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What is inside the guide

The guide is structured around the questions Asia-based parents actually ask, in the order they ask them. It covers the four main destination jurisdictions in detail and gives you a clear basis for shortlisting.

  • The four destinations: UK, Switzerland, Australia and Singapore. Strengths, weaknesses and the kind of family each suits best.
  • Age-appropriate entry points: when to consider boarding from Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12. The pastoral evidence behind each choice.
  • Cost models: all-in budgets for each destination, including tuition, board, flights, guardianship and incidentals. 2026 to 2027 figures.
  • Academic outcomes: the universities that families in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo actually target, and which boarding routes produce the strongest pipelines into them.
  • The shortlists: a starter pack of 24 boarding schools across the four destinations, with the practical reason each one ends up on Asia-based parental lists.
  • Operational reality: guardianship, half-term logistics, time-zone communication, the medical and pastoral structures that make boarding work for families that are 7,000 miles away.

Who this guide is for

The guide is written for families based in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and the wider Asian financial and corporate hubs who are weighing whether to send a child overseas to board. It assumes you are familiar with the general idea of boarding but unfamiliar with the specifics of any one destination. The audience is parental rather than agent-led: the goal is to leave you able to make an informed decision yourself, or to brief an admissions consultant from a position of strength if you decide to use one. Our admissions consultants piece covers when and how to engage one.

For families already convinced about a single destination, the relevant pillar guide may serve you better. See our UK schools pillar for the UK detail, our Switzerland schools pillar for the Swiss boarding belt, and our Singapore city guide for the day-with-boarding-option schools. If you are starting earlier in the process, our free school finder tool will narrow your shortlist by destination, age and budget in about five minutes.

What parents have told us about the guide

"The 4-destination comparison was the single most useful read we did. We had been told to look only at the UK. The guide gave us reasons to consider Switzerland that we had not heard from anyone else."
Parent of two, Hong Kong
"Cost models for guardianship and flights, the things nobody mentions in a school brochure, are what convinced my husband. He had only ever seen the tuition number."
Parent of one, Shanghai
"The Year 9 versus Year 12 framework helped us delay a decision we were about to make in a panic. Our son ended up boarding three years later than we had been preparing for."
Parent of one, Singapore

Frequently asked questions

How will I receive the guide? A confirmation email with the PDF will reach you within minutes of submitting the form. If it does not arrive within an hour, check your spam folder and add our domain to your safe sender list. If you still have trouble, write to us via our contact page and we will resend manually.

Will you call me about my child's schooling? No. We are not an admissions consultancy and we do not telephone parents. We do publish a weekly newsletter for international parents (the Tuesday brief), which you can unsubscribe from with one click if it is not for you.

What is your relationship with the schools mentioned? None. We do not take fees from schools, and we do not run paid placements. Our editorial position is independent. Schools that pay to appear in directories elsewhere do not appear higher in our coverage. Read our methodology page if you want the full position.

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