What are the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia? Considering how important education from the foundational level is, it’s always recommended to attend the best high schools.
The importance of quality in foundational education cannot be overemphasized and one of the most precious gifts one can give to their child or ward is to give them quality education from the foundational level. If you resident of Sydney or intend to relocate there and want the best boarding school for your kids, we have listed the best 20 of them in this guide.
Australia Education Network has a list of prestigious boarding schools that anyone can attend as a domestic or international student. Some of the schools are not completely boarding schools; some are semi-boarding schools and some are half-boarding schools. The former are schools where students have the flexibility to always go back home by weekends and come back after the weekend while the latter are schools that offer boarding facilities to some students and others would have to always attend from home daily.
Are There Any Boarding Schools in Sydney Australia?
Sydney is one of the most educated cities in Australia and hosts about 50 boarding schools. All boarding schools listed in this article are in Sydney, most of which are ranked amongst the best boarding schools in Australia.
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Study In Any of the Boarding Schools in Sydney Australia
Sydney is one of the cities in Australia that has reputable and quality boarding schools that focus on early learning. Boarding schools in the city have rigorous and robust coursework and subjects.
We believe residents of Sydney are already familiar with these boarding schools on our list. But if you just relocated to Sydney or plan to do so with the intent of finding a reputable boarding school for your kids, the best options in the city are among the ones listed here.
What are the Co-Ed Boarding Schools in Sydney?
Co-Ed simply means co-educational. This means that a school is not a single-sex school, and allows the attendance of boys and girls.
Our list of boarding schools in Sydney includes a good number of co-educational boarding schools and single-gender schools.
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Why Should You Enroll in a Boarding School in Sydney?
Sydney is one of the top cities in Australia and allows the attendance of both domestic and international students. You have the opportunity to learn from the best teachers and house masters.
You will become independent and learn from different cultures in the city as you will have the opportunity to meet pupils and students from different background and social class. The school system in Sydney helps you study in a way that will bring about self-understanding and you’ll start discovering specific things that are of interest to you and susceptible to your personality.
Ultimately, you will learn how to interact with people of your age and above your age and learn how to work with a team.
List of the Best Boarding Schools in Sydney Australia
Without much further ado, we are going to be listing most of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia.
#1. All Saints’ College
All Saints College is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia with all-around excellence. Located on two expansive campuses in the city of Bathurst, New South Wales, All Saint’s College has one of the largest learning environments in Australia.
Scots All Saints College provides high-quality co-education for day and boarding students from preparatory school to grade 12. Scots All Saints College is a regional school of choice. It has professional facilities and caring and experienced teachers educating children with various growth opportunities.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: Primary
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: Eglinton Road BATHURST NSW 2795
#2. Abbotsleigh Boarding Schools in Sydney
Welcome to Abbotsleigh, one of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia, an Anglican Girls’ Day School for Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Wahroonga, Sydney’s North Shore. The purpose is to provide more in-depth learning and empower the “whole girl” so that she can release her potential in and out of the classroom.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: 1666 Pacific Highway WAHROONGA NSW 2076
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#3. Ascham School
Ascham School was established in 1886 with a non-selective enrollment policy. There are currently about 1,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade, including 100 boarding students from 6th to 12th grade.
Ascham follows the “Dalton Plan”, an educational philosophy founded by Helen Parkhurst in 1916. The “Dalton Project” aims to cultivate independent and confident leaders.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: None
- Address: 188 New South Head Road EDGECLIFF NSW 2027
#4. Barker College
Barker College is one of the best independent Anglican mixed early education boarding schools in Sydney Australia. It is also a primary and secondary school day and boarding school, located in Hornsby, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Barker was founded in Kurrajong Heights in 1890 by Rev. Henry Plume.
- Girls’: Secondary
- Boys’: Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: 91 Pacific Highway HORNSBY NSW 2077
#5. Cranbrook School
Cranbrook School is one of the co-educational state-funded boarding and day grammar schools located in the market town of Cranbrook, Sydney Australia. The attendees are made up of 11-year-old and 13-year-old students but plan to only accept 11-year-old students in the future.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Primary and Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican tradition
- Address: 5 Victoria Road BELLEVUE HILL NSW 2023
#6. Frensham Boarding Schools in Sydney
This is one of the boarding schools in Sydney that boosts very modern boarding facilities with caring teachers who are committed to the care of the boarders and other students who attend the school.
- Girls’: Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: Christian Non-denominational
- Address: FrenshamWaverley Pde MITTAGONG NSW 2575
#7. Kambalaa Boarding Schools in Sydney
Kerbala is located in Rose Bay, Sydney. It is a vibrant independent day and boarding school for girls under 18 years of age.
Kamba provides multiple learning paths. Girls can obtain an IB diploma or a New South Wales HSC. Kerbal has inspired academic excellence, and the school has consistently ranked among the top non-selective girls’ boarding in Sydney Australia schools in Sydney.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: 794 New South Head Road ROSE BAY NSW 2029
#8. Kincoppal – Rose Bay
Kincoppal-Rose Bay is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia. The School of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic early education, primary and secondary school day and boarding school. It mainly enrolls girls. It is located in Rose Bay, the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: Primary
- Religious Affiliation: Catholic
- Address: New South Head Road ROSE BAY NSW 2029
#9. Knox Grammar School
Established by the Australian Presbyterian Church in 1924, Knox Grammar School is a boys’ school named after John Knox. Since then, the school has continued to grow and expand into a large high school and a preparatory school, enrolling approximately 2,900 students. The school also provides services to approximately 160 boarding students in grades 7-12.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Uniting
- Address: Pacific Highway WAHROONGA NSW 2076
#10. Newington College
Newington College is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney. It a multi-campus independent united church early education, primary and secondary school day and boarding boys’ school located in Stanmore, in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Being a boarder at Newington is a special experience. The opportunity to obtain additional school teaching and material resources puts our boarders in the best condition to make full use of the resources provided by the college.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Uniting Church
- Address: 200 Stanmore Road STANMORE NSW 2048
#11. Presbyterian Ladies College
PLC Sydney is one of the boarding schools in Sydney Australia that aims to educate young women based on a Christian worldview to play a role in a rapidly changing global society. It provides a comprehensive education for approximately 1,400 students and encourages them to become upright and purposeful young women, make good contributions to society and truly care about the well-being of others.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian
- Address: Boundary Street CROYDON NSW 2132
#12. Pymble Ladies College
Pymble Ladies College is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia. It is an independent non-selective day and boarding school for girls, located in Pymble, a suburb of Upper North Shore in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The college was formerly a school of the Australian Presbyterian Church and is now managed by the Australian United Church. It is a founding member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls’ Schools (AHIGS).
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: Uniting
- Address: Avon Road PYMBLE NSW 2073
#13. Ravenswood School For Girls
Ravenswood was founded by Mabel Fidler (1871–1960) in 1901 and currently serves approximately 1,100 students preparing to grade 12, including 20 boarding students in grades 10-12. The school has been an IB World School since June 2004 and is authorized to provide IB diploma courses.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: Uniting
- Address: 1b Cecil Street GORDON NSW 2072
#14. St Ignatius College Riverview
Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia. It is an independent single-sex elementary and secondary school for the day and boarding boys. Its administration is following Jesuit traditions. Saint Ignatius’ College is located in Riverview, a small suburb on the Lane Cove River on the lower north bank of New Sydney, South Wales, Australia.
Saint Ignatius’ was founded by Joseph Dalton SJ in 1880 as a Jesuit school with the tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It is part of the international network of Jesuit schools started in 1548 in Messina, Sicily.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Catholic
- Address: Tambourine Bay Road LANE COVE NSW 2066
#15. SCEGGS Darlinghurst
SCEGGS Darlinghurst is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney. It is an independent Anglican day and boarding girls’ school located in Darlinghurst, an inner city in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
Founded in 1895, the Sydney Church Girls’ Grammar School was officially renamed SCEGGS Darlinghurst in 1995.
- Girls’: Primary and Secondary
- Boys’: No
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: 215 Forbes Street DARLINGHURST NSW 2010
#16. St Joseph’s College
St. Joseph’s College is one of the best Catholic boarding schools in Sydney Australia. The school has a Marist tradition. The school’s vision is to cultivate the boys’ life, learning, and leadership for the common good. The school reaffirms the values and traditions of supportive, non-selective learning and a Catholic faith environment. The school is committed to pursuing excellence in a comprehensive plan of teaching, extracurricular activities, and pastoral care, seeking, testing, and affirming the best performance of each boy.
It is the school’s heartfelt mission to provide excellent education and care for boys in an environment based on the Catholic faith. The primary mission of the school is to be a modern and successful school based on our great traditions, values , and the strength of the college community.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Catholic
- Address: Mark Street HUNTERS HILL NSW 2110
#17. Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore)
Sydney Church of England Grammar School is located on the lower north shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a dual-campus independent Anglican mixed early education, primary and secondary school, and boarding boys’ school.
Shore is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia. It was established by the Church of England in 1889 with a non-selective enrollment policy. It currently serves approximately 1,600 students in grades K-12, including 200 boarding students in grades 6-12.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Primary and Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: Blue Street NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2060
#18. The King’s School
King’s School is a boarding school that is independent and has an Anglican affiliation. It is early education, primary and secondary school day and boarding boys’ school, located in Parramatta North, in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The King’s School is a recognized authority on boys’ education and has been so for over 190 years.
Their immersive methods help boys grow into young people with good character and integrity through exploration, learning, play, competition, creation, performance and connection.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Primary and Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: Pennant Hills Road NORTH PARRAMATTA NSW 2150
#19. Trinity Grammar School
Trinity Grammar School is an independent Anglican boy early education, primary and secondary school located in the inner west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The school was founded by George Chambers in Dulwich Hill in 1913 with a non-selective enrollment policy and currently has approximately 2,000 students (during 2007). The principal of Trinity Grammar School is Timothy Bowden.
- Girls’: No
- Boys’: Secondary
- Religious Affiliation: Anglican
- Address: 119 Prospect Road SUMMER HILL NSW 2130
#20. Wenona School
Wenona School is one of the best boarding schools in Sydney Australia. It is not a mixed school as only girls are admitted to the school at the primary and secondary school level of education. The school is a Christian school and any student from any denomination is welcome to study in the school. The school is located in Sydney Australia, at 176 Walker Street NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2060
Frequently Asked Questions about Best Boarding Schools in Sydney
What is the most prestigious private school in Sydney?
Pymble Ladies College is considered the most prestigious private school in Sydney. Pymble Ladies College offers top-quality education –in 2022 the school’s median ATAR was 90.9% and in the following year’s HSC results, Pymble Ladies College’s median ATAR was 90.45%.
What is the biggest boarding school in Australia?
The largest boarding school for boys in Australia is St Joseph College in Sydney.
How many boarding schools are in Sydney?
Sydney is home to 28 boarding schools, which makes the New South Wales capital city a popular choice for parents looking for the perfect boarding school for kids.
What curriculum options do these schools offer?
Most of these boarding schools follow the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) curriculum, leading to the Higher School Certificate (HSC) –some boarding schools also offer International Baccalaureates (IB) Diploma Program.
Are these boarding schools co-educational or single-gender?
Barker College is co-educational, while Knox Grammar School, Cranbrook School, and Newington College are boy’s schools. Abbotsleigh and Kambala are girl’s schools.