Boarding schools for expat families: options and costs

Consider the child and the family’s circumstances

Boarding may offer continuity during repeated moves or access to a school that is too far from home for a daily journey. It also changes family life substantially. Discuss the idea with your child, visit the boarding house where possible and compare it with realistic day-school alternatives.

Boarding entry age, curriculum, residence requirements and available places are separate questions. A school place does not necessarily include a boarding place, and a boarding offer does not settle visa or holiday arrangements.

Identify what boarding would solve

Be specific about the reason: avoiding another mid-course transfer, reducing a difficult journey, maintaining a chosen curriculum or finding provision unavailable near the family’s posting. Then ask whether the proposed school and boarding model actually meet that need.

Include the child’s preferences, independence, friendships and any support needs in the discussion. There is no single age at which boarding suits every child. Ask how the school supports new boarders of the child’s age, and agree how the family would review the decision if it is not working.

For older pupils, check subjects, examination requirements and credit transfer before assuming that boarding will preserve academic continuity. Our curriculum guide explains the questions involved in changing systems.

Boarding options to investigate

The following are starting points within our coverage, not an exhaustive list or a ranking. Use the individual profiles and school admissions teams to confirm current availability, age ranges and the arrangement offered.

• Dubai: compare Repton and Swiss International Scientific School Dubai. Quoted amounts differ in whether they include tuition and which nights and meals are covered.
• Singapore: UWCSEA has residential boarding. Its current admissions guidance directs new boarding applicants to Grade 9 and above. For Stamford American, an older brochure describes off-campus accommodation; the current provider, location and supervision are what count.
• Thailand: Harrow Bangkok offers boarding; the prices in its 2023 inspection report date from that year.
• Malaysia: compare Marlborough College Malaysia and Epsom College in Malaysia on the full tuition-and-boarding package, including applicable tax and transport.
• Hong Kong: Harrow Hong Kong publishes weekly boarding from Year 6. Weekends and school holidays require a family plan.
• Kenya: investigate St Andrew’s Turi, Brookhouse Karen and Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. Fees may be quoted per term or per year, so convert them to an annual total before comparing.
• Japan: Canadian Academy in Kobe offers day and boarding places.
• Vietnam: Australian International School Saigon is a boarding option in Ho Chi Minh City.
• South Korea: compare individual schools in Jeju, including NLCS Jeju and Branksome Hall Asia. A single price range for the education district can obscure different tuition, currency and boarding arrangements.
• Canada: our reviewed profiles include Branksome Hall, Upper Canada College and St. George’s Vancouver. Fees differ between domestic and international categories, and boarding entry grades vary by school.

For schools where a current quotation is needed, that is a limit of this comparison, not a claim that the school publishes no fees.

Clarify the nights and dates covered

Full boarding generally includes weekends during term, but does not necessarily cover holidays or designated weekends when pupils leave. Obtain the actual calendar and identify every date on which your child must be elsewhere.

Weekly boarding covers specified school nights. Harrow Hong Kong’s published arrangement runs from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon. Families need a plan for handover, travel and the days a parent cannot collect the child.

Occasional or flexible boarding may allow day pupils to stay for agreed periods, subject to school policy and space. Ask about booking notice, minimum stays, cost and who is eligible. Do not assume that a day school without a boarding house offers this service.

Review the care arrangements as closely as the teaching

Ask for the latest inspection or accreditation report that covers boarding, and read its date, scope, findings and any follow-up. A positive academic inspection or a recognised school name does not by itself describe overnight care.

• Staffing: who is resident, who is awake or on call overnight, and how does a child get help?
• Safeguarding: how are staff and visitors checked, how are concerns reported and who can a child approach outside the house team?
• Medical care: what nursing and emergency arrangements operate at night and at weekends, and how are parents contacted?
• Daily life: how are room allocation, meals, laundry, study time, activities and off-campus permissions managed?
• Support: does language or learning support extend to boarding routines and homework, and who coordinates it?
• Communication: when can children contact home, and what happens if a child wants to raise a concern privately?

The actual house your child would join matters, including how many pupils remain at weekends. Some schools require a local guardian, and some responsibilities always remain with the family.

Agree how the transition will be supported

Talk with the child about what they are looking forward to and what concerns them. Before the first term, discuss contact with home, the daily routine and the adults they can approach, and find out how the school introduces new boarders and monitors their experience.

Agree review points and a way to respond to concerns promptly. Do not use a fixed first-term timetable to decide when a child’s distress deserves attention.

Consider how visits, travel disruption and family events will be handled. If the arrangement is not meeting the child’s needs, the family should understand the practical and financial steps involved in changing it.

Compare the complete commitment

Separate tuition, boarding, one-off charges, refundable deposits and ongoing extras. Compare costs in the same currency and academic year. Keep refundable deposits visible as money needed upfront without treating them as an annual expense.

Repton Dubai: boarding added to tuition

The 2026–27 fee page lists Year 7 tuition of AED 81,121 and full boarding of AED 72,000, giving AED 153,121 before other charges. Meals are included for boarders. Weekly boarding is AED 66,500 instead.

The refundable boarding deposit is a separate AED 50,000. A school-arranged visa for a full boarder costs AED 5,000; published medical insurance is AED 8,400 for under-18s. If both are required, tuition, full boarding, visa and that insurance total AED 166,521, before the application fee and other extras. The tuition deposit is credited to tuition and should not be added twice.

UWCSEA: published boarding and school fees

UWCSEA’s 2026–27 schedule lists annual residential boarding at S$45,288 plus a S$348 amenities fund, in addition to tuition and development levy. For a new Grade 9 boarder, tuition S$47,313, first-year levy S$9,537, enrolment S$4,992 and boarding application S$841 bring those listed items to S$108,319. Additional costs remain.

Harrow Hong Kong: weekly boarding supplement

The 2026–27 schedule lists weekly boarding at HK$135,672, excluding tuition. With Year 6–11 tuition of HK$238,687 and the HK$60,000 capital levy for pupils without a qualifying certificate or debenture, the total is HK$434,359 before application and other charges. The levy exemption and any sibling discount must be assessed individually.

For your family’s comparison, add flights, holiday accommodation, guardianship if required, insurance and visits. Compare this with actual day-school and housing quotations. Boarding cannot be assumed to cost less than relocating the family. Work out which items an employer will cover using the moving checklist.