Located less than 30 minutes from London and boasting a wide range of highly regarded private schools catering to diverse needs, Surrey is an ideal location for families seeking top-tier education. Below is an overview of some of the best private schools in Surrey, known for their strong academic performance and excellent co-curricular offerings.
| School | Type | Best Features |
|---|---|---|
| Guildford High School | Girls | Top exam results |
| Reigate Grammar School | Co-ed | High academics, extracurriculars |
| Royal Grammar School, Guildford | Boys | Elite selective performance |
| Charterhouse | Co-ed (boarding) | Prestigious boarding heritage |
| Cranleigh School | Co-ed (boarding) | Strong all-round development |
| St John's School | Co-ed | Excellent A-Levels |
| Royal Russell School | Co-ed | Balanced day/boarding |
| Tormead School | Girls | High girls' outcomes |
| St Catherine's School | Girls | Academic focus |
| Claremont Fan Court School | Co-ed | Innovative facilities |
👔Understanding Surrey's Private Education System
Surrey's private education landscape is widely recognised for its diverse educational approaches as follows:
🏫Types of Private Schools Available
When it comes to the types of private schools available, there are four main ones worth exploring, depending on your child’s learning style, personality, and even home location. Let's review some key benefits and considerations of each school.
Co-educational vs. Single-sex Schools
| School Type | Benefits | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Co-educational (Mixed-Gender) | - Encourages natural social interaction and teamwork between genders - Prepares pupils well for mixed university and workplace environments | - Some pupils may find mixed settings socially distracting - Teaching styles may be less tailored to gender-specific learning differences |
| Single-Sex | - Often promotes strong academic focus and confidence - Increased leadership and participation opportunities | - Less daily interaction with the opposite gender - Adjustment may be needed when moving to mixed settings later |
Day Schools vs. Boarding Schools
| School Type | Benefits | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Day Schools | - Lower cost than boarding schools - Strong family involvement and home–school balance | - Daily commuting can be tiring or time-consuming - Less immersive school experience |
| Boarding Schools | - Immersive environment fostering independence and life skills - Extensive co-curricular and pastoral provision beyond school hours | - Significantly higher fees - Reduced daily family contact, especially for younger pupils |
Now, let's explore some top-ranked private schools in Surrey.
⭐ Guildford High School
Founded in 1888, Guildford High School was named The Sunday Times Southeast Independent School Of The Year 2026, and ranked fifth nationally as indicated in The Sunday Times League Tables. 1
It is a progressive, independent day school for girls aged 4 to 18, showing consistently strong academic performance in GCSE (97% Grade 9/7) and A-Level (97% A*/B).
Admission Deadline: Registration usually Oct–Nov (11+ and Sixth Form)
Fee Range: £5,401-£8,663 (Reception to Sixth Form)
Scholarship Opportunities: Academic & Music Scholarships (5–10% of fees)
⭐Reigate Grammar School
Next, let's talk about Reigate Grammar School. Established in 1576, the school has a rich history and is linked to the parish church of St Mary’s, but is now known for being non-denominational.
The school is well known for nurturing students to their highest academic ambitions while fostering aspiration and a deep sense of personal growth for them to experience joy in learning. Reigate Grammar School showed exceptional exam results in GCSE (90% Grade 9/7) and A-Level (95% A*/B).
Admission Deadline: Usually Nov for 11+, Oct for 13+, Sept for 16+ entries
Fee Range: £9,265 - £9,515 per term (Year 7-13 per term)
Scholarship Opportunities: Scholarships at 11+, 13+, 16+ (Academic, Arts, Sport, etc.)
Read more on the best private schools in the UK.
⭐ Royal Grammar School, Guildford (RGS)
Let's continue with another grammar school in Surrey, the Royal Grammar School. Founded in 1509, it is one of the county's oldest all-boys independent schools. It boasts a strong academic record, achieving in GCSE (71% Grade 9/8), and A-Level (35% received gold standard A*).
Important note: From 2027 onwards, the RGS will become co-educational, where girls will be enrolled with phase entry for RGS Prep and RGS Senior School level.
Admission Deadline: Usually Oct for 11+ and Sixth Form entries (first week)
Fee Range: £4,563-£8,790 (Nursery to Sixth Form per term)
Scholarship Opportunities: Scholarships at 11+ & 13+ (Academic, Music, Art, typically 5–10% fee remission
Find out more about the best private schools in Hertfordshire.
⭐ Charterhouse School
Set on a 250-acre campus, Charterhouse School is a prestigious co-educational independent school that was previously a boys-only public school founded by English businessman Thomas Sutton.
It is one of the few independent schools in Surrey to offer the IB diploma programme alongside the regular GCSE and A-Level syllabus, where 97% of pupils were graded A*/B at A-Level and IB in 2025. 2
Admission Deadline: September of every year for 11+, 13+, 14+, 16+ entries
Fee Range: Day £15,591: Boarding £20,016 per term
Scholarship Opportunities: Scholarships across academic, arts, & sport
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⭐ Cranleigh School
As for Crainleigh School, the school also started as an all-boys independent school before becoming co-educational by 1999. Opened in 1865, the institution is known for its holistic academic and pastoral programme. The school takes pride in its beautiful, extensive grounds (approximately 280 acres), which make it an ideal place for sports and a wide range of extracurricular activities.
In terms of GCSE results, the school achieved 76% of grades 9-7, and also 83% of grades at A*– B for A-Level.
Admission Deadline: Around September (11+, 13+, 16+ entries)
Fee Range: Day £34,650; Boarding £57,390 (annual)
Scholarship Opportunities: Academics, arts, music, and sport for Year 7, Year 9, and Year 12
⭐ St John's School
Now, let's talk about St John's School. Founded in1851 initially to educate the sons of the clergy, the school is now a fully co-educational independent school for students aged 11 to 18, offering both day and boarding learning options.
The school is committed to offering an enriching learning experience in and beyond the classroom.
In terms of academic results, 78% of students were awarded 9–7 for GCSE, while 82% of students were awarded grades A* – B for A-Level. Graduates received offers from Oxbridge, Exeter, Durham, Birmingham, and Nottingham.
Admission Deadline:
Year 7 and 9 entry :1 November of Year 6
Year 12 entry: 15 October of Year 11
Fee Range: Day £9,760- £11,090
Weekly Boarding £2,665- £3,535 (according to seasons)
Scholarship Opportunities: Academic, art, design and technology, sports, music, drama, musical theatre, dance
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⭐ Royal Russell School
Established in 1924, Royal Russel School has close historical ties with the Warehouses and Drapers livery companies and enjoyed patronage by Queen Elizabeth II.
The school is known for its dynamic academic pathways by offering the BTEC qualifications for Sixth Form studies in the following fields: Media Studies, Sports, and Business. 3 The school also showed excellent academic performance in GCSE (58.9% achieved Grades 9–7) and A-Level+BTEC (69.7% achieved A*–B).
Admission Deadline: Begins in September and ends in October
Fee Range: Day £5,441.00- £9,206.00 ; Boarding £18,198.00
Scholarship Opportunities: Academic, Art, Music, Drama, and Sport (Financial value from 5% - 35%
⭐ Tormead School
Founded in 1905, Tormead School is an all-girls independent school for girls spanning 4–18. A member of the Girls’ Schools Association, it has a reputation for strong academics and extracurricular offerings, notably its very own Boat Club.
In terms of GCSE results, more than 80% of students score Grade 9-7 in these subjects: German, Further Maths, French, English Literature, and English Language.
On the other hand, more than 80% of students score A*-B in the following subjects: Art, Biology, Business, Computer Science, Design and Technology, French, Further Maths, Geography, Greek, History, Latin, Music, Physical Education, Politics, Religious Studies, and Spanish.
Admission Deadline: October (first week to last week for different age entries)
Fee Range: £4,524.00- £8,172.00 (Reception to Year 13)
Scholarship Opportunities: Academic, Art, Drama, Music, Sport Scholarships (~up to 10%)
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⭐St Catherine's School
Located in Bramley, St Catherine's School is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3 to 18.
The school is well known for its support for music education, offering 640 individual music lessons and 35 dance classes per week across Prep and Senior pupils. Academically, 84% of its students score Grade 7 - 9 for their GCSE results, and 87% score A*-B A Level Results.
Admission Deadline: Registration by mid–Oct/Nov ahead of the year of entry
Fee Range: £6,603- £7.998
Scholarship Opportunities: Academic scholarships at 11+ & Sixth Form; additional awards in sport, art & music
Read more about the leading private schools in Kent.
⭐ Claremont Fan Court School
Finally, we have Claremont Fan Court School. Established in 1905, the school is set in 100 acres of historic grounds in Claremont Estate and was initially an all-girls school before becoming co-educational in 1978.
The school offers a solid co-curricular programme revolving six key areas such as sport, drama and music, learning and improving, world and culture, STEM, as well as creative arts.
The school has also showcased strong academic results, whereby 57% of results were graded Grade 7-9, while 84% of results were graded A*-B for A-Level.
Admission Deadline:
Reception: During Spring
Year 3-5: Around March (Entry year)
Year 7: Around November (Entry year)
Sixth Form: Usually the first week of October
Fee Range: £5,575- £9,925 per term (Reception- Sixth Form)
Scholarship Opportunities: Academic scholarship, Sport scholarship
Creative arts scholarship (art/drama/music), Community scholarship
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🧑🎓 Visiting and Evaluating Schools
Now that you have an overview of what each school entails, you probably want to explore a few schools in detail by visiting them in person with your child.
📝 Importance of Open Days
Every school listed here has its own open days, where you can talk to the staff to learn more about the school's facilities, school ethos, class sizes, and pastoral care.
You also get to meet actual students of the school, and even talk to several parents whose children are still studying there, to get an accurate picture of how the teaching and learning process is conducted.
Important tip: Reviews and testimonials are also important considerations before you finalise your decision on which private school to choose.
Most importantly, you'll get the most recent admission details for different age entries, especially in terms of application deadlines, as well as important documents to prepare ahead of time. This will give you and your child a headstart. For instance, if there's an entrance test, you might want to connect with an experienced academic tutor at Superprof to help your child be better equipped in several core subjects, such as English or Maths.
📌 Conclusion
We hope this article has offered you some tips on how to choose the best private school for your child. Just follow this checklist, and you'll be in good hands:
References
- Best schools in the UK 2026 | The Times league table. (2025, December 9). The Times and the Sunday Times. https://www.thetimes.com/best-schools-league-table
- Food | Charterhouse School. (n.d.). https://www.charterhouse.org.uk/ibdp-detail
- Royal Russell School Review. (n.d.). WhichSchoolAdvisor. https://whichschooladvisor.com/uk/school-review/royal-russell-school
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