Top 10 Boarding School In India

Boarding schools are residential schools where students live entirely away from their homes. The term boarding means room and board that is lodging and meals. Students live in boarding hostels and experience all activities. The primary motto of these boarding schools is to thrive students with education and discipline. In India concept of the residential schooling system dates back to around 5000 BC. It was prevalent during the Vedic era where students resided in the house of Guru (teacher), where they were taught about different subjects, cultures, and disciplined life. Boarding schools have replaced this traditional ancient concept of education. This schooling system has gained importance due to the change in the trend in Indian society like nuclear families, working-class parents, and technological distraction, easily available in the house to the young kids that's detrimental to their overall development. Hence many parents consider boarding school as the best conducive environment available for learning and better academic performance by their children. Here is the list of Top 10 Boarding Schools of India:

1) Doon School

Doon school was founded in 1935 in Dehradoon, Uttarakhand. It is an all-boys boarding school for students aged 12-18. This school is affiliated with ICSE, ISC. This is one of the schools in India that receives applications not only from all over India but also from the Indian family overseas. This school has been ranked as the Best Boarding School in India by The New York Times, Times of India, and BBC. The ambiance of the school is very conducive for the overall learning of young kids, and it has lush green wide open spaces, a wellness center, top-class teaching faculty, and a school counselor that resides in the school campus throughout the week so that they are available anytime a student seek advice. The notable alumni of this school are Rajiv Gandhi, Naveen Patnaik, Bunker Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Prannoy Roy, Aroon Puri, etc. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 11 lakh.

2) Welham Girl's School

This school is regarded as the best boarding school for girls in India. It was established in 1957 in Dehradoon, Uttarakhand, by H.S Oliphant. This school is affiliated with ICSE and ISC. This prestigious girls boarding school not only offers a wide choice of disciplines options, but students also have to select at least one skill-based topic like Yoga, Computer Applications, Art, Vocal Music, Dance, Musical Instruments, etc. for the Council Exam. This school also offers student exchange programs in association with 2 international schools so that the students come across different systems and cultures. The notable alumnae of this school are Kareena Kapoor, Brinda Karat, Meira Kumar, Deepa Mehta, Radhika Roy, etc. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 6.75 lakh.

3) Rishi Valley School

This school was established in 1926 in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. This is one of the leading residential schools in India and is run by Krishnamurti Foundation. It is a co-education boarding school, and it is affiliated with both ICSE and ISC. It provides a different environment for education to enable the young mind to develop and evolve intellectual capacity and other dimensions of being. The curriculum of this school is flexible and free from the exam pressure for the students of classes IV to VIII. It has seven sister school that includes The Valley School, Bengaluru, and Rajghat Besant School, Varanasi. Rishi Valley School is a member of IPSC (Indian Public School's Conference). The notable alumni of this school are Aditi Rao Hydari, Nachiketa Mor, Neelam Sanjeev Reddy, Varun Gandhi, etc. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 4 lakh.

4) Woodstock School

It is one of the oldest and most famous boarding schools in Asia, established in 1854 in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. It is one of the best boarding schools not only in India but also in Asia. This is a co-educational English Medium school that is affiliated with IB. It has a massive 250-acre campus in a serene & peaceful atmosphere of Mussoorie outskirts. It is an international school that follows International Baccalaureate Curriculum and offers MYP (Middle Year Programme) and DP (Diploma Program). It has students from many foreign countries like Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, Bhutan, France, and Canada. The notable alumni of this school are Nayantara Sahgal, Ruchi Narain, Pernia Qureshi, Henry Scholberg, Dorothy Riddle. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 15.9 lakh.

5) Mayo College

This is one of the oldest boarding schools of India that was established in 1875 in Ajmer, Rajasthan, by Richard Bourke, sixth Earl of Mayo and the Viceroy of India. It is a boys-only boarding school, and students of age 9-18 are admitted to this school. This school is affiliated with CBSE at both High School and Senior Secondary levels. It is also known for its sports activities that include Tennis, Shooting, Cricket, Squash, Basketball, Horse Riding, etc. The notable alumni of this school are Indra Sinha, Amit Goyal, Vivek Oberoi, Admiral Sunil Lanba. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 11.5 lakh.

6) Lawrence School

It is one of the most prestigious boarding schools in India that was established in 1847 in Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh, by Sir Henry and Lady Honoria Lawrence. It is one of the oldest schools in Asia and India. It is a co-educational school affiliated with CBSE, and admission is taken based on a competitive entrance exam that is followed by an interview. Class V is the preferred entry point in the school. Initially, this school was for the orphaned children of British soldiers and other English students. Maharaja Gulab Singh, the first maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, had donated a huge amount of sums for the foundation of this school. The notable alumni of this school are Sanjay Dutt, Ajeet Bajaj, Pankaj M Munjal, Amarinder Singh, etc. The Annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 5.83 lakh.

7) Scindia School

It is one of the best and most famous boarding schools in India that was established in 1897 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, by visionary HH Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia. This is one of the oldest all-boys boarding schools located on the beautiful Gwalior Fort. Earlier, this school used to admit only royal children, but later they ended this clause and took admission from all social strata for class VI-XII. This English medium school is affiliated with CBSE and has modern smart classrooms. The notable alumni of this school are Capt. Amit Sinha, Air Chief Marshal PC Lal, Anurag Kashyap, Salman Khan, etc. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 12 lakh.

8) The Bishop Cotton Boys School

This school was founded in 1865 in Bangalore, Karnataka, in the memory of the Bishop of Calcutta George Edward Lynch Cotton. The school was moved to its current location St.Mark's Road, in 1871. It focuses on its pupil to learn how to work together and be a part of society. This is an English medium school affiliated with ICSE and ISC. It also has a sister school Bishop Cotton Girls School that is located on the opposite side of St Mark's Road. The notable alumni of this school are Nandan Nilekani, Philip Wollen, Lucky Ali, Feroz Khan, Varun Agarwal, Dr. Raja Ramanna, Admiral Vijay Singh Shekhawat, etc. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 4 lakh.

9) Sherwood College

This is one of the oldest and most prestigious co-educational boarding schools in India that was established in 1869 in Nainital, Uttarakhand, by Dr. Condon, H.S Reid, and others. This school is affiliated with CISCE and IGCSE. It has 200 faculty members. This boarding school is divided into 2 parts grades III to VI is Horse Wing, and grades VII to XII is Dixon Wing. This school has a compulsory rule for all the students to participate in extracurricular activities like sports, Indian and Western Music, debating, theatre, fine arts, etc. The notable alumni of this school are Amitabh Bachchan, Kabir Bedi, Rahul Johri, Major Somnath Sharma, Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, etc. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 5.6 lakh.

10) Lovedale School

The actual name of this school is The Lawrence School (formerly known as Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School in 1925). It is a co-educational boarding school established in 1858 in Lovedale (a small town in Nilgiri Mountains), Tamil Nadu, by Major General Henry M. Lawrence. The school is located in Lovedale, so it is famously known as Lovedale School. This school is divided into Preparatory School class V, Junior School classes VI-VIII, and Senior School classes IX-XII. The notable alumni of this school are Honourable Justice A.K Jayasankaran Nambiar, Anand Mahindra, C Vijayakumar, Akshay Khanna, Ram Charan, Gul Panag, etc. The annual fee of this boarding school is ₹ 4 lakh.