Number of pupils: 815
Percentage of boarders: 75%
Percentage of international pupils: 18%
Av. class size: senior school - 16 / 6th Form - 10
Closest international airport: Gatwick Airport, one hour away by car.
Fees per term for 2024/2025: £20,292
GCSEs, IGCSEs and A-Levels on offer.
In 2023, King's School Canterbury's pupils achieved 61.7% A-grades at A level and 74% 9-7 grades at GCSE level. These great results put King's School Canterbury firmly in the Top 20 English boarding schools. The school is selective, so good grades are essential upon application.
Most popular and successful subjects are maths, chemistry and Spanish. The school offers a broad range of subjects, including astronomy GCSE and Psychology A-Level.
Broad selection of languages including German, French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian and Latin on offer.
75% of pupils are full boarders.
Six boys’ and seven girls’ houses, all recently brought up to standard with extensive refurbishments. All houses are within a 5-minute walk from school. Pupils share until Y13, then single rooms.
Exeat weekends exist but are not compulsory.
King's School Canterbury is one of the oldest boarding schools in the UK. The school's grounds in the shadow of beautiful Canterbury Cathedral are simply stunning and steeped in history. So, for anyone who wants a classic English boarding schools with all the bells and whistles, King's School Canterbury is THE school to go for.
As mentioned, the school achieves great academic results, yet does not feel overly academic. Teaching is excellent and a system of tutors, teachers and houseparents support pupils wherever they can.
Sports is strong, especially in rugby, rowing, lacrosse, swimming, cricket and fencing.
And then there is the music - choral music is very strong here, the orchestra and many bands are of a very good standard. 50% of pupils learn an instrument with regular performances at the Canterbury Cathedral guaranteed.
Last but not least, King's School Canterbury offers a huge array of extracurricular activities. Academic clubs are strong, debating, mountain-biking, Model United Nations on offer...the list goes on!
Too busy? We were told that some pupils find fitting academic and extracurricular life into one day a challenge, with school and clubs competing for time and energy
Too posh? Not our impression when we visited last, but rumour has it that King's School Canterbury has snobbish tendencies.