Which girls school is currently considered most equivalent to Eton?

[Hebburn]

Which boarding school? Benenden?

Rodean?

Wycombe Abbey, Downe House?

I think only Wycombe Abbey

Equivalent in what way?

Fame? Archaic traditions? Academics? Sports facilities?

Cheltenham and Roedean traditionally, I think. Not sure about now.

International reputation for all round excellence.

Wycombe Abbey widely known outside of UK and in a league of its own in that regard?

There really isn't one as the history of boys' education is so much longer than the history of girls' education.

There are quite a few girls' schools (or co-ed schools) with great reputations overseas but really none like Eton and then the likes of Harrow/Westminster/Winchester.

For a "top" girls' boarding school, the one which I'd put there would be Wycombe Abbey but suspect that Cheltenham or Roedean may be better known overseas.

Why do you ask?!?!

When i was a kid (70s/80s) i remember being told that Roedean and Cheltenham Ladies College were the top girls' schools, however I suspect that people were referring to them being "naice" rather than them being the top academically. Nowadays we'd be thinking more about which was the top girls' school academically than how naice it was and Wycombe Abbey seems to be considered top for boarding. I don't know how it's regarded overseas though.

I don’t think any girls’ school has the same international fame as Eton and none of them are in a league of their own.

Are you looking for a school for DC or writing a novel 😁

None, which says a lot about equality eh!

The top performing academic girls’ day schools are probably better known than any boarding ones.

Why OP?

Why do you ask?!?!

^

How long is a piece of string?

there isn't an equivalent, so it depends what aspect of Eton you want an equivalence in.

The swish Victorian schools for young ladies which were chosen by parents who sent their sons to Eton included Roedean and Cheltenham Ladies College. When the Queen sent Princess Anne to Benenden it was a bit of a surprise because it really wasn't considered to be as smart. Since then girls schools have had their ups and downs. Benenden went through a bit of a difficult patch, reputation wise in the 90s, but seems to be very popular just now. Roedean went through a different sort of difficult patch more recently, but has been on the up for a few year.

The other schools popular among Eton parents has been those girls schools close to Eton - Heathfield, St George's, St Mary's. A combination of convenience and a different set of priorities for sons and daughters. They don't offer an equivalent experience because they are small schools with a more intimate feel, not vast town-based schools. If you want your daughter to have the 'Eton experience' in the sense of being collegiate, having an almost university-like approach to education and the freedom to go to a café with friends, then you are probably best off looking at old boys schools that are based in or near a town and have gone co-ed like Marlborough, King's Canterbury etc.

These days Eton is very academically selective in a way that it was not historically (a natural consequence of huge competition to get a place). The girls boarding school with the most academic reputation at the moment is almost certainly Wycombe Abbey.

International reputation for all round excellence

Eton's "reputation" doesn't just come from all round excellence though. It comes from a long history of being associated with statesmen and the aristocracy, it's position as part of the Establishment. There isn't an equivalent girls' school because girls weren't educated or sent away to school until much more recently, nor do they have scores of famous alumni because few women had careers nor titles to inherit.

when I was at school, Roedean was for the dim but posh girls and Cheltenham for the academic ones

I’ve seen this very question pop up a few times over the past 6-7 years.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/1159843-Eton-Harrow-Girls-equivalent?pg=1&order=
One thread took me on a lovely online journey into Scotland and a few amazing looking web sites.

St. Mary's Ascot.

As a wife and mother of Etonians and indeed an old girl of one of the schools mentioned ,heres my two pence worth.

There is no equivalent for many many reasons but the closest (boarding)would be CLC and WA

St Marys Ascot is catholic so thats a non starter.

Benenden-never really features in discussions and when the one thing most people know is Anne went there over fifty years ago..that tells you all you need to know

Roedean,fine,if you want to study Mandarin

Downe House,Heathfield-seen as fallback schools if you cant get into WA

The boys say the WA socials are best ..

Having said the above most of the Eton parents with daughters that we know have the girls at co-eds such as Marlborough and Wellington,two schools that I personally wouldnt want my children anywhere near but each to their own..

@nolanscrack thanks for the insight, very interesting. I was just wondering why you would not want Wellington or MArlborough as fall backs, as I was hoping these would be reasonable CO-Ed alternatives? (But don't know enough really)
Also what do you think about St Mary's Calne or is it further down on academics?

Different reasons, the people we know with daughters at those schools are pretty happy,but for different reasons I wouldnt want a daughter or a son at either..Welly-Seldon has gone,so thats a plus,but the essential Welly still remains,look beyond the PR,tis still a better fit for a Rugby player than it is an Academic.
Marlborough-despite its valiant attempts to broaden its base it really hasn't,it still has a certain type..thats not us..

St Marys Calne,Sherborne etc all fine ..

CLC , Roedean, Benenden, WA

For alpha boys, parents still look to Eton.
For alpha girls, it’s increasingly Wellington.
Don’t know why, but there you are.

My daughters boyfriend was from Eton. His sister is at a Wellington.
Many of my daughters friends at Wellington had brothers at Eton. Lots of her friends also went to Teddies but that’s co-ed as well.

Wycombe Abbey maybe. St Catherine’s Bramley nationally but not internationally. Malvern or Cheltenham but both a bit nouveau.

Lots of girls don’t traditionally board in same ways boys do, so St Paul’s girls.

The only female 'captains of the universe' (as in hedge fund CEO or similar) that I ever met went to WA. Were more successful than their Etonian hubbies.

If you are looking for a school that has a long history of actually educating women CLC - my great grandmother was one of 13 children - 11 girls. Her parents were wealthy tenant farmers who valued education for girls and sent all the girls to CLC and the two boys to Harrow. My GGM went with her twin sister in around 1903.
Her education was good enough to home educate her children till they were 12 all went on to have very academic careers including her daughter who was the first female senior scientist at ICI.