Crisis Grips UK Private Schools

Declining Enrollment, Financial Struggles, and Coeducation Shift Mark Decline of Elite Institutions

 

By Tim Alper Columnist

 

U.K.'s prestigious Harrow High School

 

One of the most iconic symbols representing my home country, the U.K., is its “private schools.” Eton and Harrow, two prestigious private institutions that have produced 28 prime ministers and account for 10% of financial sector CEOs, boast global renown. Additionally, these schools have inspired and served as settings for iconic British literary works like “Harry Potter.”

 

However, their glittering reputation is gradually fading. In 2025, the number of students in private schools decreased by approximately 4% compared to the previous year, and around 35 private schools closed between 2023 and 2024. Even private schools near Oxford University, where I reside, are facing existential crises. These once-wealthy institutions now struggle with severe financial difficulties, hosting charity events or reaching out to successful alumni for fundraising.

 

It appears that establishing branches in East Asia has become a breakthrough strategy for U.K. private schools. Harrow has already opened branches in two Chinese cities, and last month, officials from Incheon City visited renowned U.K. private schools to sign a memorandum of understanding for establishing a branch in the Incheon Free Economic Zone.

 

Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority and U.K. Harrow School sign MOU. /Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority

 

More surprisingly, many elite private schools are breaking centuries-old traditions and taboos by transitioning to coeducation to survive. Traditionally, U.K. private schools were strictly divided into all-girls and all-boys institutions, an unwritten rule.

 

Since last year, the U.K. government has imposed a 20% VAT on private school tuition and boarding fees, accelerating their crisis. However, the seeds of this problem were sown much earlier. Driving through rural U.K. roads, one often encounters massive private school buildings either converted into luxury apartments or left abandoned and empty.

 

While this change may sound sad, paradoxically, many Britons welcome the decline of private schools. There are voices hoping to erase the stark wealth gap and the long-standing divide between private and public schools that have existed in British society for centuries. What would the U.K. look like without private schools? Perhaps that future will unfold before our eyes sooner than expected.