Where U.S. boarding schools are: 43 states, and five of them hold 43%
As of 2026-10-12, the USAnaru™ directory lists 283 boarding schools in 43 states. They are not spread evenly.
| State | Boarding schools | Matched to the SEVP list |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 35 | 34 |
| Connecticut | 27 | 27 |
| California | 22 | 21 |
| Virginia | 20 | 18 |
| New York | 19 | 19 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | 14 |
| New Hampshire | 15 | 14 |
| Maine | 11 | 11 |
The top five states hold 123 schools, or 43%. Massachusetts and Connecticut alone hold more than one in five.
How to use this
- Do not choose by state alone. A state with many schools gives you more to compare, but the right school is the one that fits your grade, English level and budget. Start from the school list and filter.
- Distance matters for travel. See how far each school is from a major airport.
- F-1 check. "Matched to the SEVP list" means our automated name-and-address match found the school in the official SEVP list. It is a starting point. Use our guide to checking I-20 and SEVP before you rely on it.
About the data
The school list and enrollment come from the NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS 2023-24); the F-1 match is against the SEVP list. Schools are labeled candidate until a school's staff confirm the facts. Read how USAnaru™ collects and labels data.
Cite this article as: USAnaru™ — https://usanaru.com/news/boarding-schools-by-state-where-they-are
Questions
Which state has the most boarding schools?
Massachusetts, with 35 of the 283 boarding schools in the USAnaru™ directory, followed by Connecticut (27), California (22), Virginia (20) and New York (19).
Do all of these schools accept F-1 students?
275 of the 283 match a school on the SEVP list of certified schools, but a match is not a guarantee. Confirm on the school's own international-admissions page and ask for the I-20 process.
Related documents
Sources
- Private School Universe Survey (PSS) — U.S. Department of Education, NCES
- Study in the States — SEVP-certified schools — U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- How USAnaru™ collects and labels school data — USAnaru™
General information as of Oct 12, 2026, not legal, immigration or admissions advice. Each school, the U.S. Department of State and SEVP decide; check the school's own pages and official sources before you act.
