United Kingdom · Tonbridge, Kent · Founded 1553
Tonbridge School
The academic boys' school of Kent, with results near Westminster, superb cricket and a balance of boarders and day boys.
The character
Tonbridge is quietly one of the best boys' schools in the country: outstanding results, a science centre of university quality, cricket on the Head, a first-rate music school and a boarding community of half the school. It has none of the swagger of the London schools and many families prefer it.
Good for
Academic boys, cricket and rugby, families in Kent and south London
Less suited to
Families wanting co-education, full-boarding purists
Getting in
Register by Year 6, pre-test and interview, entry at 13 via Common Entrance or the school's own papers, sixth-form entry at 16.
What it costs in total
At about £ 56,000 a year for boarding (£ 40,000 for day pupils), the 5 years from 13 to 18 add up to roughly €370,000 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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