Co-Ed vs Single-Sex Schools: How to Choose the Best Fit for Your Child
By Annabel Dunstan
SUMMARY
Co-educational vs single-sex: it’s an age-old question. Are mixed schools the way forward, or are they holding children back? Are girls-only or boys-only schools empowering, or are they obsolete? The debate of how best to educate the sexes rears its head year on year, and is often a contentious and divisive topic – especially in the UK today where the public is increasingly outspoken about gender issues. You will find many parents who stand very strongly on one side or the other, but this article is not for them. This is for those of you who haven’t fully decided whether co-ed or single-sex is the best choice for your children. In conversation with expert Irfan H Latif (Headmaster, Royal Hospital School), we strip away the fiery politics and give a fair, balanced overview of the arguments for each route. With our clear advice on the most important things to look for when choosing a school, you can be ready to find the best place for your child.
Why Choose a Co-Ed School?
Real-World Preparation and Social Skills
Many schools that were once single-sex are becoming co-educational. Why are we seeing this shift? The biggest argument for co-ed schools is that it’s a co-ed world. When your children grow up (may seem a long way off yet, but it will inevitably happen!) they will be living and working amongst both women and men – they need to know how to interact appropriately with both sexes if they are to be successful and happy. A school environment with a mix of sexes reflects the real world, and prepares children well for what will come next.
We all want our children to have an education that is relevant to real life, and many critique single-sex environments as too artificial and unrealistic: even when boys’ schools hold joint activities with their partner girls’ schools to allow the children to mix (which single-sex schools often do), can such an arrangement ever truly equal a fully integrated setup? As well as being good preparation for life, mixed sex schooling is often said to encourage empathy and mutual respect in its students. When children have to rub shoulders with a variety of other people, both boys and girls, they learn to accept difference and value diversity. Irfan H Latif (Headmaster, Royal Hospital School) argues:
“In today’s interconnected world, pupils need to learn with and from one another. Co-education done well mirrors society and helps young people develop empathy, confidence, and collaboration - essential life skills for the future.”
However, you mustn’t assume that a school values diversity solely because it is co-educational: take care to assess each school’s environment and attitude for yourself, for example when you visit.
Diversity and Enriched Learning Experiences
Another strong case for co-ed schooling is that a gender-diverse student body enriches the student experience. A mix of voices and perspectives can enliven classroom discussions and make group work more dynamic – and this enrichment extends beyond the classroom walls too. Extra-curricular activities, particularly in the arts, can really benefit from having a mix of girls and boys. Co-ed choirs have the potential to sing in four-part harmony from soprano to bass; co-ed drama productions can cast girls and boys for particular scripted parts just as a professional company would. Both of these examples allow girls and boys to work together on an exciting shared project.
Of course, a school’s co-ed status does not guarantee the existence of a thriving arts scene, nor does it automatically mean that a mix of girls and boys will get involved with every opportunity. You will need to check on a school by school basis what the classroom and extra-curricular dynamics are like – and if the arts are important to your child, you may find they’re better off in a single-sex school with a flourishing and inspiring Music & Drama department than a co-ed school where no one really bothers!
Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes
Many parents worry that in a co-ed school, their children will be pressured (knowingly or otherwise) into gender-stereotyped categories – boys will be embarrassed to study Art, girls will be outnumbered in Physics. Perhaps this has some backing (our preconceptions about which subjects are feminine and which are masculine are pretty deep-seated), but it’s also worth considering that the co-ed setup is arguably fair and equal. In a co-ed school, all children are taught the same curriculum, held to the same rules, and offered the same opportunities, regardless of their gender – and this equality is visible. Children in mixed schools also have more opportunity to see the other sex succeed: girls will see boys’ artwork on display, boys will celebrate girls’ successes in school sporting events. Younger students will look up to older students and see positive role models both male and female. Doesn’t this break down gender stereotyping barriers?
Truth be told, you could construct a convincing argument on either side. Our best advice is to look for a school that treats your child as an individual, no matter whether they are a boy or a girl. It doesn’t matter whether that school is co-ed or single-sex; if they support your child to choose whichever subjects they like, and treat them fairly alongside all their peers, then that is a good sign. As Irfan H Latif concurs:
“The best school for any child is the one that sees, knows and nurtures them as an individual. Whether co-ed or single-sex, the focus should always be on belonging, wellbeing and personal growth.”
Practical and Other Considerations for Families
There are two quick thinking points to mention about co-ed schooling before we move on. The first is about gender identity. Some young people experience gender dysphoria, or explore their gender identity as they find their way to who they are – perhaps by dressing differently, changing their pronouns or name, or even completely transitioning to the other sex. Co-ed defendants argue that, whilst working through gender dysphoria is never easy, it might be emotionally (and practically!) easier for children going through this to do so in a co-ed setting.
The second point for thought is that if you have multiple children, don’t neglect to consider where you will send the younger siblings to school! Are you happy to have your son and your daughter in separate single-sex schools? It’s a practical point not to be overlooked.
Why Single-Sex Education Still Matters
Tailored Teaching Approaches
So why is single-sex education still valuable in 2025? The biggest argument for single-sex education is that boys and girls learn differently – so an education that is tailored to the needs of one sex specifically is useful. Single-sex schools sell themselves on the way they adapt their curriculum and environment to best suit the sex of their students. Boys’ schools, for example, might adapt the pace of their teaching to reflect boys’ slower rate of maturing; they might timetable more practical work and regular movement breaks; or they might include more competitive activities within lessons. Such adjustments are designed with typical male learners in mind. Girls’ schools, by contrast, usually pride themselves on their female-empowering environment: they often advocate for raising girls up, giving them spaces to speak and be listened to.
These measures that target boys or girls specifically can be empowering and liberating, and are well-intentioned – but you should consider whether tailoring education to a particular sex is actually reinforcing stereotypes. If a school’s whole culture and ethos is underpinned by how 'boys' learn or what 'girls' are like, there can sometimes be a danger of reducing children into categories based on assumed features of males and females. Will your chosen school actually allow your child to be fully themselves, even if not a ‘typical’ girl or boy? Make sure they will! Some schools are better at this than others.
Whilst there is undeniable biological backing that girls and boys learn differently, it’s also true that in any classroom – single-sex or co-ed – there will be a range of learners with different strengths and different needs. A good school knows how to cater to each and every student – so whether you go single-sex or co-ed, you need to look for a school that supports the individual. Don’t think too much about how they teach all boys; work out how they will teach your son.
Focused Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
Many also argue that a single-sex environment allows for more streamlined pastoral care. Staff are better equipped to understand and mitigate the particular struggles faced by girls or boys in their teenage years when they are devoting all their time to working with that particular sex. This may well be true, but again, don’t assume that a school has good pastoral care simply because it is single-sex. Examine their wellbeing provision closely; get a feel for it when you visit. Is this somewhere your child would be well-supported?
Freedom from Gender Pressures
Single-sex schools are often marketed as places where every child is free to be themselves. When choosing subject options, children at single-sex schools are free from any gendered pressures that might cloud their choices. Boys can be dancers and girls can be mathematicians – if they want to be. They’re also unfettered from any pressures on how to act in front of the other sex: it is argus that boys get distracted by trying to impress girls, or girls withdraw for fear of being laughed at by boys, and a single-sex environment can go a long way towards eliminating these behaviours. Of course, these are vast generalisations (your humble, conscientious son or your confident, self-assured daughter would rise above this behaviour in any school!), but if your child would benefit from a supportive, distraction-free environment, single-sex education could be worth considering. When we’re looking at a school’s environment, the most important thing is to judge it by what you see when you look round – Irfan H Latif notes that:
“A great school culture transcends gender profile. It’s about the values that shape behaviour, expectations and relationships - where respect, honour and service (RHS) are lived daily.”
Academic Performance Difference: Myth or Reality?
Many parents wonder whether girls and boys achieve better results in single-sex environments. There are plenty of studies which claim they do – but for every stat proving that single-sex schooling produces higher grades, there is another stat refuting it. So what’s the deal? Well, it’s very difficult to prove one way or the other whether school type has an impact on attainment. We have to remember that exam results are not always (or at least, not solely) an indicator of teaching quality, but are affected by factors like intake and selection process too. Statistics never tell the whole story: it’s impossible to judge whether specific children would have performed differently had they been in a co-ed environment, because there are too many other factors at play and it is simply impossible to test. If attainment is something that matters to you in your search, you should make sure you compare exam results fairly between co-ed and single-sex schools: firstly take note of how selective each school is. Then, from co-ed schools, request to see just the boys’ results or just the girls’ results – this will enable you to get a clearer picture of the performance of your child’s sex, across each school.
We suggest you read our article on what makes a top school today, as this also explains in more detail how to interpret exam results fairly across different types of school.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- It’s all about best fit – there is no ‘correct’ side of the single-sex vs co-ed debate, so you’re free to choose the environment that best suits your child’s needs.
- Don’t think too much about what’s best for boys or what’s good for girls – your search should be for your child, as a unique individual. Find a school that supports them for who they are.
- Consider every school for what it actually is, checking its provision and culture carefully for yourself. This way it doesn’t really matter whether it’s single-sex or co-ed – if it’s a good school, it’s a good choice.
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