Day School Vs Boarding School- Which One Is Better For Your Child?

A child requires a school to be educated, become a better person, and gain skills to handle life challenges. School life for students is all about making the best of their time with learning, exploring along with having fun. When it comes to schools, parents want their child to have the best education but the dilemma that strikes them down is choosing between a residential school and a day school. The day school vs boarding school debate is not any new but is an important pillar to decide upon what’s best for the child. Let’s find which one of these serves the goals of education in a better way.

But before we head up to day school vs boarding school, let’s have a basic understanding of what a residential school and a day school is:

Day School

A day school is an educational institution where children study in their respective classes during the day hours, get involved in all the academic, co-curricular, and sports activities while residing in their homes. The typical day school runs from morning to afternoon with teachers imparting education with the main focus on brushing up the academics. Once school is over, the students go back to their homes and spend time with their families and friends.

Boarding school

A boarding school is where students stay full time and carry out all the school activities. The teachers and students both reside inside the school campus in their respective hostels. The boarding schools in West Bengal accentuate not just academics but also the holistic development of students. The boarding schools have separate hostels for girls and boys. Also there are only boys and girls boarding schools in India that cater education to a specific gender. 

Read this blog to choose over girls boarding schools over co-ed boarding schools here.

Boarding School vs Day School

The overall aim of both residential schools and day schools might be the same, serving holistic education to students. But their approach and milieu are completely different. While a day school has limited learning scope and skill development, boarding schools in Bihar open up unlimited prospects of learning and gaining life skills practically. 

Education and school environment

Both the day schools and boarding schools offer comprehensive learning to students. However, the environment in which this is carried out is quite dissimilar. A day school focuses on textbook-based learning whereas a boarding school emphasizes practical learning. The best boarding schools in Nainital have an experience-centered environment where students learn self-discipline which is not present in day schools.

Social interaction and learning

Students learn better with peer interaction and involvement. In a boarding school, students socialize, learn and play among peers, the diverse set of students offer better opportunities to students for learning and exploring. This helps them gain a better perspective while learning both inside and outside the classes of boarding schools in Nainital. The peer learning setting can be helpful in a day school as well but as the students have limited time to spend with peers, a lot of things are missed out. The same case goes with the case of improving social skills.

Co-curricular and sports

Boarding schools stand class-apart from day schools when it comes to co-curricular and sports. As the day schools’ function with restrictive hours, the time for everything is limited. The day schools give time for extracurriculars and games for once in a week or so, if the day school student has an inclination towards the same, they have to miss out classes. 

This tradition doesn’t happen with the best boarding schools in India CBSE, as the students have an ample amount of time after school where they can pursue what they have an interest in. Besides, the residential school also gives quite an importance to these activities and follows a proper schedule for the students after the classes. Be it art, music, dance, or games, boarding schools ensure students dedicate a proper time skilling them.

Personal Growth, Discipline, and Punctuality

Education fulfils several goals in a child’s life and these count personal growth, discipline, and punctuality as the former ones. While both day and boarding schools in Mumbai ensure these qualities are developed in a student. But at the end of the day school students go back to their homes which cannot provide the same environment like school. And as the students of residential schools in Mumbai are on their own, they manage and handle everything themselves which makes them more inclined towards being disciplined and punctual. Overall, managing things also helps them grow socially and personally.

Fees and facilities

When it comes to the fee structure and facilities, boarding schools charge higher as compared to the day schools as the fees of residential schools in Dehradun include food and lodging charges along with the school and sports fees. The day schools don’t have any extra charges so their fees are kept accordingly. The facilities in a day and boarding school are almost the same depending on the standards of schools. There are various day schools with excellent facilities but the best use of these facilities is made in the best boarding schools in Mumbai as students have the time to utilize them. 

Family inclusion

The students studying in top boarding schools in India stay away from their families and spend time with them during summer and winter vacations. Whereas the day school students stay with their families and enjoy a homely atmosphere after coming back from school. Although boarding schools provide all the comfort and facilities students need, the family interaction is not that consistent. However, there are day boarding schools to help in the scenario where the students spend the day in school and go back to their homes in the evening.

A child can achieve maximum growth and reach his true potential in an environment where his capabilities are nourishing. And both day schools and boarding schools make their best efforts to fulfil the educational goals of young minds and help them evolve as future leaders. While top boarding schools in Dehradun help students gain independence, punctuality, discipline, and life skills; a day school strives for academic excellence. 

If the parents want a cost-effective education solution, day schools are the ones to go for. But considering all the factors, a boarding school propositions all-inclusive education along with personal growth which might be missing in day schools. So, if there are no fee restrictions, boarding schools serve better. Find the curated list of top 10 boarding schools in India here.