The Spear’s Schools Index 2024 shines a spotlight on the world’s 100 leading private schools, including the 10 best private schools in the Asia Pacific region.
Some, like Marlborough College Malaysia, are offshoots of British schools, following a UK curriculum. Others offer bespoke programmes that encourage intellectual curiosity, foster creativity and inspire the pursuit of excellence. The 10 schools chosen represent new arrivals to the education scene and established institutions that are more than a century old.
[See also: Introducing the Spear’s Schools Index 2024]
The results speak for themselves: Singapore tops the OECD PISA rankings of the best academic performance in the world, while Hong Kong follows in fourth place. Australia and New Zealand are in the top 25.
The Spear’s Schools Index 2024 recognises the best of the best in its ranking of the 10 Top Flight Asia Pacific schools.
Best schools Asia Pacific: names to know
This year, two schools in Asia Pacific were added to the Top Flight of the Spear’s Schools Index 2024:
Raffles Institution, Singapore
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Founded by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1823, Raffles Institution (RI) is one of the oldest schools in Singapore. Its founder’s vision lives on in the motto, auspicium melioris aevi, meaning ‘hope of a better age’. The school follows a rigorous curriculum and places a strong emphasis on leadership development and character building.
RI is rightly known for its academic excellence that is reflected in the high admission rates to Ivy League universities and Oxbridge.
Read the full profile on spears500.com
Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Sometimes referred to as the ‘Eton of the East’, the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) is one of only two boarding schools in the country under royal patronage.
MCKK strives to nurture students to academic excellence, educating a generation of boys in sound leadership skills and instilling in them a strong sense of individuality.
Read the full profile on spears500.com
Methodology
Spear’s has worked closely with the expert team at Thuso to refine the methodology underpinning the index, and to convene an expert panel of leading international educationalists to contribute their knowledge and insight to the research and selection process.
[See also: These are the 25 best senior schools in the UK]
The Spear’s Research Unit collected data and information directly from candidate schools, using a combination of online forms and interviews. This was supplemented with additional research and by intelligence and insight from Thuso and the panel of expert educationalists.
The Spear’s Schools Index 2024 has also been underpinned by the following key principles:
- While examination results and academic attainment is a key consideration, it is not the only thing that matters. Leading schools are not necessarily the most ‘academic’: A wide range of social, cultural, and pastoral factors have been weighed in finalising the index. In some cases, some schools with strong academics have been omitted where they fall short in relation to these wider considerations.
- Families are increasingly ‘mobile’, with new ‘global cities’ emerging as key hubs: This is particularly the case for cities such as Dubai, as well as established regional hubs in Europe, Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia, and the Pacific.
- Reputation and standing are not insignificant: The reputation and standing of a school shape and influence its character, the parents and pupils it attracts, and its position both regionally, and internationally.
Building on these principles, Spear’s, in collaboration with Thuso, brought together an Expert Advisory Panel, jointly chaired by Matthew Goldie-Scot, managing director at Thuso Group, and Ian Douglas, Spear’s head of research. Further information about the composition of the panel is available here.
Best private schools Asia Pacific: the complete list
Click on individual schools to read their full profiles on Spears500.com. All schools have been awarded Top Flight ranking. Schools listed in alphabetical order
