Top Boarding Schools In Pennsylvania (Updated 2024)
Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the USA and is home to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, two of the most populous cities in the USA. Boarding schools in Pennsylvania are mostly non-sectarian with a uniform vision towards global citizenship and their own touch on a liberal, STEAM or IB curriculum. Overall, the academic results of the top boarding schools in Pennsylvania significantly outweigh the state’s average of 1,173 (SAT) and 26 (ACT) for the academic year of 2023-2024.
So, if you are considering a good destination for your children’s college preparatory, Pennsylvania state is an excellent choice. Here is a list of the top five private high schools in Pennsylvania according to Niche’s 2024 Best Boarding High Schools in Pennsylvania:
List of Top Pennsylvania Boarding Schools
Mercersburg Academy is an independent non-sectarian college-preparatory boarding and day school in Pennsylvania state. Founded in 1893, this school has educated more than 12,000 students in grades 9-12 in 50 states and 95 countries around the world. At a student-teacher ratio of 4:1, students at Mercersburg Academy enjoy attentive care from the teaching staff, a top-tier academic environment, an abundance of sports teams, music, dance and theatre programmes and a unique obligatory two-year capstone experience to equip them with necessary skills for college. Students will choose either the Mercersburg’s Advanced Program for Global Studies (MAPS) to foster research skills and problem-solving skills for future global citizens, or Springboard to work on real life world issues and present them in front of a panel of experts.
Mercersburg Academy students achieved a distinctively high average SAT score of 1340/1600, an average ACT score of 30/36 and a 100% graduation rate.
Mercersburg Academy’s tuition including boarding fee is $66,900 per annum.
Founded in 1746, Linden Hall is non-sectarian private boarding and day school for girls between Grade 6-12. Over the last 275 years, girls from 13 states and more than 24 nations have been empowered to challenge the norms in all fields, from aviation, equestrian, public speaking and STEAM.
Students benefit greatly from 22 AP classes, a small class size of 10 students, a small student-teacher ratio of 6:1, and an international environment instrumental in helping many students gain admission to the top tier colleges including Ivy League colleges such as Yale, Princeton, Harvard and Cornell. Girls at the school also actively run a total of 25 clubs and play 17 sports with high participation.
Linden Hall students enjoy a high average SAT (1290/1600) and ACT (29/36) results.
Linden Hall’s tuition including boarding fee is $62,696 per annum.
The Hill School was founded in 1851. It is a co-ed independent school for students at grades 9-12 and post-graduates. The school is well-known for its homely environment and has over the last 170 years educated students from 29 states and 25 countries. At a small class size of 11 students and an average student-teacher ratio of 7:1, each student at the Hill is carefully tended for by long-term highly qualified teaching staff holding PhDs and Masters in their respective fields.
The school runs a challenging liberal arts curriculum, one of the most-offered list of AP classes, combined with 36 sports, 16 arts performances and some leadership training. Although not related to any particular religious group, the school’s curriculum and activities are built upon the founder’s Judeo-Christian foundation.
The Hill School’s SAT and ACT results are both high with an average SAT score of 1360/1600 and ACT score of 31/36.
The Hill School’s tuition including boarding fee is $69,740 per annum.
Shady Side Academy is a non-sectarian co-ed private school for students from pre-K to grade 12. The academy has four campuses accommodating 4 different age ranges. Only 17% of the students board at school and a small 5% of their student body come from primarily Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong and Vietnam. All their academic courses are considered honours level, built upon traditional liberal arts philosophy.
Besides the rigorous curriculum, the learning experience incorporates many aspects of college life, such as the ability to choose their curriculum as soon as their freshman year, divisions of faculties, variety of collaborating experiences on top of college-standard facilities. The school invested heavily in the Senior School Science Department with the opening of The Mcllroy Centre for Science and Innovation in 2018. With plenty of spaces for classrooms and laboratories in physics, biology and chemistry with college-level lab equipment, students at Shady Side Academy are best equipped for their college’s Science route of choice.
Shady Side Academy students achieved one of the highest results in the state with an average result of 1340/1600 on SAT and 31/36 on ACT.
Shady Side Academy’s tuition including boarding fee is $56,675 per annum.
Grier School is a girls’ boarding school founded in 1853. Students learn in a supportive environment and become emboldened, engaged, and poised for the future. Young women find in-depth scholarship and wide variety in the Grier curriculum. At Grier, girls achieve a balance of analytical thinking, creative expression, and physical fitness. The purposeful balance in offerings ensures students graduate with technical knowledge in STEM and broad skills developed in the humanities, such as the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems.
George School’s students scored an average SAT of 1340/1600 and ACT of 29/36.
George School’s tuition including boarding fee is $69,600 per annum.
Summary
In summary, Pennsylvania offers some academically excellent boarding schools without too much affiliation to religious groups. There are many options for IB program, liberal arts curriculum and STEAM. Select schools offer aspects of the college experience such as a dedicated Science research centre or the individual choice of curriculum early on, which gives this state a good range of options for students with serious academic aspirations. Should you need further assistance, please contact us at here.
Apply For A Boarding School - Contact Us
Join our UK Study newsletter and get helpful articles on UK study, admission tips, courses and more delivered to your inbox.
Apply To A Boarding School
We provide free boarding school application assistance and advice. Speak to one of our consultants now!