Best coed boarding schools in India

Parents seeking world-class co-educational boarding schools for their children in India should consider studying abroad. Boarding schools in India offer a great setting to learn how to live independently. With a variety of top international schools based on locations and subjects, students can find the best school that suits their interests through trustworthy educational consultants.

Also read: CBSE boarding schools in India

The Lawrence School, Sanawar

The Lawrence School, Sanawar is one of the oldest boarding schools in India. It was established in 1847 by Sir Henry Lawrence and his wife Honoria, who was a daughter of John Nicholson. The school is located at Sanawar in Himachal Pradesh and is surrounded by hills and valleys.

The school currently has around 500 students from nursery to class 12. The school offers the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), Indian School Certificate (ISC), and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) affiliated with the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.

The school has two branches:

1. Lawrence School, Lovedale in Tamil Nadu
2. The Lawrence School, Ghora Gali in Uttarakhand

Woodstock School, Mussoorie

Woodstock School was founded in 1854. It is one of the oldest international boarding schools in India situated atop Landour at an altitude of 7000 feet above sea level. The school has been a part of the CISCE (Council for Indian School Certificate Examination) since 1974. It has all along remained a co-educational institution. Woodstock remains a Christian institution associated with the American mission.

Welham Girls’ School

Welham Girls’ School is one of the best boarding schools for girls in India that was set up in 1957 by Mrs. D K Birla. The school aims to focus on the overall development of students through excellent academic quality and value-based education. The school has its own junior wing, namely Welham Boys’ School for boys from class IV to XII with hostels for both day scholars and residential students.

The school is situated in the laps of nature in a peaceful environment which is ideal for studying and learning. It was established in 1854 and is one of the oldest international schools in India. It is a residential school with an international curriculum and offers world-class education.

The Doon School

The Doon School, based in Dehradun, is one of the most prestigious boarding schools in India. This residential school offers a superb academic education for boys. The school seeks to empower its students with a sense of integrity, compassion, and humanity. The Doon School has produced many distinguished alumni like politicians, actors, CEOs, authors, and more.

Education World ranks The Doon School as the number 1 boarding school in India, followed by Lawrence School at Sanawar. Spread over an area of 72 acres, this elite institution is located on a hill called Beniyari or ‘Cloud’s Peak’. In 1965, NDTV ranked The Doon School as the best residential school in Asia. The admission process at The Doon School is highly competitive and only 280 boys are selected every year from thousands of applicants all over India and abroad.

Rishi Valley School

Rishi Valley School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in Karnataka. The school provides a safe space for children to grow up as well-rounded individuals who are sensitive towards nature and other human beings. There are many things that make Rishi Valley School one of the best boarding schools in India such as excellent infrastructure, a world-class education system, a high level of discipline among students, and more.

The school’s academic pursuits are complemented by a wide range of co-curricular activities including sports, performing arts, visual arts and community service programmes. The school has a strong commitment to promoting the scientific temper and skills for using the new learning technologies.

Lawrence School, Lovedale

Lawrence School, Lovedale is a senior secondary school located in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India. The school campus lies on a hill called ‘Happiness Hill’ at an elevation of 7,200 feet (2,200 m). It was named after its founder and founder’s brother John Lawrence. It was initially established in Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh, and was later relocated to Ootacamund (Ooty) as the climate of Sanawar proved unsuitable for some of the children. It is often informally referred to as ‘Lovedale’, which is the name of the local railway station.

The school is a coeducational institution and caters primarily to residential students from grade 1 through grade 12. It offers both ICSE and CBSE streams for classes 9th–12th.

The school began admitting girl students in 1981. Currently, about 50% of all students are girls.

Lovedale has long been known for its excellence in sports, with strong teams in hockey, soccer, cricket, and basketball

Sherwood College, Nainital

Sherwood College, Nainital is a residential public school for boys and girls in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. It was founded in July 1869 by E. C. Martin as an Anglican mission school, as a male-only institution. The school started admitting girls in 1994 and today has both boarding houses and day scholar facilities. Sherwood has approximately 2500 students on roll, aged between 10 and 19 years.

Sherwood College is one of the oldest schools in India and has been consistently ranked as one of the top boarding schools in India, Sherwood College is an English medium school that has received affiliation from the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), New Delhi which conducts ICSE (Grades I to X) and ISC (Grades XI to XII) examinations.

Mayo College, Ajmer

Mayo College is the best residential school in Ajmer, Rajasthan. This school is globally known for its high standards of education and infrastructure. Established in 1875 by Richard Bourke, Mayo College is a co-educational institution with over 800 students on roll. It offers a mix of modern and traditional education to its students. The school aims to provide an educational environment that strengthens the child’s confidence, initiative, and decision-making ability along with academic excellence.

Mayo College provides an ideal environment for learning and personality development. It offers state-of-the-art facilities like audio-visual rooms, smart classrooms, an extensive library, well-equipped science labs, well-maintained playgrounds, a swimming pool, etc. Students are also provided world-class boarding facilities with comfortable rooms and healthy food options.

The Doon School, Dehradun

The Doon School is a boys-only independent boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. It was founded in 1935 by Satish Ranjan Das, a Calcutta lawyer and the great-grandson of Sir Surendranath Banerjee. He modeled it on the British public school.

The school is located on a 340-acre campus in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is one of the most prestigious schools in India and is often cited as the best residential school of India by media and educationists.

The school has educated some of India’s most notable politicians, government officials, business executives, and civil servants. The Doon School alumni are referred to as Doscos or Dosconians

St Joseph’s Academy, Dehradun

St Joseph’s Academy is a co-educational English medium school located in the cantonment area of Dehradun. It was established in 1892 by the French missionary priests of the Society of Jesus. The school is affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE).

The campus of the school is spread over 25 acres and has facilities like classrooms, a well-stocked library, laboratories for science, computer and language learning, a chapel, an auditorium, music rooms, dormitories for both boys and girls along with separate hostel for girls.