Also known as residential schools, boarding schools are educational institutions with dormitory facilities where students may live or board during the school year. The dormitories or hostels have sleeping, lavatory, eating, study, and recreational areas. There is often accommodation for teaching and support staff.
Dormitory facilities may be separated by sex, age, or even familial relationship when families send more than one child. So we can say in other words that boarding schools in Alabama are places where students can study and live on the school’s campus.
Just like we have the Top 10 Best Boarding schools for troubled girls and the Top 10 Best Therapeutic boarding schools in New England in the previous articles, There are also good boarding schools in Alabama specially designed for kids with special needs.
In this article, you will get to learn about the top 10 best boarding schools in Alabama. If you are looking to send your child to a boarding school in Alabama, you will learn more about the boarding schools in Alabama as you read on.
Alabama is a state filled with charming towns, natural wonders, and hidden gems. This beautiful state provides education from grades PreK-12. Their early education program was recognized from 2007-2010 as having the highest quality standards, tied with North Carolina.
In addition to state-funded early education programs administered through Alabama state, some public and boarding schools offer early education through local and federal funds.
There are not as many boarding schools located in Alabama as there are in other states. The boarding schools that call Alabama home are viewed very favorably by parents and students.
Students enrolled in any of these top Alabama boarding schools receive excellent academics while enjoying Deep South hospitality, which serves as one of the great benefits of attending a boarding school in Alabama.
Does Alabama have Faith-based boarding schools?
Yes! There are quite a number of good religious and faith-based boarding schools in Alabama. To mention a few, there is;
- Southern Preparatory Academy
- Central Christian School in Robertsdale, Alabama.
- Adullam House Christian Academy in Wetumpka, Alabama.
- Cahawba Christian Academy in Centreville, Alabama
- New Life Christian Academy in Troy, Alabama
- Heritage Christian Academy in Bessemer, Alabama
- Bayshore Christian School in Fairhope, Alabama
Religious boarding schools in Alabama are private schools which means they are not state funded. Most of the time, parents pay for their child’s tuition, room, and board. Some schools are non-profit and fees are reduced because of donations. Most of the boarding schools in Alabama also provide scholarships.
Top 10 Best Boarding Schools in Alabama
The following is the list of the top 10 best boarding schools in Alabama:
- St. Bernard Prep School
- Indian Springs School
- Springwood School
- Southern Preparatory Academy
- Alabama School of Mathematics and Science
- Alabama School of Fine Arts
- Marion Military Institute
- Columbus Girls Academy
- The Capitol School
- Lyman Ward Military Academy
#1. St. Bernard Prep School
St. Bernard Preparatory School is the oldest and best boarding school in Alabama. It is the first school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama.
It was founded in 1891 and it is located in Cullman, north Alabama. It is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, boarding, and day school that offers a rigorous college preparatory education steeped in the Benedictine tradition, designed to not only prepare students for college but to help them grow in body, mind, and spirit.
The school serves students from all ethnic, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds. St. Bernard Preparatory School strives to create an environment that encourages student growth in self-discipline, respect for self and others, and mature social interaction.
The school motto, Corpus, Mens, Spiritus (Body, Mind, Spirit) indicates the mission of St. Bernard Preparatory which is being highly committed to fully engaging students in learning for the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.
They encourage the development of mental and physical discipline, breadth and depth of view, responsible thought and action, and critical thinking. It is the first school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama.
Click here to Visit the school website
#2. Indian Springs School
Indian Springs School is the second school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama. It is an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12 with a student-to-teacher ratio of 8:1.
Indian Springs serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham.
Indian Springs School fosters a love of learning and creativity, a sense of integrity and moral courage, and an ethic of participatory citizenship with respect for individuality and independent thought.
They offer an innovative curriculum in the environment that best fits students’ needs and comfort, whether in-person, online, or through a hybrid learning model. At Indian Springs, every student has access to flexible and personalized learning opportunities.
Click here to visit the school website
#3. Springwood Schools
Springwood School is a private College and Career Preparatory Day and International Boarding school in Lanett, Alabama, United States. It is the third on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama.
The school was founded in 1970. Springwood provides excellent academics, a safe environment for students to reside in, and a wealth of activities. It accepts students from all over the world and has enrolled pupils in the past from 18 different nations.
This noble school has celebrated many years of college preparatory academic excellence, fine and performing arts, and athletic programs.
With its college preparatory rigor and leading-edge focus on career preparation, choosing Springwood is a smart choice for students.
Click here to visit the school website
#4. Southern Preparatory Academy
Southern Preparatory Academy is the fourth school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama. For over 125 years, Southern Preparatory Academy has existed to educate and train future generations of leaders. As a military boarding school in Camp Hill, Alabama, Southern Prep is dedicated to creating a positive environment where students live and learn without the distractions found in public schools.
They are not just a military high school; Southern Prep is a boarding school, private school, college prep school, and an all-boys school rolled into one. Since 1898, they have provided students with the discipline and structure needed for focus, self-reliance, and success.
They offer open Enrollment that is, new students are accepted throughout the school year.
Southern Prep offers the same classes as any other public or private school; the only difference is their class sizes are smaller (8-12 boys per class). It is the fourth on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama
Click here to visit the school website
#5. Alabama School of Mathematics and Science
The Alabama School of Mathematics and Science is a school for students who are ready for an accelerated learning environment that challenges them to maximize their potential. It is the fifth school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama.
The Alabama School of Mathematics and Science is located in the midtown neighborhood of Mobile, Alabama. It graduated its first class in 1993. The school was founded in 1989 as a unique public-private partnership.
ASMS is set apart by its academic rigor, boarding learning environment, leadership opportunities, and research focus for students.
Students can study advanced math and science subjects in high school at the Alabama School of Math & Science, establishing the groundwork for potential success in STEM fields.
Click here to visit the school website
#6. Alabama School of Fine Arts
Alabama School of Fine Arts is the sixth school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama. It offers an advanced high school diploma with deep-dive specialty instruction. Students qualify via application to enroll in 1 of 6 intensive programs: creative writing, dance, math-science, music, theater arts, and visual arts.
A co-educational public school serving grades 7 through 12 is the Alabama School of Fine Arts which is situated in Birmingham, Alabama. Based on an applicant’s application, exam results, auditions, and interviews, students are admitted.
The school has limited extracurricular activities, no sports teams, and a prolonged academic day with intensive classes—94% of graduating seniors enrolled in four-year colleges during the most recent three years of data.
Click here to visit the school website
#7. Marion Military Institute
Marion Military Institute, the Military College of Alabama, is a public military junior college in Marion, Alabama. Founded in 1842, it is the official state military college of Alabama and the nation’s oldest military junior college. It is the seventh school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama.
Marion Military Institute, a two-year public institution of higher learning, educates and develops cadets as future leaders through an immersive experiential military environment that integrates intellectual, leadership, character, and physical development in order to prepare them for success in four-year colleges, U.S. service academies, and in military and civilian careers.
Its academic curriculum is designed to challenge and expand intellectual potential while simultaneously fostering the development of personal values.
Click here to visit the School website
#8. Columbus Girls Academy
Columbus Girls Academy is the eighth school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama. It is a private, therapeutic, all-girls, Christian boarding and day school located in Seale, Alabama. It has students in grades 7-12 with a student-to-teacher ratio of 21:1.
The Columbus Girls Academy (CGA) provides a structured, disciplined atmosphere that promotes character formation, spiritual development, and personal accountability.
Counseling is a part of the therapeutic program and boarding school, both one-on-one and in group sessions. As they engage with faculty members, counselors, and other students, boarding school students face challenges every day in their interpersonal skills and respect for others. It is a setting that strikes a balance between personal accountability and discipline in order to foster a supportive peer culture.
The nonprofit girls’ program aims to foster growth in the four key areas of spiritual, social, academic, and physical well-being.
Click here to visit the school website
#9. The Capitol School
The ninth on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama is Capitol School. The Capitol School is a Multiple Intelligence School founded in 1993 whose mission is to educate responsible citizens of the world. The Capitol School is a top-rated, private school located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The Capitol School is fully accredited by AdvancED (formerly Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or SACS.
The school’s faculties create learning opportunities for its students that emphasize the various forms of intelligence: verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, naturalist, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.
This is done with consideration for medical research concerning the capacity of the brain and how the mind is organized, as well as the research of Harvard psychologist, Dr. Howard Gardner. The Capitol School provides its kids with the best educational procedures
Click here to visit the school website
#10. Lyman Ward Military Academy
Lyman Ward Military Academy (LWMA) is a private military school in Alabama. The Academy is now known and addressed as Soirthern Preparatory Academy. It was established in the year 1898 for rural youth in Alabama. This school is the tenth and the last school on our list of best boarding schools in Alabama.
The original purpose of Lyman Ward Military Academy was to offer secondary education, but in 1948 a military department was established.
Soon after the name became Lyman Ward Military Academy and at that time elementary programs ended and it became all boy rather than coeducational.
This academy has small classes with a traditional teaching approach for kids in grades 6 through 12. The typical class size of 10 cadets fosters a very high level of contact between professors and students.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Alabama Independent School Association both accredit Lyman Ward Army Academy (LWMA), a boys’ college-preparatory school (AISA).
Click here to visit the school website
Conclusion
The above schools through research are the most updated and active boarding schools in Alabama where you can enroll your child for academic excellence. Use the schools’ website to learn more about the boarding schools.
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