a boarding school is a school where students live and sleep. some boarding schools have day students who go home at the end of the school day. if the school costs money, they don't have to pay as much money. a person who stays at a boarding school is called a "boarder". in the uk 1% of children go to boarding schools and 13% of private school pupils are boarders. most boarding schools are private. this means that as well as having to pay to sleep there, students have to pay for their education.