United Kingdom · Barnes, London · Founded 1509
St Paul's School
The great London day school for boys, with a rowing tradition on the Thames and results that rival Westminster.
The character
St Paul's is a modern, very academic day school with a small boarding house: rowers on the river at dawn, a science school of university standard and boys who arrive at seven with the junior school and leave for Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial or MIT. It is less traditional than Westminster and more sporty.
Good for
Academic London boys, rowing, families who want day education
Less suited to
Full boarders, families outside London
Getting in
Entry to the junior school at 7 and 8, to the senior school at 11 and 13 via pre-test and interview, sixth form at 16.
What it costs in total
At about £ 52,000 a year for boarding (£ 35,000 for day pupils), the 5 years from 13 to 18 add up to roughly €342,000 in today’s money including typical extras, before fee increases, tutoring and flights. The Education Cost Calculator adds inflation, extras and a second child.
Fees are rounded 2025/26 figures from the school’s own schedule and change every year. The school’s current fee sheet prevails. The picture is an impression of the setting, not a photograph of the campus.
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