Day School vs. Boarding School – Which One to Choose

Schooling is the most integral part of every child’s life; they receive basic knowledge and develop the skills to carry forward in life. Parents invest a lot in their children’s education. Everything they learn in their initial years of development can be impactful throughout their lives.

Most families are living in a nuclear setting nowadays, which means both the parents are working these days. They are not able to invest much time on their child’s development. They usually prefer sending them to either daycare after regular school or to boarding school.

Let us explore the difference between day school and boarding school. This will help you understand the criteria based on which you can choose if you are looking for what kind of school you want to put your child in.

What are boarding schools?

They are residential schools where students are allotted hostel to live on the campus away from parents and visit their home only during vacations. They live with many other students and are supervised by wardens who ensure that every student follows a proper routine and work according to their schedule.

There is a proper time allotted for each activity; from waking up, meal time to study time, they have to go through a proper time table.

There is a learning environment which is provided to students and an inspiring atmosphere which make the student develop new skills and explore their talent.

What are day schools?

Day schools, whether private or public, have allotted a few hours for studies after which they go back home. These schools are usually for 6-7 hours. Here, what children do after school hours depend on whether they join anything or not. It depends upon the parents and children.

There are a series of lectures that happen in a day since every hour is allotted to different subjects which are taught by different teachers.

These schools operate on weekdays only, where both the parents and students are required to make efforts along with the school to work on the education of the child. They get to meet their family, friends, and relatives all the time.

Pros and cons of sending your child to boarding school

Advantages:

• Students get an excellent training since boarding schools hire highly qualified teachers. They live under constant care and guidance of the faculty. These schools provide a learning atmosphere that gives them a boost and motivation for exploring their skills and talent. They develop skills that help them in future opportunities as well.
• Students learn to adjust with others since they require living with other children of the same age. Since staying away from parents can lead to a feeling of loneliness, by getting involved with others, they develop new relations.
• Children become independent and learn to make their own decisions. Since they live away from their parents, they have to take care of their work and their needs themselves.
• Children living in boarding schools live in a disciplined and organized manner which trains them for the future.

Disadvantages 

• Children face separation anxiety, which can affect them psychologically and make them detached from their parents.
• Fees charged in such a school can be quite high, which can become a burden on the parents.
• The curriculum followed is quite in-depth, which can become stressful for students to follow.

Pros and cons of sending your child to day school

Advantages

• They are quite affordable as compared to boarding schools. The tuition fee charged by the school is not even half of what boarding schools charge.
• They can take part in extracurricular activities according to their convenience of time and place

Disadvantages

• When living with parents, children are bound to get over-pampered, making them attached to worldly things and emotionally dependent.
• Day schools take in a large number of students which puts the teacher-student ration out of balance. Thus, teachers are unable to focus equally on each child
• There is a lack of diversification among the crowd of students that join the school. Since taking admission in school is based on certain criteria out of which locality is one of them, children who get enrolled are from nearby places. Thus, the source of interaction is not diversified.

Conclusion:

Both the schools come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Depending upon your budget and feasibility, you can choose either a boarding school or a day school. Before making any decision, consider your child’s needs and see if he or she is ready to be a  part of your decision.