HSBC HURUN EDUCATION GLOBAL HIGHSCHOOLS 2024

HSBC AND HURUN EDUCATION LAUNCH HSBC HURUN EDUCATION GLOBAL HIGHSCHOOLS 2024

179 SCHOOLS MADE CUT, UP 11. 23 NEW ENTRANTS, 12 DROPPED OFF

US SCHOOLS LED WITH 46%, DOWN 2%, FOLLOWED BY UK 42%, UP 4%. SCHOOLS FROM 11 COUNTRIES MADE LIST

13 SCHOOLS IN CHINA, ACCOUNTING FOR 7%, 3RD IN WORLD. TWO NEW ENTRANTS, THREE DROPPED OFF

LONDON AND NEW YORK LED WITH 35 AND 26 SCHOOLS, FOLLOWED BY BOSTON, WASHINGTON D.C., LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO. SHANGHAI AND OXFORD TIED FOR 7TH. BY REGION, US EAST COAST HAD HIGHEST NUMBER OF SCHOOLS

69% CO-ED, WITH 19% GIRLS ONLY, AND 12% BOYS ONLY

1,000 STUDENTS ON AVERAGE OF WHICH 140 IN GRADUATING COHORT

207YRS HISTORY ON AVERAGE, WITH 13 SCHOOLS OVER 500YRS, 19 SCHOOLS LESS THAN 50YRS

51% OF THE SCHOOLS OFFER BOARDING, WITH 49% DAY SCHOOL ONLY

50%  IN SUBURBAN DISTRICTS, 35% IN URBAN DISTRICTS AND 15% IN RURAL DISTRICTS

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL TOPPED LIST FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING. OVER 40% OF ITS 200 GRADUATES OVER THREE YEARS OF 2020-22 WENT TO OXBRIDGE OR US TOP 10 UNIVERSITIES

DALTON SCHOOL ROSE 5 PLACES TO 2ND. ON AVERAGE, 1/6TH OF DALTON GRADUATES MADE IT TO HARVARD, YALE, PRINCETON, STANFORD OR MIT

LONDON-BASED ST PAUL'S SCHOOL DOWN ONE PLACE TO 3RD 

2 SCHOOLS MADE TOP 10 FOR FIRST TIME: KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON AND  SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL IN NEW YORK

(17 June 2024, Shanghai) HSBC China in association with Hurun Education today released the HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024, a list of the world’s top highschools, ranked according to leavers’ university destinations, co-curricular and reputation. The list aims to provide the latest insights on overseas education to help parents with early planning and preparation.

The ranking only includes independent schools, i.e. non-state schools, with physical campuses.

HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024 includes 179 schools from 11 countries. The Between them, they have 180,000 students, of which 25,000 graduate every year. On average, they have 1,000 students, of which 140 are in the final year. 31% board. They have a history of 207 years on average.

Zhang Jun, Head of Distribution, Wealth and Personal Banking, HSBC China, said: "As Chinese families' demand for international education increases, there is a growing trend of studying abroad at an early age. We have joined Hurun Education to release the 'Global High Schools Ranking' on the occasion of the 2nd HSBC International Education Festival, which will provide valuable insights for families with international education needs about how to select the right schools."

"HSBC’s latest global survey of mass affluent families shows that on top of securing the required funding for children’s international education, helping their children select the right course and universities and ensuring they meet the admission criteria for the desired universities contribute to the stress levels of China parents. A growing number of China parents are prioritising international education as a significant investment in their families. While surveyed parents have concerns about their children’s wellbeing overseas, financial concerns (94%) are on top of their minds, comparing with physical or health concerns (73%)."

HSBC China has recently completed the acquisition of Citi’s retail wealth management portfolio in the Chinese mainland. Completion of this deal enabled HSBC to further strengthen its competitive edge amongst foreign banks providing wealth services in the country. HSBC will keep supporting its clients both home and abroad to seize opportunities from connecting China and the world economy, fully leveraging its capabilities in cross-border financial services.

In recent years, HSBC Group has continued to invest in the Chinese mainland and double down on its wealth management business, spanning across wealth, private banking, insurance, asset management and fintech. Under the total wealth matrix in the Chinese mainland, HSBC is harnessing synergies and leveraging the three key financial service brands of "Premier", "Global Private Banking" and "Personal Wealth Planning" to focus on wealth risk management and asset allocation. Besides, HSBC has connected the four pillar resources of education, medical care, philanthropy and succession as well as arts both at home and abroad to serve the core customers in the Chinese mainland.

Zhang Jun said: "HSBC is well positioned to provide financial services to support students’ journey of studying abroad, leveraging our large global network that covers major destinations for international students. The HSBC International Education Connect offers diversified financial products covering the full life cycle of overseas study, as well as other cross-border and value-added services. We continue to enhance our financial services and will further work with the Group's entities in the Chinese mainland to support children’s overseas study, through activities such as international education festivals. We also provide advanced intelligence and resources at all stages of international education to help cultivate talents with global mindset for the future. "

Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Education Chairman and Chief Researcher, said, “I am delighted to partner with HSBC, a leading international bank, to put out the HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools for the second year running. This list is designed to help parents find the most suitable school for their children, help teachers looking to work in the best schools, and university admission officers looking to understand more about where their applications are coming from.”

“Hurun Education has scoured the world for the best high schools of each region, taking into consideration only independent schools with physical campuses, and then ranking them based on leavers’ university destinations, co-curriculum activities and reputation. Hurun Education did not consider exam results. Whilst the HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools is a ranking of the world’s most successful independent highschools, it is the right school for your child that is most important.”

“‘Leavers’ University Destinations’ reflects the school’s teaching, educational resources and level of attention to student’s future development. We provided a bonus to schools with lower admission requirements to recognize their added value. ‘Co-Curriculum Activities’ help students improve social skills, leadership skills, teamwork and social responsibility, allowing them to encounter new interests and friends. ‘Reputation’ is mainly about the impact of alumni in society.”

“China has more world-class high schools than many might think, ranking third globally, behind only the US and the UK. So, if you are based in China, instead of sending your child to study abroad, you could consider keeping your child in China. China-based schools are young, only 30 years old on average compared with over 200 years for the rest of the list, and are a bit bigger than their counterparts in other countries, 210 students in the graduating year compared with 140 for the rest of the world.”

“The number of Chinese students studying abroad is close to one million, with over 300,000 in the US, 200,000 in the UK, 150,000 in Australia, over 100,000 in each of Canada and Southeast Asia, nearly half of which are in Singapore. Nearly two-thirds of them are pursuing graduate or doctoral studies, 30% are pursuing undergraduate studies, and 5% are at highschool or earlier.”

“There are roughly 10,000 Chinese studying at the schools outside of China on the list.”

“The trend of co-ed is on the rise, partly because it brings convenience to families with both boys and girls. Only one third of the schools on our list are single sex schools: 60% girls' schools and 40% boys' schools. There is a trend of well-known UK-based boys' schools going co-ed with Abingdon School recently announcing it will admit girls for the first time in its almost 800 year history, whilst Winchester College has just started admitting girls for the first time in its almost 650 year history.”

“Day schools are on the up. Half of the schools on the list are day schools only, with the other half providing some form of boarding. Only one-third of the schools on our list are full boarding schools.”

“In the UK, the main starting points are aged 11 for the last seven years before university, aged 13 for the last five years or aged 16 for the last two years. In the US, the main starting point is aged 14 for the last four years.”

“The tuition fees of the US schools are the highest but they also provide the most financial aid. It is worth noting that many schools still confuse financial aid and scholarships. Scholarships are designed to attract the best students, while financial aid is designed to support families who cannot afford the school fees. On average, 10% of the students on the list are provided with financial aid, with an average annual subsidy of 30% of the tuition fees.”

“There is a significant discrepency in transparency regarding the university destinations of school graduates. Nearly 90% of schools are not afraid to disclose the number of students going on to each university. However, schools predominantly in Singapore, Hong Kong and Switzerland, do not like to disclose these stats.”

“With the application of ChatGPT and AI in the field of education, expect the classrooms of the future to be very different.”

World’s Top 10 Overall

London-based Westminster School was top, followed by The Dalton School and St Paul’s School. The Top 10 schools are from either the UK or US. They have 271 years of history on average. Six are single sex schools: three boys’ schools and three girls’ schools, and four are co-ed schools. Two schools made the Top 10 for the first time: King's College School, Wimbledon and  Saint Ann's School, at the expense of Phillips Andover Academy and Winchester College.

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

↑ Rank increase yoy  ↓ Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10

London-based Westminster School topped the HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools for the second year running. With almost 500 years of history, Westminster had over 40% of its 200 graduates going to Oxbridge over each of the past three years. The main enrollment ages are aged 13 for boys and aged 16 for girls. 75% are day students, while boarders make up 25%. The head is Gary Savage.

New York-based The Dalton School rose 5 places to second. A day school with a history of over 100 years, the main enrollments are at the age of 11 and 14. The head is José Manuel De Jesús. The performance of the school's graduates in the past three years has shown an upward trend. Over the past three years, on average, one sixth (nearly 20) of the 120 graduates each year went to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford or MIT.

London-based St Paul's School dropped one place to 3rd. With a history of over 500 years, St Paul’s School is mostly a day school, with only 6% boarding. The head is Sally-Anne Huang. Over the past three years, on average, more than 20% (around 50) of its 220 graduates went to Oxbridge or the Ivy League.

St Paul's Girls School dropped by one place to 4th. With a history of over 100 years, St Paul’s Girls is a day school for girls from 11 to 18. Sarah Fletcher is the head. Over the past three years, on average, one-third (over 40) of the 120 graduates went to Oxbridge or the Ivy League.

The Collegiate School rose four places to 5th. This day school is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York and has a history of nearly 400 years. Best-known perhaps for being the school of US President John F. Kennedy, the head now is David S. Lourie. Over the past five years, on average, more than 30% of its 50 graduates each year went to Harvard, Yale or other US Top 10 universities mainly on the East Coast. 

The Brearley School rose 4 places to 6th. This day school is located in New York and has a history of nearly 150 years. The head is Jane Foley Fried. Over the past five years, on average, nearly half of its 60 graduates each year ended up at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell or other top universities mainly on the East Coast.

The Spence School dropped one place to 7th. This day school is located in New York and has a history of over 130 years. The head is Felicia A. Wilks. Over the past five years, on average, more than 20 of its 60 graduates ended up at Ivy League schools, with a strong emphasis on Harvard and Cornell.

King's College School, Wimbledon rose 16 places to 8th. The school is located in London and has a history of nearly 200 years. The day school has its main admissions at aged 11, but also at 13 and 16. The head is Anne Cotton. The performance of the school's graduates in the past three years has shown an upward trend. Over the past three years, on average, nearly 50 of its 200 graduates have gone to Oxbridge or the Top 10 universities in the US each year.

Saint Ann's School rose 2 places to 9th. Located in Brooklyn, southeast of Manhattan Island in New York, and with a history of nearly 60 years, Saint Anne’s is a day school for ages 3 to 18. The head is Kenyatte Reid. Over the past three years, on average, more than 30% of the 80 graduates each year have gone on to study at the likes of Yale, Amherst, Harvard or Princeton.

Eton College rounded out the Top 10, down six places. The only full boarding school in the Top 10, Eton College has a history of nearly 600 years and is located near Heathrow Airport. The main admissions are at 13 years, and students study there for five years. The head is Simon Henderson. Over the past three years, on average, nearly a quarter (over 60) of the 250 graduates have gone to Oxbridge every year.

Geographic Distribution

46% of the world’s top high schools are in the US, followed by 42% in the UK. China was third with 7%. 

The Hurun Education Schools came from 11 countries and 52 cities, led by London and New York, and followed by Boston and Washington DC.

Table: Highschools by Countries and Cities

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

↑ Rank increase yoy  ↓ Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10

Boarding Schools

Eton College, Phillips Andover Academy and Winchester College led the 59 boarding schools.  27 are from the UK, 24 from the US, 6 from China and 1 from each of Switzerland and Malaysia. 46 schools are co-ed schools, 9 are all-girls and only 4 are all-boys. With an average history of 216 years, they have 790 students on average, of which 160 are in their final year. 

Table: World’s Top 10 Boarding Schools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

↑ Rank increase yoy  ↓ Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10

Day Schools

120 day schools made the HSBC Hurun Education list, of which 58 are from the US, 48 from the UK, 7 from China, 2 from Singapore and one each from Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and the UAE. 88 have no boarding, whilst 32 offer some boarding, with an average of 20% boarders. Each school on average has 1,100 students, of which 130 are in their final year. They have an average of 203 years of history.

Table: World’s Top 10 Day Schools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

↑ Rank increase yoy  ↓ Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10

Co-Ed Schools

124 co-ed schools made the list.  69 are from the US, 34 from the UK, 13 from China, 2 from Singapore and 1 from each of Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, India, the UAE and Switzerland. Each school on average has 1,080 students, with 150 graduates. They have 182 years of history on average.

Table: World’s Top 10 Co-ed Schools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

↑ Rank increase yoy  ↓ Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10

Boys’ Schools

21 boys’ schools made the list, led by St Paul’s Schools, with 16 from the UK, 4 from the US and 1 from Canada. On average they have 1,040 students, including 140 graduates. On average, they have a history of 453 years.

Table: World’s Top 10 Boys’ Schools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

↑ Rank increase yoy  ↓ Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10

Girls' Schools

34 girls’ schools made the list, led by St Paul’s Girls’ School, with 25 in the UK and 9 in the US. The average number of students was 730, of which 80 are in their final year. They have an average of 146 years of history. Lady Eleanor Holles is the oldest girls’ school on the list, dating back to 1710.

Table: World’s Top 10 Girls’ Schools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

↑ Rank increase yoy  ↓ Rank decrease yoy  - No Rank change yoy  * New to Top 10

Outside of the US and UK

22 schools from outside of the US and UK made the list, led by Seoul International School in South Korea. 13 are from China, 2 from Singapore and one each from Canada, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, India, the UAE and Switzerland. The average size of school is 1,790 students with 200 graduates this year, with Singapore’s UWC of South East Asia the largest with 5,600 students. These schools on average have 52 years of history. Upper Canada College is the oldest school outside of the US and the UK on the list, founded in1829, followed by Institut Le Rosey in 1880.

Table: World’s Top 10 Schools Outside of the US and UK

New Faces

23 schools made the list for the first time, led by Royal Grammar School, Guildford and followed by James Allen's Girls' School and King Edward VI High School for Girls. 17 are from the UK, 4 are from the US, and 2 are from China. 14 are co-ed schools, 6 are girls’ schools and 3 are boys’ schools.

Table: Top 10 Schools New Entered

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Day or Boarding School?

51% of the schools offer boarding, with 49% day schools only.  Of the day schools that offer some boarding, the average was 20% of the students.

Table: Day School or Boarding School

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Co-ed, Girls’ or Boys’ Schools?

69% of the schools are co-ed, with 19% girls only, and 12% boys only.

Table: Highschools by Co-ed or Single Sex Schools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Size of School

The average school had 1,000 students, with 140 in the final year before university. 6 schools had over 2000 students, whilst 26 schools had less than 500 students.

Table: Highschools by Number of Students in School

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Table: Highschools by Number of Students in Final Year

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

City or Countryside? 

50% of the schools on the list are in suburban districts, 35% are in urban districts and 15% in rural districts. Of the 27 schools in rural districts, 24 are boarding schools. 

Table: Highschools by School Environment 

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

History of Schools

The schools were set up in 1817 on average, 207 years ago. 2 schools have a history of over 1000 years, led by King’s School, Canterbury and Warwick School, both from the UK.

19 schools have a history of less than 50 years, led by 10 from the 2000s. 7 of the 10 youngest schools are from China.

Table: Highschools by Age of School

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

The Top 10 oldest schools on the Hurun Education Schools List are all from the UK. The oldest US school on the list, New York-based The Collegiate School, dates back to 1628.

Table: Oldest Schools from the Hurun Education Global Highschools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

 * New to Top 10

The oldest school from outside the UK and US on the Hurun Education Schools List is Toronto-based Upper Canada College, dating back to 1829. 

Table: Oldest Schools outside of UK and US from Hurun Education Global Highschools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Of the 10 youngest schools, 7 are from China, led by Suzhou-based UWC Changshu China from 2015, and one from each of the US, UK and India.

Table: Youngest Schools from the Hurun Education Global Highschools

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Age Group

The most common intakes for the schools is at Kindergarten (31%), at 11 years (22%), at 13 years (20%) and 14 years (13%).

In the UK, the main starting points after primary school are aged 11 for the last seven years before university, or aged 13 for the last five years and age of 16 for the last two years. In the US, the main starting point is aged 14 for the last four years.

Table: Highschools by Student Age Group

Source: HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Tuition Fees

The average annual fees for a day school in the academic year 2022/2023 was US$45,000, and for a boarding school was US$61,000. The most expensive was Institute Le Rosey in Switzerland, at US$162,000 for a year’s boarding.

US schools are 32% more expensive than UK schools on average. The average annual fees for day school in the US at US$58,000 compared to US$44,000 in the UK. For boarding schools, fees were US$70,000 in the US and US$56,000 in the UK.

Methodology

The HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024 is a ranking of the top independent highschools in the world. This is the second year of the list.

Coming up with the methodology for the ranking took several years.

Hurun Education only considered fulltime schools with physical campuses. Hurun Education defined ‘independent’ schools as non-government schools or non state-owned schools.

Hurun Education first put together a ‘long list’ of 500 non-state schools in the world, and then ranked the schools according to College Matriculation aka Leavers’ University Destinations (60%), Co-Curricular Activities (20%) and Reputation.

For Leaver Destinations, Hurun Education applied an average score per leaver for the three years of 2021, 2022 and 2023, with a bonus score for less selective schools. Hurun Education only considered leaver destinations, also known as college matriculations. Offers were not considered. Some schools, that ought perhaps to have made the list, but that provide no publically available details of their leaver destinations, were not included.

Hurun Education divided universities into four groups, based on a combination of the global university rankings by QS, US News and the Times, together with input from university counsellors from several leading highschools. Leavers going to the first group of universities were assigned 4 points, the second group 3 points and the third group 2 points. 

For Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs), defined as core components of the non-academic curriculum, including Sports, Creative and Performing Arts and Music, Hurun Education took into account the quality of the coaching staff (70%) and the facilities provided (30%) within a 20-minute drive from the school.

For Reputation, Hurun Education took into account the desirability of the school, the current alumni network alive today and its inclusivity as represented by Financial Aid.

Hurun Education would like to thank the many university counsellors and study abroad advisers for their input into this list.

If you are a parent looking to find out more about these schools, or a school, or would like to find out more about the list, please contact schools@hurun.net.

HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2024

Appendix - By Country

US Schools

Source: Hurun Education

UK Schools

Source: Hurun Education

China Schools

Source: Hurun Education

Rest of World Schools

Source: Hurun Education

About HSBC

HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations, serving approximately 42 million customers through its global businesses: Wealth and Personal Banking (including Global Private Banking), Commercial Banking, and Global Banking & Markets. HSBC’s network covers over 60 countries and territories in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, North America and Latin America.

HSBC Group has continued to invest in the Chinese mainland and double down on its wealth management business, spanning across wealth, private banking, insurance, asset management and fintech. Under the total wealth matrix in the Chinese mainland, HSBC is harnessing synergies and leveraging the three key financial service brands of "Premier", "Global Private Banking" and "Personal Wealth Planning" to focus on wealth risk management and asset allocation.

As one of the leading international financial institutions in the Chinese mainland, HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited (“HSBC China”) has banking outlets across about 50 cities, which is the largest service network covering the widest geographical reach by any international bank in the Chinese mainland. With knowledge of the local market and international operations, HSBC China is able to provide customers with a wide range of international financial and banking services, connecting customers to opportunities in both local and global markets.

HSBC China Website: https://www.hsbc.com.cn/

About Hurun Education

Hurun Education is the education platform of Hurun Inc. Hurun Education started out in 2008, with the launch of the Best of British Education, the first of the Hurun Schools Guide Series, targeting Chinese parents who were thinking of sending their children to study abroad.  The series expanded to cover the US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as the Best of Cultural and Creative Arts.

Hurun Education is best known for putting out definitive rankings. Its flagship is the Hurun Global Highschools List, a ranking of the world’s best independent highschools in the world put out in June 2023 in association with HSBC bank.

Other lists include a universities ranking, based on the alumni that produce the most individuals from the Hurun Rich List, as well as the most successful education entrepreneurs and donors to the education sector.