10 International Boarding Schools in Europe

All of you who imagine scenes from Oliver Twist when someone says boarding school should check this list of 10 international boarding schools in Europe. Instead of kids begging for another bowl of porridge, here you will find the offspring of world’s elite splashing about in Jacuzzis, skiing and sailing.

But modern international boarding schools offer more than just luxurious amenities, although they are a must. You could hardly expect billionaires, royal families, and Arabian sheiks to send their sons and daughters to spend most of their childhood in an institution that doesn’t have the basic necessities like a school polo team or five star bedrooms. These schools place a high value on the academic success of their students. They can afford to hire the best teachers, have the best equipped classrooms and abundance of teaching resources. Classes are small and a lot of emphases is placed on individual learning progression of every student, with lots of 1 on 1 time with the teachers. Teacher to student ratio in these schools is very low, sometimes as low as 5 students to 1 teacher. When money is not an issue, education can be a very smooth and enjoyable process. This week in Art class kids are learning about Michelangelo? Why not organize a field trip so they can see The Sistine Chapel? History class is working on Napoleonic wars, so it’s a trip to Paris. Senior year is doing a paper on 2008 financial crisis? Let’s get the Vice president of the Swiss National Bank to give them a lecture about it.

Not all international boarding schools in Europe cost an arm and a leg. You can see some of the most affordable ones in our list of the 6 cheapest boarding schools in Europe.

While undoubtedly there are parents who send their children to international boarding schools just so they can say they did, most of the global elite expect their heirs to get the best education money and influence can buy. Often, kids are held to very high standards, since they are expected to one day manage multibillion hedge funds, Fortune 500 companies and in some cases even entire countries. This would be very difficult to accomplish without a proper education and boarding schools are an excellent first step towards that goal. It is no wonder that Mommy and Daddy spend so much, so that Junior doesn’t squander away the family fortune.

Most of the European international boarding schools are located in Switzerland, with the UK on the close second place. One reason for this is that many of the richest companies are based in Switzerland, so the schools are conveniently close to parents’ work. The other reason is that the Swiss are proverbially good at keeping secrets, so it is unlikely that paparazzi will find out where the heirs of the world’s wealthiest people attend school.

10. Le Rosey

Location: Château de Rosey in Rolle, Switzerland

We start our list with the most expensive boarding school in the world. Le Rosey was founded in 1880 and is commonly known as the school of the kings, due to the high percentage of royalty among their alumni.

9. Aiglon College

Location: Chesieres, Switzerland

Based on the British model, Aiglon College has a student to teacher ratio of 5 to 1. The school was established in 1949.

8. Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz

Location: Zuoz, Switzerland

This is the smallest school on our list, with just 200 boarding students. It was founded in 1904.

7. Leysin American School

Location: Leysin, Switzerland

Founded in 1961 by Fred and Sigrid Ott, Leysin American School boasts with their students’ diversity, coming from 60 countries.

6. St. George’s School

Location: Clarens, Switzerland

St. George’s places a lot of emphasis on athleticism and offers it students a large variety of sporting options, including Pilates and rock climbing. It was founded in 1927.

5. Harrow School

Location: Harrow, England

Established in 1572, Harrow school remains one of the 4 boarding schools in England reserved for boys.

4. Brillantmont International School

Location: Lausanne, Switzerland

Brillantmont is one of the rare boarding schools located in the city. It was founded in 1882 and it offers its students the choice between British and American programs.

3. College Alpin Beau Soleil

Location: Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland

College Alpin Beau Soleil has 8 students per class and organizes field trips to places like Mount Kilimanjaro. It was established 1910.

2. Benenden School

Location: Cranbrook, Kent, England

The only exclusive girl school on our list, Benenden School was founded in 1923.

1. Eton College

Location: Windsor, England

For many people Eton is the boarding school. That is why we placed it at the top of our list of 10 international boarding schools in Europe. Founded in 1440, it is still boys only school. Called “the chief nurse of England’s statesmen” it has educated 19 UK prime ministers, as well as Princes William and Harry.