An imposing, grey manor house building with a lake and trees in the foreground with girls going for a walk

Wycombe Abbey

Wycombe Abbey

High Wycombe, England

Wycombe Abbey School, located 30 minutes from central London, is the 'grande dame' of English girls boarding schools. An academic powerhouse par excellence, Wycombe Abbey performs consistently among the top 20 schools in the UK. The academic prowess is only a small part of the story, however. This school provides a safe haven for girls to truly be themselves, to explore academic subjects (maths and sciences hugely popular here!), sports, creative pursuits and anything else that matters in the development of happy, successful young women.

Number of students
635
Number of boarders
600
Percentage of international boarders
30%
Average class size
12
Diploma offered
A-Levels
Closest International Airport
45 Mins
London Heathrow - by car
A group of girls in lacrosse gear holding up their sticksLacrosse

The Details

The Academics

Wycombe Abbey School is very, very academic and sports the required results to back this up: in 2024 a stunning 97% of GCSE grades were 9-7 grades and 42% of A-Levels were A* grades. This puts Wycombe Abbey School firmly in the top 10 of UK schools. Needless to say, this result is at least in part, achieved by being highly selective.

It goes without saying that girls applying to Wycombe Abbey School need to be very academic and ready to be challenged. The girls' academic performance is tracked consistently. Small lapses in performance will lead to a ramp up in support. Sounds daunting? Possibly, but it's all for the right cause, namely for the girls to live up to their potential.

Languages Taught

Latin, Greek, German, French, Spanish and Mandarin.

The Boarding

90% of girls board. Most girls share rooms with one other girl.

The boarding houses are all cozy, tastefully decorated and renovated to a high standard. The pastoral care is excellent. The boarding community is close-knit and integrative.

 

Two girls sitting on a bed, laughingThe Boarding

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

Wycombe Abbey's academic prowess is a clear and undoubtled strength. The girls are pushed but in a good way with ample support whenever and whereever they need it. Moreover, the fact that girls feel free to study what they enjoy rather what is deemed socially acceptable is a massive advantage. As one would expect, the teachers are phenomenal and widely admired by the girls The results speak for themselves.

Wycombe Abbey offers a broad range of excellent sports including very successful football, netball, tennis and squash. Sailing is doing well of late, too. Other popular sports include polo, rowing, lacrosse, swimming, hockey and tennis.

This is a proper, traditional English boarding school. Nearly 90% of the girls board and there's no compromises on boarding - no flexi or weekly boarding here. Wycombe Abbey is a proper, close-knit boarding community thanks to it.

The creative offer around music, drama and art is extremely good, too. Most girls play at least one instrument and there are orchestras, bands and choirs to participate in. Six major drama productions a year. Art happens in a gorgeous department space and girls can do textiles, ceramics, painting and photography.

Weaknesses

We love Wycombe Abbey, though do sometimes get the sense that things are done a little too 'by the book'. We guess, a school of this stature can do things exactly the way it wants without needing to compromise.

Location

Wycombe Abbey School is located in the heart of friendly town High Wycombe, 40 minutes from central London.

Closest International Airport
London Heathrow - 45 min by car
Closest Train Station
High Wycombe - 10 min walk
Nearest Cities
Oxford - 40 min by car
London - 40 min by car
Our Opinion

Not for the faint-hearted! If you get a place - GO!

Our Insider Tip

Wycombe Abbey fosters both entrepreneurship and technology: in the Entrepreneurship Club pupils develop real business ideas, while the STEM workshops range from robotics to engineering projects – an exceptional combination for such a traditional boarding school.

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