In boarding schools, your child will develop their own perspective on the world, and learn how to respect the perspectives each and every classmate brings to the table. Co-educational schools bring a greater diversity of perspectives into the mix – providing boys and girls with valuable opportunities to learn from each other socially as well as intellectually.
By inviting all kinds of students to work together in the classroom and share in exciting extra-curricular adventures, a co-ed boarding school can better prepare your child for big-picture goals like success in university and a well-rounded adulthood. Here’s how:
1. A Co-Ed Boarding School Promotes Equality and Diversity
A Strategic Canada survey conducted in 2006 shows the vast majority of Canadian parents believe co-ed learning environments best reflect the “true diversity” of the world outside the classroom. They know children learn valuable life lessons from atmospheres of collaboration, not segregation.
“Separating people does not help reach gender equality and integration,” explains education analyst Graeme Bloch. “An environment where boys and girls learn to get on, as in the real world, is what we should be promoting in our schools.”
In fact, a recent Penn State University study found single-sex education is more likely to propagate gender stereotypes. Co-ed interactions help to redefine outdated social constructs, preparing students to be positive, progressive global citizens after graduation.
2. Students at a Co-Ed Boarding School Feel Safer
When sending your child away to board at a private high school, you want to trust that they’ll be safe, secure, and well taken care of. Research shows that co-ed boarding environments can offer your child their greatest sense of personal safety.
According to Strategic Canada, Canadian students say they feel safer and generally more respected by their peers at co-educational boarding schools than they do in single-sex environments. Students in co-ed schools also reported fewer instances of bullying, discrimination, and harassment than their single-sex school counterparts.
In mixed-peer atmospheres where children learn to look out for each other and difference is the norm, students feel safer, relaxed, and ready to learn.
“Lakefield has made me feel comfortable in my own skin from the very beginning,” explains a Grade 12 student at Canadian co-ed boarding school Lakefield College. “It is a place where I am free to be myself.”
3. Co-Ed Students Develop Stronger Self-Confidence and Leadership Skills
Co-ed environments offer students plenty of experience to communicate and collaborate with all kinds of people – a key skill for your child’s post-secondary success.
As well as a diverse student body, co-ed boarding schools employ skilled instructors of both genders, giving children valuable exposure to both male and female role models with a range of leadership styles.
By expressing themselves to diverse, supportive audiences of students and teachers, your child will develop confidence in themselves and their opinions. They’ll learn to share their ideas in any situation, becoming a stronger leader in the process.
4. Co-Ed Boarding Schools Offer Smooth Transitions to Top Universities
Grads of co-ed boarding schools are academically and socially prepared to meet the challenges that university brings – and top higher education institutions are eager to take these students on. They recognize that co-ed environments produce students who transition well into university campus life and excel in their studies.
The right boarding school for your child will offer resources that uphold this reputation for excellence, and set your child on-track to acceptance from his or her ‘top choice’ university.
For example, Lakefield College School offers students an enriched curriculum, advanced placement courses, and access to expert university counselling that helps them reach their goals. In 2015, its graduating class achieved a university acceptance rate of 100 percent – including prestigious placements at Oxford University, Brown University, Berklee College of Music, the University of Toronto, the University of King’s College London, and many more.
Do you want to set your child on track for post-secondary success?
Choose co-education and enroll your child in the best boarding school in Canada. Visit Lakefield College School for more information on co-education or to speak with our admissions team today. And explore Lakefield’s history of co-education through the hashtag #lcsbettertogether.