12 Leading Boarding Schools in Nigeria

There are hundreds of boarding schools in Nigeria but which ones are nationally recognized as the best? Join me in this blog post as I share with you details of the best boarding schools in Nigeria highlighting their academic quality, student performance, boarding facilities, and school fees.

Many, if not all, of my friends went to a boarding school, I’m usually the odd one and feel left out when they share their boarding school experiences and that is because I was a day student. Their boarding school experiences are usually one of the funniest conversations whenever it starts. But one thing I noticed was how similar their experiences were even though all 8 of them attended different boarding schools.

In a boarding school setting, the pupils reside on the school campus while receiving classes. The only difference between a boarding student and a day student is that the former does not go home after daily academic sessions but retires to the boarding house provided by the school while the latter goes home and comes back the following day.

Basically, the boarder lives within the school premises and is offered meals and accommodation. It can be a great experience for students just as it was for my friends, especially in terms of social skills. Aside from social skills, there are a number of skills, as well as benefits, that boarding school students gain over day students.

Firstly, boarders, as boarding school students are commonly referred to, have more time to study, they learn to be responsible for themselves, and they are well organized which equips them with basic life skills and helps to boost their academic performance.

As I mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of boarding schools across Nigeria. Rather than reviewing each of them, we have simply curated a list of the best ones and provided their information here. The list of leading boarding schools in Nigeria will help parents or wards make better decisions concerning their child’s academic life.

Through this list, parents or wards are exposed to the best boarding schools in Nigeria with academic qualifications that are on par with the ones outside the country. And talking about boarding schools outside the country, we have a published post on the best 17 boarding schools in England for international students which you can check out if you plan on sending your child to a boarding school abroad.

Having said that, let’s get into the main topic.

boarding schools in Nigeria

Top Boarding Schools in Nigeria

The following are the best boarding schools in Nigeria with details on their fees, location, academic quality, and tuition:

  • Lekki British School
  • Grange School
  • Whiteplains British School
  • Rainbow College
  • Atlantic Hall School
  • Regent Secondary School
  • Hillcrest High School
  • Day Waterman College (DWC)
  • Chrisland Schools
  • British International School
  • Green Spring Schools
  • Dowen College

1.     Lekki British School

Lekki British School is the first British boarding school in Lagos, Nigeria. It is also one of the leading boarding schools in the country using a British curriculum. Lekki British School offers enrollment in pre-school, junior school, and senior school. The school also offers Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Levels, and Pre-University Foundation programs.

The school has a wealth of facilities for learning and extra-curricular activities such as a pool, soccer pitch, prep room, tennis court, science lab, and school clinic. Applicants must take the school’s entrance examination to be considered for enrollment. The school is located at Lekki Phase 1 and the tuition fee is around $19,000.

2.     Grange School

Grange School is located in Ikeja, Lagos, and is one of the top boarding schools in Nigeria with extensive sports and co-curricular activities, a strong pastoral system with dedicated tutors, and strong use of technology throughout the school.

The school offers full-time boarding where students leave at half-term, full-term holidays, and exeat requests. There is also the flexi-boarding option where students leave during weekends. Grange School has a nursery, primary, and secondary school.

3.     Whiteplains British School

Whiteplains British School is a day and boarding international co-ed school located in Jabi, Abuja. The school offers enrollment from pre-nursery to A-levels and uses both Nigerian and British curricula. Whiteplain has won 7 international awards, has over 1,500 alumni, and has 50 experienced educators.

Students can partake in all sorts of extracurricular activities such as art production and exhibition, dance club, swimming, press club, science fair, taekwondo, environmental club, etc.

4.     Rainbow College

Rainbow College is a co-education day and boarding school, the day college is located at Surulere, Lagos while the boarding college is located at Maba, Ogun State. The school has national recognition for excellent academics, moral standards, and co-curricular activities. Applicants seeking admission into Year 7 will take entrance exams.

5.     Atlantic Hall School

Atlantic Hall is a co-ed full boarding secondary school located in Epe, Lagos, Nigeria, and one the leading boarding schools in the country. The school uses both Nigerian and British curricula to bring the best of both worlds to its students. The scholarship is offered to one student every year but the criteria are that the student must achieve the highest score, up to 90%, in the entrance exam.

6.     Regent Secondary School

Regent Secondary School is located in the heart of Abuja, Nigeria, and houses students from 37 nationalities. It is co-ed with day and boarding options. The school provides high-quality, British-style education to students in primary to secondary school. Entrance examinations are set for students who want to study at Regent.

The tuition per term is 90,000 Naira while the fee for boarding per term is 120,000 naira. The boarding facilities include well-furnished dorms, professional catering services, a sick bay, CCTV, counseling services, armed security guards, and many more. Other facilities in the school include a football field, basketball court, table tennis, laboratories for ICT, science, and technology, and studios for music and arts.

7.     Hillcrest High School

Hillcrest High School is one of the leading boarding schools in Nigeria. It was founded in 1942 as a day and boarding school for the children of missionaries. Today, it is still a day and boarding school for people from all backgrounds. It is a Christian school. The school is divided into elementary school, middle school, and high school each with its principal.

Hillcrest High School is situated in Jos, Nigeria. The tuition is between N1.4 million to N4.3 million per school year depending on the grades.

8.     Day Waterman College (DWC)

DWC is a reputable co-ed boarding school for students aged 11-16 years old. Aside from academic excellence, this school has a global reputation for its beauty and facilities. It is a well-furnished boarding house, multipurpose hall, art center, learning resource center, science labs, and sports facilities. It is located in Asu Village Road, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

The tuition for DWC is N3.7 million per year.

9.     Chrisland Schools

Chrisland Schools is a day and boarding co-ed school offering enrollment in preschool, nursery & primary, secondary, and pre-degree. It is one of the largest private schools in Nigeria and one of the best in the nation. It has locations across Lagos and Abuja.

Chrisland provide excellent academics and extracurricular programs to shape students into becoming scholars, athletes, and global citizens who are showing forth the light of excellence.

10.  British International School

British International School is located in Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos. It uses the British curriculum and houses several facilities to aid students learning. The tuition fee per year is up to 5 million nairas which cover boarding, medical exams, uniforms, fees, and textbooks. Graduates from British International School are easily accepted into UK universities.

11.  Green Spring Schools

Green Spring Schools was established in 1985 and is located in Anthony, Lagos. This school has state-of-the-art boarding facilities that may make you consider sending your child there. The academic approach is also one of the best but the tuition is on the high side at over 3 million naira per year.

12.  Dowen College

Dowen College is a co-ed boarding school in Lekki, Lagos, and is recognized among the best boarding schools in Nigeria. It houses cutting-edge facilities such as well-furnished forms, computer laboratories, research labs, a library, etc. to aid in student’s education. The annual tuition fee is 1.25 million naira.

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