Looking for the best boarding schools in Brisbane (or Ipswich)? We’ve got a great overview of Brisbane’s finest! Here you will find a list of the schools outlining boarding options, age requirements and other useful information.
Why choose a boarding school?
Parents and carers list many reasons for choosing a boarding school for their child/ren. These may include:
- After-school care and activities
- To develop their child’s self-confidence & social skills
- To harness gender-specific learning techniques
- To encourage independence
- Religious cultural or ethnic reason
- A dedicated supportive learning environment
- No good quality local school (includes remote/overseas)
- Avoid bad influences from friends
- Avoid family home living problems
Brisbane and Ipswich currently boast eight boarding schools. We’ve listed boarding schools in Brisbane and Ipswich by gender and then alphabetically:
Girls Boarding Schools in Brisbane
Clayfield College
Clayfield College offers three types of boarding opportunities for students: full boarding experience for regional, rural, remote and international students and permanent weekly boarding to girls whose families reside in Brisbane and surrounds. Weekly boarders travel home every Friday after school, returning on Sunday afternoon.
The College also offers a range of flexible boarding options to assist modern day family lifestyles and commitments. These are called the ‘Clayfield College Boarding Extras’ where they offer daily, casual and weekly boarding options for girls.
Clayfield College accepts boarders from Year 5 – Year 12.
To read more about the College read our Clayfield College Parent Fact Sheet here.
For full details about boarding at Clayfield College click here.
Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School
Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School offers three types of boarding options to girls from around Australia and overseas: full-time boarding, weekly boarding and casual boarding for girls.
Ipswich Girls’ Grammar accepts boarders from Year 5 – Year 12.
Somerville House
More than 100 girls from diverse backgrounds and nationalities call Somerville House Boarding their home away from home. They travel from around Australia, and from around the world, to take advantage of our renowned academic, cultural and sporting facilities. Boarding at Somerville House is offered from Year 6 to Year 12 for both Australian and international students.
Boarders enjoy contemporary air-conditioned facilities, purpose-built to cater for the study and lifestyle needs of teenage girls and considerate of the required balance between personal privacy and cohesive communal living. The Boarding House incorporates modern bedrooms and bathroom facilities, shared leisure spaces, in-house kitchen areas, supervised study areas, soundproof music practice areas and balconies overlooking Brisbane city.
To read more about Somerville House read our Somerville House Parent Fact Sheet here.
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
St Margaret’s offers boarding opportunities for girls across their nine dormitories, each named after a significant woman in Australia’s history.
St Margaret’s accepts boarders from Year 5 – Year 12.
To read more about the school read our St Margaret’s Parent Fact Sheet here.
Stuartholme School
Stuartholme School is Brisbane’s only Catholic girls Boarding School and provides a specialist boarding experience in the Sacred Heart tradition. Stuartholme offers three types of boarding options for girls: full-time boarding, weekly boarding (Monday to Friday) and extended school day.
Stuartholme School accepts boarders from Year 7 – Year 12.
To read more about the school read our Stuartholme School Parent Fact Sheet here.
Boys Boarding Schools in Brisbane
Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie)
Churchie’s Boarding House is located on the school campus in the inner-city suburb of East Brisbane.
Boarding at Churchie is for students enrolled in Years 7 to Year 12.
To read more about Churchie read our Anglican Church Grammar (Churchie) School Parent Fact Sheet here.
Brisbane Boys’ College
Boarding at Brisbane Boys’ College is for students enrolled in Years 4 to Year 12.
To read more about the College read our Brisbane Boys’ College Parent Fact Sheet here.
Marist College
Marist College offers boarding accommodation for boarders from across Australia and overseas divided among five residences. The College offers boarding opportunities for full-time or weekly (Monday – Friday).
Boarding at Marist College is for students enrolled in Years 6 to Year 12.
To read more about the College read our Marist College Parent Fact Sheet here.
St Peters Lutheran College
St Peters Lutheran College at Indooroopilly has a long history as a boarding school. The College was originally established in 1945 as a boarding school for rural families. As the only co-educational boarding in inner Brisbane St Peters offers a point of difference.
Accepting boarders from Years 6 – 12 St Peters provides a real family experience. St Peters offers full-time boarding, weekly boarding and extended school day where day students can enjoy supervised homework and meals with the boarding students.
To read more about the College read our St Peters Lutheran College Parent Fact Sheet here.
John Paul College
On a beautiful 34-hectare site, 20 minutes south of Brisbane’s CBD lies John Paul College, one of Queensland’s largest and most progressive independent, co-educational schools, offering an Early Learning to Year Twelve educational journey, including boarding from Year Seven.
Students come to John Paul College from across Australia and the world to join their boarding programme; providing boutique, village-style accommodation nestled in native bushland adjacent to the main campus. John Paul College offers one of the lowest student to staff ratios of any Australian boarding school, reflecting the value placed on the safety and well-being of students entrusted to their care.
Accommodation is provided in villas which house eight students in four twin-share bedrooms, each bedroom with its own bathroom. A communal kitchenette and lounge encourages shared conversations and lifelong friendship for villa residents. Offering increased privacy and independence, all villas are equipped with swipe pass security technology and are within immediate proximity of staff accommodation.
Boarders have access to recreational facilities including ovals, a games room, dining hall, basketball court, fire pit and full use of the facilities at John Paul College including an Aquatics Centre, double court indoor stadium and gymnasium.
The College works to ensure that every student has a viable academic pathway that leads to post-school study or the workplace through a comprehensive curriculum offering 47 senior subjects and six Vocational Educational Certificates.
The rich educational experience is complemented by extensive sporting and performing arts co-curricular and social activities that keeps boarders engaged and connected, and enables them to develop maturity, independence, self-confidence and resilience.
Let your child experience what it is like to be a John Paul College Boarder by registering your interest in their ‘Boarder for a Night’ Programme.
To find out more about the college read our John Paul College Parent Fact Sheet here.
Boarding schools in Brisbane, Ipswich and surrounds!
Now that you know what schools in Brisbane offer boarding facilities, you still need to know what to consider when choosing a good boarding school. We’ve spoken to Mrs Pamela Hodgetts, the Head of Boarding at Somerville House who has shared her over 30 years of wisdom in her article ‘Things to Consider when Choosing a Boarding School‘. We hope you enjoy it and it helps inform your decisions!
If you’re interested in pursuing private school education we’ve also collated a guide to getting a private school scholarship in Ipswich and Brisbane! We’ve also put together a package designed to help you with a scholarship application.
Which is the BEST boarding school in Brisbane?
If academic results are important to you, make sure you carefully read our updated Secondary School ranking article (based on Year 9 NAPLAN results) and our Brisbane Secondary School Results | OP/ATAR scores in Grade 12 click here to find out who is at the top of the leaderboard this year!
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