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Best Boarding Schools in South India
Best Boarding Schools in South India

India is a developing country. Our agricultural sector is flourishing and our industrial sector is progressing at a fast rate. Often, because of the focus on these two sectors, the education sector gets overlooked. India has a fast-growing education sector with many medical, engineering and law colleges earning a name for themselves. Often, people from all around the country and world go to some of the best schools here. This means that the schools require great boarding facilities to host the students on campus. Here is a list of some of the best boarding schools in South India.

List of the Best Boarding Schools in South India.

1. Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore

Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore
Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore

Address: Karunya Nagar Post, Siruvani Rd, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641114

Established: 1996

Board: CBSE, IB

Principal: Ms Rajeshwari G.

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

In the 1970s Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda conceived the idea to establish an international school in India. By 1996, Pujya Swami Chidanandaji, the president of ‘The Divine Life Society’ inaugurated Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore.

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it provides many facilities to its students. The school has a dining hall, medical centre, auditorium and laundry service. The school also promotes sports and other physical activities to promote fitness. For this, the school has additional facilities like a gymnasium, swimming pool, a basketball court, tennis court and a cricket ground.

In addition to this, the school also has dormitories called Chhatralayas for outstation students to stay at. There are separate Chhatralayas for boys and girls. There are 4 Chhatralayas for boys and 3 Chhatralayas for girls. Each Chhatralaya has a resident house master, who is also a faculty member and a house matron.

2. Indus International School, Bangalore

Indus International School, Bangalore
Indus International School, Bangalore

Address: Billapura Cross, Attibele Rd, Sarjapura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562125

Established: 2003

Board: IB

Principal: Mrs. Sarojini Rao

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Retired Lt. General Arjun Ray established Indus International School, Bangalore. The school allows students from the 9th to 12th grade to pursue a dual program that takes up to 4 hours a week at the Indus Startup School. Students work in teams to learn leadership, life, business and technology. It also encourages students to take part in community services initiatives and has also established the Indus International Community School.

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, the school offers many facilities to its students on its 40 acre campus. The school has smart classrooms, infirmary, activity rooms, open air amphitheatre and dining room. The school also encourages students to take part in sports and other activities. For this, it has a swimming pool, horse riding arena, tennis and badminton court as well as a large ground for various track and field activities. Students take part in basketball, football, cricket, badminton, table tennis, swimming, and athletics along with other activities like music, dance, cookery, arts & crafts.

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it has many outstation students who study here. The school has built hostel facilities for these students. Students can opt for weekday or full-time boarding. There are separate boarding houses for girls and boys and each room has 2 to 3 students. The boarders occasionally get to visit amusement parks, places of historical interest, shopping malls and go on picnics on weekends.

3. Jain International Residential School, Bangalore

Jain International Residential School, Bangalore
Jain International Residential School, Bangalore

Address: Jakkasandra Post, Bangalore-Kanakapura Main Road, Ramanagara District, Karnataka, India – 562112

Established: 1999

Board: CBSE, IGCSE, IB

Principal: M Ramachandiran

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

The Jain Group established the Jain International Residential School Bangalore. It has over 750 students who study from grade 4 to 12. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it offers students many facilities like a library, science, math, language and computer labs and smart classrooms. It also has multiple clubs that students can be apart of and also allows its students to take part in MUNs.

The school also encourages students to take part in sports activities like basketball, football, cricket, tennis, badminton, swimming, billiards, equestrian, golf, squash. It also teaches yoga and meditation so students can learn to stay at peace.

The school has around 700 residential students who stay at the hostel on campus. The wardens ensure the environment is safe, sound, caring and student-friendly. The school has 1 girls dormitory called Suvidha and 2 boys dormitories called Chaluka (for students from grade 4 to 10) and Hoysala (for students from grade 11 to 12). Each hostel has TV room, parents lounge, attached dining hall, indoor games facility and well ventilated and air-conditioned rooms. The rooms have a study area with a desk, bookshelf, and a wardrobe for students.

4. Rishi Valley School, Chittoor

Rishi Valley School, Chittoor
Rishi Valley School, Chittoor

Address: Rishi Valley, Chittoor District, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh 517352

Established: 1926

Board: ICSE

Principal: Dr. Anantha Jyothi

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Rishi Valley School, Chittoor is one of the schools under the Rishi Valley Education Centre. The Krishnamurti Foundation runs the school. The school has classes from the 4th grade till the 12th grade. It has around 160 students studying from the 9th to the 12th grade.

The school has many facilities that it provides to the students. Students learn and play sports like cricket, football, throwball, basketball, tennis and badminton. Students also go birdwatching and students can take part in western folk dance on the weekends. In addition to this, they also take part in various projects. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it has many students from outside who study here.

They provide hostel facilities to these students. The school has around 360 boarding students on campus who stay in 20 small hostels or houses. Each house accommodates 12 to 22 students and boys and girls from the 4th and 5th grade stay in the same houses as the girls from the 6th and 7th grade. However, older girls and boys live in different houses.

5. Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet

Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet
Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet

Address: Sardar Patel Rd, Begumpet, Hyderabad, Telangana 500016

Established: 1923

Board: ICSE

Principal: Dr. Skand Bali

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

The seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, H.E.H. Mir Osman Ali Khan, established Jagirdar’s College. It was later renamed to Hyderabad Public School in 1951. The school has many facilities like a library, smart classrooms, physics, chemistry, biology and computer labs and an infirmary. The school also encourages students to pursue sports and offers many sports facilities like:

  • Standard 400m track with facilities like a shot-put ring, javelin field, disc-throw ring, long jump pit and high jump pit
  • 4 outdoor badminton courts
  • 2 synthetic and 4 hard basketball courts
  • 6 nets with bowling machines for cricket, 1 turf wicket cricket field, 2 matting wicket cricket fields
  • A stable with 9 horses for equestrian sports
  • 2 standard and 7 mini football fields
  • 2 hockey fields
  • 4 practice courts for kabaddi
  • 1 kho-kho field
  • A 50m swimming pool
  • Indoor 10m shooting range with 10 stations
  • Indoor hall with 4 tables for table tennis
  • 4 clay courts for tennikoit
  • 2 synthetic and 3 clay courts for tennis
  • 4 clay courts for volleyball
  • 2 clay courts for throwball
  • 1 indoor hall for yoga
  • 1 circuit of obstacle course with 10 stations
  • 3 km cross-country track
  • Gymnasium

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it also offers students a chance to take part in extra curricular activities. Students can join multiple clubs and societies. Students can also join the NCC, learn music and go on field trips and take part in students exchange programs with the Bednarska Charter High School, Warsaw. The school also has a boarding facility with 10 computers for hoteliers to use.

6. Stonehill International School, Bangalore

Stonehill International School, Bangalore
Stonehill International School, Bangalore

Address: Tarahunise Post, Jala Hobli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562157

Established: 2008

Board: IB

Principal: Karen Crooke

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

The Embassy Group established Stonehill International School, Bangalore to provide international level education to students. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it offers students many activities. The school provides over 50 activities under 4 categories – technology, sports, the arts, and community service. The activities range from aeromodelling and robotics to dance and pottery; taekwondo and horse riding to learning at the math club; working with old age homes to working with underprivileged children.

The classes here have an average strength of 18 students so that each student gets adequate attention. The girls to boys ratio in the class is 1:1. Students from all around India as well as abroad study here. The student body consists of children from 35 different countries while the faculty has members of 15 different nationalities.

To accommodate these students, the school has amazing boarding facilities that students can use. The boarding facilities have twin and quad sharing rooms that are fully air conditioned with bathrooms, high speed internet, a common lounge, study centre, fitness centre and 24-hour medical centre with a live-in nurse.

7. Good Shepherd International School, Ooty

Good Shepherd International School, Ooty
Good Shepherd International School, Ooty

Address: Good Shepherd Knowledge Village, Ooty, Tamil Nadu 643004

Established: 1977

Board: ICSE, IGCSE, IB

Principal: Sheila Alexander

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

The late Dr. P.C. Thomas and Mrs. Elsamma Thomas established Good Shepherd International School, Ooty. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it has many facilities like smartboards and LED panels, an organised library with books, journals, magazines and reference books, audio visual rooms, language lab, science laboratories, design and visual art studio, examination hall, mathematics lab, computer lab and auditorium.

It also has 26 boarding houses (8 for girls and 18 for boys). It has a television, music systems and indoor games facilities like carrom and chess. Each boarding house has house parents assisted by dorm-nurses.

8. The International School, Bangalore

The International School, Bangalore
The International School, Bangalore

Address: Sarjapur Road, Circle, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562125

Established: 2000

Board: IGCSE, IB

Principal: Dr. Caroline Pascoe

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Dr. K P Gopalkrishna, the school’s current chairman established The International School Bangalore. It is one of the best boarding schools in South India. The school offers students the opportunity to take part in many activities like art, aviation, ballet, chess, coding, contemporary dance, craft, debating, economics and entrepreneurship

In addition to this, they can also learn fencing, first aid, kathak dance, karate, math club, music, newspaper club, photography, robotics, shooting, table, speech & drama as well as yoga. The school also promotes sports and offers many facilities like a 25m outdoor swimming pool, a cricket pitch, a hockey pitch, two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a volleyball court, throw ball court, two wooden and two badminton courts, a gymnasium and a fitness suite.

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, students come from all around India to study here. The school has boarding facilities for these students. There are three boarding houses – Junior Boys International House, Boys International House and Girls International House.

9. Greenwood High International, Varthur

Greenwood High International, Varthur
Greenwood High International, Varthur

Address: Sarjapur Main Rd, Varthur, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560087

Established: 2004

Board: ICSE

Principal: Mr Aloysius D’Mello

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Greenwood High International, Varthur is one of the best boarding schools in South India. It has many facilities like a library, chemistry, physics and biology labs, cafeteria and infirmary. The school encourages students to take part in sports like cricket, skating, football, swimming, basketball, athletics, aerobics, chess, tennis, yoga, taekwondo, table tennis, badminton and volley ball.

It also has many clubs and societies that students can be a part of. They include Robotics, Contemporary, Dance, Theatre/Drama, Music, Cooking/Baking, Gardening and Environmental, Speak Up/ Public Speaking And Poetry club, Chess, Art, Photography, Coding, Aviation Club, International Relations and Current Affairs as well as Film Analysis and Production. The students also take part in MUNs. The school also has boarding facilities for the students. The hostels have a house parent as well as a nurse.

10. Canadian International School, Bangalore

Canadian International School, Bangalore
Canadian International School, Bangalore

Address: Manchenahalli, Yelahanka, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560064

Established: 1996

Board: IB, IGCSE

Principals: Donald Macmillan, Regis Caudrillier, Rekha Sachdej

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Canadian International School, Bangalore is one of the best boarding schools in South India. The school offers many activities to students. They include drawing, painting, pottery, sculpture, papier-mâché, construction, complementary media (film and video), drama, music as well as foreign languages like French, Hindi, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

Students from all around India as well as abroad study here. To accommodate these students, the school has amazing boarding facilities that students can use. The boarders can use various facilities of the school so that they can enjoy their stay on campus.

11. SCAD World School, Coimbatore

SCAD World School, Coimbatore
SCAD World School, Coimbatore

Address: SCAD Knowledge City, Palladam, Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu 641664

Established: 2012

Board: IGCSE

Principal: Dr. John Abraham

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Established as one of the many schools under that SCAD institution, SCAD World School. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it offers its students amazing facilities on its 20 acre campus. They include smart classrooms with projectors, e-boards and computers, a library, biology, physics, chemistry and math labs and an auditorium. The school also promotes sports and has many facilities for the same. It has outdoor facilities like 400 meters athletics track, cricket ground, football ground, horse riding arena, softball ground, tennis (clay) court, basketball court and a rock climbing wall. SCAD World school also has indoor facilities like those for archery, badminton, billiards, carrom, martial arts (taekwondo), rifle shooting, skating, table tennis and yoga.

Students from all around India as well as abroad study here. To accommodate these students, the school has amazing boarding facilities that students can use. It has 2 hostels, one for boys and the other for girls. Each hostel is supervised by a matron (for the girls’ hostel) and a warden (for the boys’ hostel).

12. Kodaikanal International School

Kodaikanal International School
Kodaikanal International School

Address: Seven Roads Junction, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu 624101

Established: 1901

Board: IB

Principal: Corey Stixrud

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Kodaikanal International School is one of the best boarding schools in South India. It has well maintained infrastructure like a library, science labs, language lab, hygienic catering, organized boarding and a smart education system. KIS gives major emphasis to activities along with academics. The school has activities like music, hiking, camping, dancing, dramatics, visual arts and performing arts.

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it has many outstation students who study here. The school has built hostel facilities for these students. There are 18 students residences that accommodate 25 to 35 students.

13. Isha Home School, Coimbatore

Isha Home School, Coimbatore
Isha Home School, Coimbatore

Address: Velliamgiri Foothills, Ishana Vihar Post, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641114

Established: 2005

Board: ICSE

Principal: Mrs. E Maheshwari

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Isha Home School was founded to give students comprehensive knowledge and experience. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, the school has amazing facilities. They include excellent classrooms, library, science laboratories, dining area, healthcare and medical facility, multipurpose hall, cafeteria, sports facility and auditorium.

To accommodate outstation students, the school has amazing boarding facilities that students can use. HIS has multiple dormitories with up-to-date amenities. Boys and girls live in separate dormitories and each one houses up to 20 students.

14. Hebron School, Ooty

Hebron School, Ooty
Hebron School, Ooty

Address: Vannarapettai, Ooty, Tamil Nadu 643001

Established: 1899

Board: IGCSE

Principal: Mr. Timothy Wright

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

Hebron School is a co-educational school and also a boarding school for the children between the ages 10 to 19. It is known for its uniqueness and excellence. It has two campuses; one in Lushington and other in Selborne. Lushington hosts the administration department. The infrastructure of the school is based on modern architecture. The school has a dining area, auditorium, swimming pool, playfields, kitchen, residential room, sports hall and auditorium.

The Selborne Campus hosts residential and boarding facility for senior girls. It has a standard room, dining room, computer room, kitchen, hygienic sanitation facility, music room, dance room and sports hall. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it has many students from outside who study here. They provide hostel facilities to these students. The school has 10 dorms in the Lushington campus and 6 dorms in the Selborne campus. Each dorm houses around 20 students.

15. Rashtriya Military School, Bangalore

Rashtriya Military School, Bangalore
Rashtriya Military School, Bangalore

Address: Museum Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560025

Established: 1946

Board: CBSE

Principal: Lt Col Deepankar Chaudhary

Co-educational: No

Overview

Rashtriya Military schools were established as King George’s Royal Indian Military schools to take care of the education of the sons of defence personnel. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it takes academics seriously and strives to provide the best facilities to students.

Since it is an army school it emphasizes fitness and encourages students to take part in physical activities like hockey, basketball, volleyball, football, boxing, cricket, badminton, lawn tennis, table tennis, swimming, judo and athletics. The school also provides boarding facilities for the students to use.

16. Lawrence School, Lovedale

Lawrence School, Lovedale
Lawrence School, Lovedale

Address: Ootacamund, The Nilgiris, Lovedale, Tamil Nadu 643003

Established: 1858

Board: CBSE

Principal: K Prabhakaran Nair

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

The Lawrence School, Lovedale is an autonomous institution which runs under the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India. It is one of the best boarding schools in South India. The school covers an area of 750 acres and provides excellent infrastructure and facilities to the students studying here.

The school has large classrooms, a library with an outstanding stock of books and journals, science labs, math lab, research room, dance Room and music room. To accommodate outstation students, the school has boarding facilities. The boarders can use the various facilities of the school so that they can enjoy their stay on campus.

17. Rashtriya Military School, Belgaum

Rashtriya Military School, Belgaum
Rashtriya Military School, Belgaum

Address: Camp, Belgaum, Karnataka 590009

Established: 1945

Board: CBSE

Principal: Lt Col R Alagarraj

Co-educational: No

Overview

Rashtriya Military schools were established as King George’s Royal Indian Military schools to take care of the education of the sons of defence personnel. This school was established at the end of World War 2.

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it takes academics seriously and strives to provide the best facilities to students. The school prepares boys who wish to join the Indian Armed Forces for the entrance examination of National Defence Academy. Boys between the age of 10–12 years are eligible for admission to school from Class VI onward. It also provides boarding facilities for its students to use.

18. Sainik School, Amaravathinagar

Sainik School, Amaravathinagar
Sainik School, Amaravathinagar

Address: New Employees QTRS, Amaravathi Nagar, Tamil Nadu 642102

Established: 1962

Board: CBSE

Principal: Capt (IN) Nirmal K Raghu

Co-educational: No

Overview

The Sainik School Society established Sainik School, Amaravathi Nagar. The main objective of the school is to training cadets to join the National Defence Academy. Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it has a strict policy to select is students. Only Indian students can study here

The school selects students through an entrance examination  called the All India Sainik School Entrance Exam-AISSEE for the entry into 6th and 9th standard. The selected candidates get public school education. Those with leadership skills train to become officers in the Armed Forces. The school also offers boarding facilities for the students who stay here.

19. St. Thomas Residential School, Thiruvananthapuram

St. Thomas Residential School, Thiruvananthapuram
St. Thomas Residential School, Thiruvananthapuram

Address: St. Thomas School Road, Mukkolakkal, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695044

Established: 1966

Board: CBSE, ICSE

Principal: Mr. Babykutty P. Rajan

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

St. Thomas Residential School, Thiruvananthapuram is one of the best boarding schools in South India. The campus is spread across 32 acres and has many great facilities. They include a library, computer centre, cafeteria, infirmary, chapel, science labs and bank. The school also has many sports facilities like basketball court, tennis court, hockey field and a football field.

The school also has boarding facilities for students. There are three on campus hostels where students reside at. The first hostel is the Junior Boys Hostel, the second is the Senior Boys Hostel and the third is the Girls hostel.

20. The Blue Mountains School, Ooty

The Blue Mountains School, Ooty
The Blue Mountains School, Ooty

Address: Dilkhush Mahal, Ooty, Tamil Nadu 643001

Established: 1962

Board: ICSE

Co-educational: Yes

Overview

The F.G. Pearce Educational and Charitable Trust established the Blue Mountain School, Ooty. The school aims to help students acquire knowledge and skills to become compassionate and competent global citizens.

Being one of the best boarding schools in South India, it stresses on academics. The school offers English, Hindi, biology, physics, chemistry, coordinated sciences, history, geography, business studies, economics, accountancy, math and computer science. The school also has smart classrooms as well as various other facilities those for sports. In addition to this, it also has boarding facilities for its outstation students.

About the author

I am a student of Saint Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
I like playing and watching sports. I also like to read crime novels and mythological stories.