162 | St Edmund's School Canterbury | 36.8 | 46 | £12,846.00 | Kent | Boarding |
| 163 | Oldham Hulme Grammar School | 35.7 | 70 | £3,995.00 | Greater Manchester | Day |
| 164 | Bath Academy | 35.5 | 26 | £10,667.00 | Somerset | Boarding |
| 165 | Ipswich High School | 35.2 | 29 | £12,127.00 | Suffolk | Boarding |
| 166 | Blanchelande College | 35.1 | 14 | £3,780.00 | Channel Islands | Day |
| 167 | Glenalmond College | 34.4 | 61 | £12,700.00 | Perthshire and Kinross | Boarding |
| 168 | Kingham Hill School | 34.2 | 37 | £11,850.00 | Oxfordshire | Boarding |
| 169 | Brockwood Park School and Inwoods Small School | 33.3 | 10 | £10,233.00 | Hampshire | Boarding |
| 169 | The Hammond | 33.3 | 16 | £9,375.00 | Cheshire | Boarding |
| 171 | The John Lyon School | 32.2 | 78 | £6,637.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 172 | Mander Portman Woodward Birmingham | 32.1 | 68 | £7,722.00 | West Midlands | Day |
| 173 | Our Lady of Sion School | 31.6 | 13 | £4,730.00 | West Sussex | Day |
| 173 | Read School | 31.6 | 10 | £9,567.00 | North Yorkshire | Boarding |
| 175 | Kensington Park School | 31.3 | 42 | £15,600.00 | Greater London | Boarding |
| 176 | Langley | 30.5 | 61 | £11,250.00 | Norfolk | Boarding |
| 177 | Hurst Lodge School | 30 | 5 | £8,400.00 | Hampshire | Day |
| 178 | St Mary's College | 29.8 | 54 | £3,928.00 | Merseyside | Day |
| 179 | Rochester Independent College | 29.4 | 118 | £12,417.00 | Kent | Boarding |
| 180 | Trinity School | 29.2 | 11 | £10,495.00 | Devon | Boarding |
| 181 | The Moat School | 28.6 | 10 | £12,728.00 | Greater London | Day |
| 182 | St Edward's Preparatory School | 28 | 25 | £4,595.00 | Gloucestershire | Day |
| 182 | Claires Court | 28 | 52 | £6,030.00 | Berkshire | Day |
| 184 | Highclare School | 27.9 | 22 | £4,630.00 | West Midlands | Day |
| 184 | Stover School | 27.9 | 21 | £9,625.00 | Devon | Boarding |
| 186 | Lincoln Minster School | 26.5 | 40 | £9,730.00 | Lincolnshire | Boarding |
| 187 | St John's College | 25.5 | 19 | £9,975.00 | Hampshire | Boarding |
| 188 | Sherrardswood School | 25 | 30 | £5,750.00 | Hertfordshire | Day |
| 189 | Beechwood School | 23 | 20 | £10,200.00 | Kent | Boarding |
| 190 | Stoke College | 22.2 | 3 | £10,750.00 | Suffolk | Boarding |
| 191 | St Dominic’s Grammar School, Brewood | 17.1 | 12 | £4,664.00 | Staffordshire | Day |
| 192 | Abbey College in Malvern | 16.7 | 2 | £9,733.00 | Worcestershire | Boarding |
| 193 | Elmhurst Ballet School | 10 | 10 | £8,992.00 | West Midlands | Boarding |
| 194 | Sackville School | 2.9 | 14 | £5,740.00 | Kent | Day |
How are the Rankings Measured?
This ranking is based on the percentage of GCSE/IGCSE entries awarded 9-7 or A* and A grades. However, it is important to note that these information are not freely available, and some schools may decide not to publish their results.
Frequently Asked Questions about UK Independent Schools
Independent schools in the UK are funded privately and operate independently, whereas state schools are funded and maintained by the government. These schools often charge tuition fees, have more autonomy over their curriculum, and offer a wider range of extracurricular activities compared to state schools.
Independent schools in the UK are often associated with high academic standards and a track record of excellent results. However, it is important to note that academic performance can vary between schools, and there are also many outstanding state schools in the UK.
Independent school fees can vary significantly depending on the school, location, and age of the student. Tuition fees for these schools in the UK can range from several thousand pounds to tens of thousands of pounds per year.
Some schools in the UK have religious affiliations, such as Church of England or Catholic schools. However, there are also many schools that are non-denominational or follow different religious traditions, providing a diverse range of options for families.
Choosing the right independent school involves considering factors such as academic reputation, location, facilities, extracurricular offerings, school culture, and personal fit for your child. It’s important to research and visit multiple schools, attend open days, and speak with staff and current students to make an informed decision.
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