Which girls school is currently considered most equivalent to Eton?

[Hebburn]

Which boarding school? Benenden?

@Lonecatwithkitten my great grandmother went there too - she probably overlapped with yours. She had two older sisters there too, who went on to Girton. It was one of the original blue stocking schools.

My close friends DS boards at Eton and her DD boards at Cheltenham Ladies college.... her DH is french and went to Westminster and they were clear from when there DC were born which schools they would be attending.

DD and her friends came across a bragging Old Etonian during her University freshers week. She quietly mentioned she had been at Westminster, and he shut up. Her friends, who had never heard of Westminster, were impressed. In the game of public school top trumps, assuming this is a game you want to play, Westminster often wins. Cooler, more urban, cleverer.

Heathfield is popular for sisters of Eton boys as so close and they offer full and weekly boarding so it's fits in with logistics and Exeats. They have socials with Eton and apparently Prince William has said socials with Heathfield girls were the best..

Might I suggest that the measure of how good a girls school is, is not how well they socialise with Eton boys? That might benefit the Etonians but I think if I were judging the education on its merits for the girls themselves that might not be the measure I would use.

So Wycombe Abbey wins hands down. In terms of matching Eton. Not in terms of top school. Those accolades would go to Westminster and SPGS.

Those accolades would go to Westminster and SPGS.

Not forgetting King Edward's, in Edgbaston, if you fancy being provincial!

I think all parents investing so much in their child's education would investigate all their options wisely. All schools now are under academic scrutiny. In my opinion Heathfield offers a well round education for all girls supporting academia and pushing those that need a boost. Geographically it's the easiest option for Eton parents as I am one and I also want a great education for my daughter. It works magnificently for us.

Purely going by the age of the school I would say Red Maids' High School. It's the to oldest girls school in the UK, although they no longer offer boarding.

Phucs I am so provincial I went to KEHS! And so I watch their results and know they aren’t as good as the London day schools. It’s a simple mathematical thing to do with the size of the pool and of the school.

KEHS not a patch on KES!
As always, the best schools are for boys

SPGS, or boarding Sherborne Girls'.

I’d say Cheltenham Ladies and Wycombe Abbs

It is probably Wycime Abbey.

But I disagree with the assumption that current Eton boys all have sisters there. This is absolutely not the case.

Cohorts are more diverse these days and also geographically dispersed. Some boys will have arrived at Eton with a significant bursary from elsewhere in the country, with siblings already at local schools. Some are from abroad and their siblings didn't want to move countries or were not suited to it. There are many more in this situation that you think. Some chose Eton not because of family circles, snobbery or social norms, but because they run out of options locally and took a punt at something different.

It might have been different a few years ago, but my own DS has siblings who do not board and many of his friends have siblings who don't either. Some are at state schools or have been for a part of their education at least. It's a much more fluid picture than many might think these days.

@Hebburn

Which boarding school? Benenden?

Wycombe Abbey

ensemble

Not as high profile but St Swithens is very popular with Winchester families.

There is no girls equivalent. There are a few well known girls’ and mixed boarding schools which would be recognised around the UK and these have been named above. Day schools in London are really only known to Londoners and those in the home counties. Westminster and SP schools might be well known within London but few will have heard of them outside of commuting distance, mostly because they are “just” day schools.
WA might be the most academic but like many girls’ boarding schools it’s all just rather new c.f. Eton which is in a league of its own. It’s famous (internationally to) over hundreds of years.

There isn’t a girls equivalent of seton. Wycombe Abbey is seen as the most academically prestigious of the girls boarding schools. Eton isn’t the most academic boys boarding school though- it’s cache is it’s association with the ruling elite / aristocracy.

leftandaright Westminster offers boarding. About a third of its pupils board. Particularly in sixth form where students from across the world compete for places.

A good prep school head will steer pupils in the right direction and for some bright kids this will be Winchester rather than Eton. Eton requires a level of confidence. We have known several who have not enjoyed their time there.

So Westminster is ostensibly a day school that offers boarding and not a true out and out traditional boarding school which is why it isn’t so well known outside of the London area. Sounds like it’s popular with those locally and as you say those overseas but it isn’t a boarding school that draws from all over the uk
like some of the more prestigious/traditional/“famous” boarding schools. Fame is as fame does though …. And we all know how important fame is in the modern age - and how irrelevant it is in finding the right school for your child

Mallory Towers?

If you're incubating a future female prime minister, send your DD state - according to data so far.

Westminster is one of the 7 ancient schools listed under the Public Schools Act 1868. Unlike Charterhouse, it did not move out of London so has fewer boarders but it still operates as a boarding school. DS used to go in for breakfast, and quite often stay for dinner, and to do his homework and use the gym. There was Saturday morning school and Saturday afternoon matches. DD used to go in on Sundays, have brunch with her boarder friends, study with them and then they would all go out for supper.

The sixth form regularly attracted girls from Wycombe Abbey, Cheltenham Ladies and other boarding schools. One of DDs best friends came from Badminton, and there was a good handful from Wycombe. It may not generally be that well known outside London but it is certainly known by people who use this type of school. It is also known internationally. In DDs year Westminster apparently received the highest number of Harvard offers in the world (8), more than any single school in the US. Boris, though he went to Eton, chose to send his boys to Westminster.

Wycombe Abbey is big but it’s big for academics which is really more similar to Harrow than Eton. Schools in Ascot since they’re so close will have a lot of sisters of Etonians such as Heathfield and St.Mary’s Ascot which has been really popular at the moment. Downe House is another big one you’ll see. Benenden will probably have more siblings at Tonbridge than Eton and St.Swithuns sees a big overlap with Winchester families. Historically Cheltemham Ladies College and Roedean have been the top schools for girls but they have fallen out of favor in recent years as they’ve become very international. St.Mary’s Calne and Sherborne Girls are also great schools but far from London and don’t overlap much with Eton. If I had a son at Eton I’d choose between St.Mary’s Ascot, Heathfield, and Downe House.

What? Harrow isn't particularly academic. Eton is a lot more academic than it used to be. Is your info maybe some decades old? And are you maybe not even living in the UK?

@BonjourCrisette Well my own children are adults now but yes I remember Harrow being more academic, along with Winchester compared to Eton which was more sporty along with academic. What would you say is a Harrow type?

I don't know, but it's certainly not thought of as highly academic these days.