Boarding schools in Scotland

Boarding schools in Scotland

Learning and living in royal company

Scotland is traditionally the region of Great Britain where the children of the royal family go to boarding school. Here, centuries-old traditions meet modern teaching methods, all in the beautiful Scottish countryside. Scotland is also the birthplace of golf, which is why many schools offer golf as part of their activity programme.

From among the following partners, among others, we will select the perfect boarding school in Scotland for a school year or term for you:

Boarding school with a very high proportion of boarders

Glenalmond College

Glenalmond College is located near Methven in rural Perthshire, on an estate of around 120 hectares on the River Almond. The co-educational school takes young people aged around 12 to 18 as boarders and day pupils. With more than seven out of ten students boarding, Glenalmond is one of the schools with a very high proportion of boarders. In the sixth form, Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers are offered as well as GCSEs, A levels and BTEC courses. Since 2024, Glenalmond has been merged with the nearby Craigclowan Preparatory School; both schools keep their site, their name and their own school operations.

 

Boarding school with its own sail training ship

Gordonstoun School

Gordonstoun School is beautifully situated in the middle of an 80-hectare estate near the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. The boarding school is one of the best known in Great Britain, not least because several members of the royal family went to school here. As a Round Square school, whose philosophy goes back to the teachings of Kurt Hahn, the school is committed to a holistic view of education and of the individual. This is reflected, among other things, in its focus on outdoor education and social responsibility. Sail training on the school’s own yacht is part of the curriculum, as is, for example, training as a lifeguard or serving in the school’s volunteer fire service. The well-known Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was developed at Gordonstoun in the 1950s. The school is one of the few full boarding schools in Great Britain – around 500 of its roughly 600 students live at the school. Gordonstoun runs its own summer school.

 

Boarding school on the west coast of Scotland

Lomond School

Lomond School is located in the small seaside town of Helensburgh on Scotland’s west coast. Not far away is the beautiful Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park – an ideal setting for outdoor enthusiasts! Canoeing, hiking and hill running are on offer, and students also take part in the annual Lomond Challenge triathlon. The campus is modern, and the boarding community is very small and family-like. Lomond is one of the Eco-Schools, and environmental commitment plays a major role in everyday school life. The boarding school offers Scottish Highers and, since 2021, also the International Baccalaureate (IB Diploma and IB Career-related Programme).

 

Scotland's last boys-only school

Merchiston Castle School

Merchiston Castle School is located in the Edinburgh district of Colinton, a few kilometres from the centre of the Scottish capital. The school describes itself as Scotland’s last remaining boys-only boarding and day school at senior level: the senior school takes only boys, while the nursery and primary sections are co-educational. Around two thirds of the pupils board, and in the sixth form it is a good seven out of ten. Both British qualification routes are taught: Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers as well as GCSEs and A levels.

 

IB school in St Andrews

St Leonards School

St Leonards School is located in the heart of St Andrews on the coast of Fife, right next to the town’s famous links golf courses. The school is co-educational and takes both boarders and day pupils. As one of only two schools in the United Kingdom, it teaches all four programmes of the International Baccalaureate – from the Primary Years Programme and the Middle Years to the IB Diploma and the vocational Career-related Programme. The sixth form qualification is therefore the IB, not A levels. Around a third of the pupils board; more than 30 nationalities are represented.

 

Boarding school south of Perth

Strathallan School

Strathallan School is located in Forgandenny, a few kilometres south of Perth, on a campus of around 62 hectares in the rural Perthshire countryside. The school takes girls and boys as boarders and day pupils and teaches year groups from primary level through to the sixth form. In the sixth form, both British routes are open: Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers as well as GCSEs and A levels.

 

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