What Is Boarding School Review?

Updated

Boarding School Review (boardingschoolreview.com) is a directory and information site for families researching boarding schools. It combines school profiles, photos, rankings, and guide articles with interactive search tools that let you filter schools by location, program type, and application deadline. It is most useful if you are at the beginning or middle of a school search and want a single place to build a candidate list before contacting schools directly.

What the site covers

The homepage states its purpose plainly: "Learn about boarding schools, find schools, get admissions tips and financial aid help." That breaks into four content areas:

  • School profiles — individual pages with descriptions and photos. The homepage features schools such as Fork Union Military Academy, Milton Hershey School, Tilton School, Eagle Hill School, Saint John's Preparatory School, Léman Manhattan Preparatory School, St. Thomas More School, Buffalo Seminary, The Global College, and The Hill School.
  • School rankings — a dedicated rankings section, listed in the main navigation alongside the school finder.
  • Guide articles — a "Boarding School Guide" covering topics like Why Boarding School, Choosing a School, Admissions, and Financing.
  • Recent articles — a running feed of newer content on the homepage.

How the search tools work

The finder on the homepage is the practical core of the site. You set filters and it returns matching schools.

Location filters work two ways:

  • Show schools within a distance of you: Local / Day-Plus (under 50 miles), Regional (50–150 miles), Mid-Distance (150–300 miles), or Long-Distance (300+ miles).
  • Show schools located within a region: No preference, New England, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, Southwest, West, or International.

Region and country lists let you narrow to a specific place. U.S. states run from Alabama through Wyoming, plus Guam, the Virgin Islands, and District of Columbia. International options include Andorra, Canada, Costa Rica, Italy, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Special programs you can filter by:

  • Post-graduate year
  • ADD / ADHD
  • Summer program
  • ESL
  • Merit scholarships
  • IB program
  • Learning Differences (LD)

Application deadline can be set to "No preference" or "Rolling deadline," and an Advanced Search option is available for more specific queries.

Who it is for

The site fits families and students who:

  • Are starting a boarding school search and need a broad list to narrow down.
  • Want to compare schools by location, program offering, or deadline rather than by reputation alone.
  • Need orientation on admissions and financial aid before talking to schools.

It is a research and discovery tool, not an application portal. You use it to identify schools, then go to each school's own site or admissions office for current requirements, costs, and deadlines.

Practical notes

  • Treat profile and ranking content as a starting point. Verify tuition, aid packages, and deadlines directly with each school, since those change and the site does not present pricing details on the pages reviewed here.
  • Use the special-program filters if you have a specific need (for example, ESL support or a post-graduate year) — this is faster than scanning profiles one by one.
  • The distance filters are useful if you want a day-plus or regional option rather than full boarding far from home.