American Academy For Girls

What do girls' schools do best? A lot.

Whether they want to be astronauts, ambassadors, or accountants, girls need to know - not just think, but really, really know - that nothing can stand in their way. Girls' schools send that message to girls every day. Girls’ schools are a place where girls take center stage. And we think that's just where they belong. Let us be your guide as you explore more about what girls' schools are really like.

Why all girls? Simply put, girls’ schools teach girls that there is enormous potential and power in being a girl’ - The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, NCGS
1. Girls in the bubble myth
Some parents — and educators - think that all-girls’ schools create a falsely safe space, removing a girl from the influences of the opposite sex. This unrealistic environment, they contend, may render her ill-prepared for co-ed life. We disagree. Her world will continue to include boys and men - at home, on weekends and holidays. And, finding her voice, collaborating on projects and excelling in academics will prepare her for a purposeful life.

The proof of peers
In a single-gender school, a girl can comprehend her value and her capabilities in ways that have nothing to do with how she looks or whom she dates. She can be free to experiment and explore, trying out new things and trying on new roles. She can follow her ambitions without wasting a second thought or a backward glance on how her male counterparts might perceive her.

By subtracting boys an all-girls' education adds opportunities.
At a girls' school, a girl occupies every role: every part in the play, every seat on the student government, every position on every team. Not only does she have a wealth of avenues for self-exploration and development; she has a wealth of peer role models.

2. The evidence of environment
In an all-girls' atmosphere, classroom dynamics shift. Alumnae often report that they could not "hide" in their school. Without the distraction of boys, girls can have a greater ability to focus on their work—and teachers can demand that such work meet the highest standards.

When rating their computer skills, 36% of graduates of independent girls' schools consider themselves strong students, compared to 26% of their co-ed peers.
48% of girls' school alumnae rate themselves great at math versus 37% for girls in co-ed schools.
Three times as many alumnae of single-gender schools plan to become engineers.
3. Girls' school grads have an edge
Girls' schools create a culture of achievement in which academic progress is of great importance, and the discovery and development of a girls' individual potential is paramount.

Time in the classroom is spent learning.
When you combine strong female mentors and positive role models, reduced gender stereotyping in curriculum and classroom, and abundant learning opportunities, the results are clear. In the 1990s, a national study of secondary schools and colleges. The case for single-gender schools showed that single-gender schools for females provide greater opportunity for educational attainment as measured by standardized cognitive tests, curriculum and course placement, leadership behavior, number of years of formal education, and occupational achievement.