Why a Single-Sex Boys’ School | Headmasters Help Desk

Introduction and background

The pros and cons of single-sex education have received increased attention in recent years. In compiling this report, I have consulted and read widely, as well as experienced both single-sex and co-education myself in the eight schools I have taught at in South Africa and New Zealand over the past 38 years. I have also been fortunate enough to attend a number of international conferences looking at best practice over the years. As I am the recently retired headmaster of a boys’ school, Maritzburg College, it is prudent for me to focus on what is best for boys.

The single-sex education debate has become a ‘hot topic’ – particularly in schools overseas – and boys-only schools have reduced dramatically in countries such as New Zealand and the UK. This is despite research that has been conducted over a considerable period of time. One of the main reasons for this is not based on academic performance, but rather on financial matters and one could argue whether this is morally correct or not.

Research and Conclusions on Single-Sex Education

Extensive longitudinal research commissioned by The Association of Boys’ Schools of New Zealand (ABSNZ, the peak body representing the entire sector of schools for boys, their staff and families) and conducted by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) demonstrated that, over a period of seven years leading up to 2017, boys in boys’ schools performed more strongly on all measures tested by NZCER than boys in co-educational schools in New Zealand [Adams and Cummins, 2019].

A report conducted by the Association of Boys’ Schools of New Zealand [ABSNZ] on the ACHIEVEMENT IN BOYS’ SCHOOLS 2017–2021 and compiled by Nathaniel Williamson, focused on the comparison of male achievement between co-educational and single-sex secondary schools in New Zealand from 2017–2021, makes for interesting reading. This report is the third in a set of reports comparing boys’ attainment between single-sex and co-educational schools, spanning from 2010 to 2021.

Male school-leavers from single-sex schools had higher attainment rates than those from co-educational schools at all levels across every disaggregation considered in this report. The existence of the single-sex advantage in NZ secondary schools is irrefutable. However, there is uncertainty about whether this relationship is causal or purely correlated, as the analysis presented here cannot determine causality. Both positions are equally tenable until more rigorous analysis is undertaken [Williamson, 2023].

In an exploratory binary comparison, we found that school-leavers had higher achievement rates at single-sex schools than at co-educational schools at all qualification levels.

Upon disaggregating by year, we consistently observed this pattern across the five years, lending credence to a sustained difference between single-sex and co-educational achievement rates. We found inconclusive evidence that this difference was narrowing over time.

Upon disaggregating by decile [school’s financial position], we found that school-leavers had higher achievement rates at single-sex schools at each decile level. By stratifying the data into deciles, we filtered out some potential socio-economic confounding effects. The remaining data still exhibited the single-sex advantage, albeit to a lesser extent, so we could be reasonably confident that socio-economic influences account for some but not all the difference.

Upon disaggregating by ethnicity [race classification], we found that school-leavers had higher rates of achievement at single-sex schools in each ethnic group. Additionally, we found inconclusive evidence that suggested the single-sex advantage affected disadvantaged demographics the most. It was tentatively posited that this could be leveraged to narrow the ethnic gap in academic attainment with a positive impact on all ethnic groups.

These results are largely in agreement with previous reports [Williamson, 2023].

The Benefits of Single-Sex Education

The International Boys’ School Coalition

The IBSC conducted their own research and came up with the following key points to consider that are pro single-sex education:

1. Schools for boys understand and celebrate boys.

Schools that make the intentional choice to focus on the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional lives of boys and young men share an appreciation for the intensity and complexity of boyhood. Educators at boys’ schools celebrate and value all that it means to be a boy.

2. Schools for boys seek first to build good men.

In addition to pursuing high academic achievement, schools for boys share many broad goals: to promote well-being, to develop resilience and empathy, and to see that each boy achieves his potential. But none is more important than the essential goal of building good character and, by extension, of helping each boy and young man make responsible choices and live an honourable life.

3. Schools for boys know that boys develop and learn in different ways.

It’s a simple fact that boys and girls grow at a different pace. Boys’ strengths are different from those of girls. While girls generally develop earlier physically and socially, refining their reading and writing skills sooner, boys are more spatial and visual by nature and they demonstrate a natural affinity for areas like abstract mathematics. They are also hard-wired to learn more easily through action than words.

4. Schools for boys teach in ways that boys learn best.

Each faculty member in an all-boys school has made a conscious choice to teach boys. They enjoy boys’ irreverent humour and draw energy from their natural exuberance. Their passion to teach boys requires a commitment to build relationships, craft a curriculum, and lead a classroom that engages each student in the way he learns best.

5. Schools for boys help them discover and explore their full potential.

Without the social pressures of a co-ed environment, boys in an all-boys school can explore the full range of their personalities and potential. Avoiding stereotypes, they discover they have many roles to play as a scholar, athlete, artist, musician, and friend.

6. Schools for boys foster brotherhood and lifelong friendships.

Working together in the classroom, on the playing field, or in the performance hall, students are united by a special bond of brotherhood. Many boys’ school graduates say the friendships they developed with their peers and with faculty are among the most important benefits they carry with them from their schools.

This connection of brotherhood extends to a broader community of what many schools call Old Boys — alumni who stand ready to positively support these young men now and in the future [IBSC, 2025].

“ONE OF THE IMPORTANT ADVANTAGES OF A

SINGLE-SEX EDUCATION IS THE OPPORTUNITY

IT PRESENTS TO CREATE A LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY,

THAT ACCOMMODATES WHAT BOYS AND

YOUNG MEN NEED.” [IBSC, 2025 ]

References

Cummins, P & Adams, B. [2019]. High-performance culture in a whole education:

The CIRCLE ABSNZ Excellence in Boys’ Education Project 2017-2019.

Williamson, N. [2023]. Achievement In Boys Schools.

IBSC [2025]. Why a school for boys ? [accessed on https://www.theibsc.org/about-ibsc/why-a-boys-school]

Work with an Educational Consultant who Specialises in Single-Sex Education

My decades of experience in education – and in single-sex boys’ schools in particular – have given me unique insights on the challenges and untapped opportunities faced by principals and educators in these schools. Let’s work together to optimise your single-sex school.

My programmes and approaches have been adapted from lived experience and are tailored to meet the unique circumstances of every school. From educational consulting for principals and educators to mentorship, parenting, and the Good Man Journey, let’s explore the potential of your single-sex school through my educational consulting solutions.

For further discussion or more detailed analysis, please feel free to contact me on: headmastershelpdesk@gmail.com.

Why A Single-Sex Boys’ School?