3 schools nurturing the next generation of female leaders

Inclusion, diversity, and individuality are three elements schools can champion to cultivate a safe space for children and teenagers to thrive. Why is this important? Mainly because a strong sense of openness brings out the best in girls and boys of all ages, which can ultimately lead to academic and personal success.

A tailored academic journey enables students to learn from a very young age that success can take many forms. By taking charge of their progression, they grow and develop into courageous and compassionate leaders who are ready for the future and what awaits beyond the four walls of a classroom.

This level of empowerment is especially crucial for young girls. By joining a dynamic school, they gain ample exposure to the life skills, education and sisterhood needed to break glass ceilings. Thankfully, there are plenty of schools around the world strictly focused on evolving ambitious girls into strong women by arming them with the competencies to lead. Read on to find out why these three stand out:

St. Andrew’s Schools

Source: St Andrew’s Schools Hawaii

Zoom in on picturesque Honolulu, the capital city of Hawaiʻi, and you’ll find the only school in the state to offer a coordinate K-6 educational program, a first-of-its kind educational experience designed to help boys and girls achieve the most at every age. Honouring their founder, Queen Emma Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke, and with values deeply rooted in their Hawaiian and Episcopal heritage, St. Andrew’s Schools is a lasting testament to her towering vision to provide an extraordinary education for her people.

Now with one mission and three schools – The Priory, K-12 all girls; The Prep, K-6 all boys; and Queen Emma Preschool, ages two to five co-ed – the school nurtures the growth of each child in a challenging yet supportive environment that celebrates friendship, connection, and scholarship.

Small classes allow teachers to focus on the academic, social and emotional learning of each child by providing highly customised attention to each. In this way, St. Andrewʻs cultivates their students’ unique talents, so they become the best version of themselves and live a life of purpose. 100% of high school graduates participate in The Priory in the City programme, which provides authentic workplace experiences in an internship as a tiered extension of the classroom. Students also have access to the Global Leadership Centre (GLC) which engages students in the world around them by actively investigating global issues that affect humanity. The GLCʻs curriculum aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By fulfilling specific criteria in addition to their regular graduation requirements, students may earn a Distinction in Global Leadership upon graduation.

All high school students are accompanied by a College Counselor/Career Coach who works with them in course selection throughout high school to better position themselves when applying to their colleges of interest. The ESL programme at St. Andrew’s Schools offers developmentally appropriate instruction for language acquisition from kindergarten to grade 12. To learn more about St. Andrew’s, click here, and if you’d like to apply for admission, please click here

Melbourne Girls Grammar School

Source: Melbourne Girls Grammar School

Melbourne Girls Grammar School (MGGS) is a medium sized school with structures carefully planned to ensure each girl is known and appreciated as their own individual. Within the school, students are catered for as unique young adults with developmentally appropriate programs for ELC, Junior, Middle and Senior Year girls.

Committed to women’s empowerment and inspiring passion, this Australia-based girls day and boarding school is nurturing young female leaders with a global perspective and socially conscious approach to their futures.

How do they do this? By providing the best resources for their students. MGGS boasts world-class facilities across two purpose-built and thoughtfully designed campuses. The latest technologies, learning spaces and specialist interest centres across both campuses allow every girl at Melbourne Girls Grammar to fully explore a diverse and contemporary curriculum that offers outstanding opportunities for personal growth and development.

The Merton Hall Campus provides a chapel, gymnasium, library, dining hall, specialist Art, Drama and Science Centres, assembly hall, multipurpose sports fields and a rowing facility located nearby on the banks of the Yarra River. The Boarding House (which caters for approximately 80 students) and the Enrolments Office are also located on the Merton Hall Campus.

Branksome Hall Asia

Source: Branksome Hall Asia

It may be Asia’s only girls’ IB Continuum School, but Branksome Hall Asia nurtures both little boys and girls in its co-ed Junior School. The first stage is the Early Years Programme, which kickstarts the educational journey with a structured, play-based approach. It sets the foundation for problem-based, technologically-driven learning in later years.

The school welcomes students from Junior Kindergarten Prep to Grade 12. It is the mission of the school to develop students into globally-minded learners and leaders, prepared for the challenges and opportunities they’ll meet in a rapidly changing interdependent world. 

To reach these goals, the school delivers an academically rigorous curriculum, hires diverse and highly qualified professional staff, and maintains world-class facilities and state-of-the-art learning environments. Empowering lessons delivered in this learning environment will stay in the student’s minds as they head out into the real world, fully prepared for their future. 

A testament to their prowess, Branksome students have consistently enjoyed enviable results, placing them in the top echelon of international schools across the whole of North-East Asia. Meanwhile, many graduates have gained entry into the world’s top universities, including the University of Cambridge, Cornell University, Brown University and the London School of Economics, to name a few.

*Some of the schools featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International