As an educational consultant, here is my take on the current boarding school enrolment landscape for Asian students. These observations are aimed to international families.
In 2022 leading US boarding schools were inundated with applications once again, and recorded daunting accept percentages of anywhere from 12 percent to 18 percent on their March 10th decision day. International applicants from China and Hong Kong to leading schools in the US often numbered around 150 - with an accept number usually of just two to four. As a result, most schools will not go to their wait-lists. By their market decisions these schools are saying we want students from Asia who are already high functioning. I thought schools were about teaching!
Therein lies the challenge. Families in Asia know of only the Andovers, Choates, Exeters. Yet entry to these schools is well nigh impossible. However, there is a large group of thirty to forty other US boarding schools which also offer a great education. My old school, Berkshire in Massachusetts, has moved up dramatically in popularity and I could not get my students accepted there this season- they were wait-listed. Families must spread their school search net wider.
In Canada, there are around 30 boarding schools, in the US around 300. There are plenty of great school options still out there. The admission system is less rigid in Canada than in the US and rolling admission without deadlines is in play. Places at excellent Canadian schools are still available. As one example of possible change, many families are telling me of the dwindling number of top international teachers venturing to Hong Kong for their career. Their schools are suffering. They want their children in a Canadian or American boarding school. After a lull in Asian applicants to Canada, I anticipate a future uptick - particularly from Hong Kong.
On a personal note, two weeks ago my top student this admission cycle was, in fact, taken off the wait list by the legendary Miss Porter’s School in CT, and accepted. So, it can happen! That was great news for her, especially as her sister studies at Yale just 40 minutes away. I was most impressed by the professional reaction of the Canadian school admissions director who I had to let down and say she was not attending, after saying she would.
Given that life is changing - minute by minute it seems - there are still boarding school placements available that I highly recommend. I am here to help trawl this wider net.