British boarding school Harrow International School wraps up first academic year in Oakdale

When April Skinner-Sloan’s mother suggested she become one of the founding students at Harrow International School New York, a new boarding school in Oakdale affiliated with the prestigious British school outside London, the 15-year-old's answer was immediate.

“No, never.”

Leaving her Manhattan home to share a dorm room with a stranger did not appeal to her. Then she watched the Netflix series “XO, Kitty,” a comedy set at an international boarding school in Korea and was entertained by the teen love stories.

“She had such a fun experience. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that could be me,’ ” Skinner-Sloan said. She enrolled, though the teenage romance didn't materialize.

“It’s not me," she joked.

But nearly a year later, the ninth grader stood beside a piano, in her gray pleated skirt, navy-blue tie and knee socks, rehearsing "Do-Re-Mi" from "The Sound of Music." She would perform the song for the founding “Harrovian” students who attend the non-denominational, coed boarding and day school and their family members.

Her experience has convinced Skinner-Sloan to return for the remainder of high school.

“Definitely I’m going to be here all four years. You’ll see me grow taller,” she said. She’s looking forward to more students joining the school roster next year. “As we grow, it’s going to be even better.”

The school's first pupils are betting on Harrow’s plan to builds its traditions, programs and student body here on Long Island.

Harrow opened for the 2025-26 school year on the 170-acre waterfront grounds of the Bourne estate on the Great South Bay, once the home of Frederick G. Bourne, president of the Singer Sewing Machine Co. The school launched with 21 students in grades six through nine, 12 of whom live on campus while the other nine are day students who commute.

School leaders hope enrollment will reach 430 students.

Next year the school will add 10th grade, hoping to grow to 40 to 50 students in all. The goal is to add 11th and then 12th grades each of the subsequent academic years, eventually enrolling hundreds. The school is the newest of Harrow’s 14 locations; the 15th is set to open in Dubai in September.

LONG ISLAND’S ‘HOGWARTS’

Harrow is not the only boarding school on Long Island, but it is the only one affiliated with the British institution whose alumni include former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, actor Benedict Cumberbatch and members of the royal family. 

People frequently compare it to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the “Harry Potter” books and movies — and in fact the scene in which Hermione first levitates a feather in Professor Flitwick’s Charms Class was filmed at the U.K. location.

“Our marketing guy loves it. People are familiar with it,” said Kristine Lewis, who, as director of boarding and pastoral care, deals with the well-being, safety and character building of the students. Like Hogwarts, the school sorts children into houses for competitions — at the New York location they are West Acre and The Grove, as they are in England. That’s as far as the Harry Potter comparisons go, however.

“We don’t have Quidditch sticks and unique spells we put on the children,” Lewis joked.

The school is also known for its signature straw hats with navy blue ribbon that students wear with their uniforms on special occasions. Sixth-grade student Liam Kollmer, 12, a day student from Head of the Harbor, called the hats “really cool."

"They come from Harrow U.K. in London. They show tradition and how the tradition can cross over internationally,” he said.

Liam said he enrolled because “I was outpacing the curriculum” at his old school. On a recent weekday, he and fellow student Jacob Long, 11, of Great Neck, were playing a Minecraft education game together after school in a campus lounge. Jacob, a boarder, said he wanted to experience dorm life and get ready for college. He said he calls his parents every night and goes home on the weekend.

The boys said they like wearing the school uniform — blue blazers, white button-down shirts, gray slacks and black ties.

“It makes us look much more …” Liam began.

“Sharp,” Jacob said.

“Sharp but educated,” Liam said.

Developing campus, programs

Harrow officials chose the Oakdale site for its New York school in part because it’s been a boarding school in the past. It was once the LaSalle Military Academy until 2001, before being taken over by St. John’s University, giving the property existing dorms, classrooms and other facilities.

The school employs 14 teachers, many of whom relocated from elsewhere to launch the campus.

Emily Chandler, who teaches “Individuals and Society,” moved from England after teaching at an international school in Germany. “I thought it was a great opportunity to be part of a new school,” she said. 

Students attend classes in St. Joseph Hall, which also houses the gymnasium, fitness center and squash courts. “Squash is a must. Squash was invented  at Harrow,” said Matt Sipple, school principal.  

Molloy Hall is the student dormitory where a girls' wing and a boys' wing are connected by a shared living area with couches, a Ping-Pong table, games and books. There’s room for 30 boys and 30 girls in the 15 rooms in each wing, but with only 12 students living on campus, the long hallways are mostly empty. Two families live in the dorms alongside the students. 

In Centennial Hall, Harrow has built an auditorium that can seat 400 and music classrooms, practice rooms and an art gallery. “We still need to finish our facilities,” Sipple said. “We still need our tennis courts on campus, our pool.”

$76,875 a year

Admission does not require an independent academic test, but prospective students must demonstrate a commitment to learning, Lewis said. The curriculum follows the International Baccalaureate program. 

For the 2026-2027 year, tuition is $76,875 for seven-day boarding students; $72,000 for five-day boarders and $50,544 for day students. Additional fees total at least $1,875. Harrow offers scholarships and financial aid, and nearly half of students receive need-based assistance, Sipple said.

That reduction of fees has drawn attention across the pond. A critical story in the Times of London in May noted the school's discounted tuition while acknowledging that school startups can take years to establish.

School leaders are also awaiting federal approval that would allow them to enroll international students, a key part of their long-term vision. Ultimately, they hope the student body will be roughly three-quarters international and one-quarter domestic.

For some families, however, the appeal lies less in Harrow’s future plans than in what students are experiencing now.

“We feel like we got the golden ticket,” said Anneliese Mesilati, whose son Ete, 13, attends the school as a day student. “This absolute gem has opened. For us, it’s a ‘pinch-me’ moment.”

Sherri Cruz, of East Islip, said her daughter Kayden has flourished during her first year at the school.

“I get all choked up when I go to the school because it’s like a dream come true,” Cruz said. “I feel the school is an incredible mix of academic rigor and nurturing environment.”

Adjusting to boarding school

Derek Sandoval Chaparro, 16, searched online for boarding schools after deciding he wanted more academic opportunities than his local public school offered. The ninth grader, who is of Venezuelan descent and lives in New Jersey, chose to repeat ninth grade so he could enroll at Harrow during its opening year.

“As a second language speaker, my English has gotten better,” he said. “When I came here, I found an interest in public speaking. I had always been a fearless public speaker but not always the best.”

He said living with students taught him “you have to find the right words to communicate with students but not hurt their feelings.”

One evening after dinner, seventh grader YuHan Huang, 13, of Great Neck, worked on a jigsaw puzzle with fellow student Pili Pinto, 13, of Miami, and math teacher Kyle Stenger, who was supervising the dormitory.

At her previous school, Huang said, classes were much larger.

“We didn’t get as much attention as we do here,” she said.

Still, adjusting to boarding school life took time.

“I usually really like going to summer camp,” Huang said. “The hardest part was settling in and remembering that this is not a summer camp.

“This is a school where I’m going to be living.”