“Currently, women are more likely to have completed Year 12 and have a bachelor’s degree than men. They live longer and work more hours than men when unpaid work is included. Women’s average starting salary is $2,000 less than men’s and the average female wage is 87% of the male wage. Women are less likely to smoke or to engage in risky drinking than men, but they are also considerably less likely to be a CEO, manager, chair of a board or a politician.” [1]

Whether she wants to be an astronaut, ambassador, or accountant, a girl needs to know — not just think, but really know — nothing can stand in her way. Girls’ schools, like St Catherine’s, send that message to girls every day. To help remind families how a girls’ school will engage, challenge, inspire and prepare their daughter, here’s a list of the top ten reasons to attend an all-girls’ school supported by research from the National Coalition of Girls Schools:

10. INSPIRATIONAL ENVIRONMENT – Girls’ schools champion the education needs of girls Single-sex programs create an institutional and classroom climate in which female students can express themselves freely and frequently, and develop higher order thinking skills. Dr. Rosemary C. Salomone, St. John’s University, Public Single-Sex Schools: What Oprah Knew.

The robust learning environment encountered by students at all-girls’ schools is highlighted by a recent survey of high school students. The girls’ responses provide unequivocal support for the value of an all-girls’ educational environment. Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls’ Schools.

9. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT – Girls’ schools create a culture of achievement
More than 80% of girls’ school graduates consider their academic performance highly successful. Dr. Linda Sax, UCLA, Women Graduates of Single-Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in their
Characteristics and the Transition to College.

Nearly 80% of girls’ school students report most of their classes challenge them to achieve their full academic potential compared to 72.3% of girls at co-ed independent and 44.3% at co-ed public schools. Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools.

8. BUILDS SELF-CONFIDENCE – At girls’ schools, a girl occupies every role
Majority of girls’ school graduates report higher self-confidence over their co-ed peers. Dr. Linda Sax, UCLA, Women Graduates of Single-Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in their
Characteristics and the Transition to College.

All-girls’ settings seem to provide girls a certain comfort level that helps them develop greater self confidence and broader interests, especially as they approach adolescence. Dr. Rosemary C. Salomone, St. John’s University, Same, Difference, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling.

7. DEVELOPS LEADERSHIP SKILLS – Girls’ schools empower students to become bold leaders
Programs at girls’ schools focus on the development of teamwork over other qualities of leadership, while the qualities of confidence, compassion, and resilience also ranked prominently. Dr. Nicole Archard,
Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart, Student Leadership Development in Australian and New Zealand Secondary Girls’ Schools: A Staff Perspective.

93% of girls’ school graduates say they were offered greater leadership opportunities than peers at co-ed schools and 80% have held leadership positions since graduating from high school. Goodman Research
Group, The Girls’ School Experience: A Survey of Young Alumnae of Single-Sex Schools.

6. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING & MATHEMATICS (STEM) – Girls’ schools champion girls in STEM majors and careers
Girls’ school graduates are six times more likely to consider majoring in Math, Science and Technology compared to girls who attend co-ed schools. Goodman Research Group, The Girls’ School Experience: A
Survey of Young Alumnae of Single-Sex Schools.

Compared to co-ed peers, girls’ school graduates are three times more likely to consider Engineering careers. Dr. Linda Sax, UCLA, Women Graduates of Single-Sex and Coeducational High Schools:
Differences in their Characteristics and the Transition to College.

During the middle school years, girls show a decline in both their performance in Math and their attitudes towards Math. New research suggests that girls’ schools may mitigate the decline when compared with
co-ed schools. Dr. Carlo Cerruti, Harvard University, Exploring Girls’ Attitudes About Math.

5. DEDICATED TO HOW GIRLS LEARN – Girls’ schools capitalise on girls’ unique learning styles
To be successful, students need more than just a feeling of support. That support must translate into actions geared toward student success. Nearly 96% of girls’ school students report receiving more frequent feedback on their assignments and other course work compared to 92.9% of girls at co-ed independent and 79.5% at co-ed public schools. Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools.

A study prepared for the U.S. Department of Education observed, “more positive academic and behavioural interactions between teachers and students in the single-sex schools than in the comparison
to co-ed schools.” U.S. Department of Education, Early Implementation of Public Single-Sex Schools: Perceptions and Characteristics.

4. HIGHER ASPIRATIONS – Girls’ school students strive for greatness
Girls at all levels of achievement in the single-sex schools receive a benefit from the single-sex school environment in terms of heightened career aspirations — an effect unprecedented in any other portion of
our study. Dr. Cary M. Watson, Stanford University, Sex Roles: A Journal of Research.

Students at all-girls’ schools have higher aspirations and greater motivation than their female peers at co-ed independent and public schools. More than 2/3 expect to earn a graduate or professional degree.
Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools.

3. EXCELLENT MENTORING – Girls’ school students are mentored by a community of peers, teachers and school leaders
The overwhelming majority of girls’ school students agree to strongly agree that they feel supported at their schools: 94.6% feel supported by their teachers compared to 84.1% of girls at co-ed schools, 89.9% report feeling supported by other students compared to 73.1% of girls at co-ed schools, and 82.8% feel supported by their school administrators compared to 62.6% of girls at co-ed schools. Dr. Richard A.Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools.

Research indicates that girls place more emphasis on interpersonal relationships than boys, which may provide girls with beneficial social support…Compared to boys, girls are more likely to socialise in smaller groups, share more personal information with each other and emphasise helping behaviour over-competitive behaviour in their friendships. Dr. Lisa Damour, Center for Research on Girls at Laurel School, Girls and Their Peers.

2. PREPARES GIRLS FOR THE REAL WORLD – Girls’ schools engage students in activities that prepare them for life beyond the classroom
Nearly half of all women graduating from single-sex schools rate their public speaking ability as high compared to 38.5% of women graduates from co-ed schools. A similar differential exists for writing abilities: 64.2% of girls’ school graduates assess their writing as high, compared to 58.8% of women graduates of co-ed schools. Dr. Linda Sax, UCLA, Women Graduates of Single-Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in their Characteristics and the Transition to College.

In the world outside of school, the answers are not always found in the text. All-girls’ schools prepare students for the world beyond school by requiring outside research, encouraging them to connect ideas across problem domains, and challenging them to grapple with problems with no clear solution. Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All- Girls Schools.

1. ALLOWS GIRLS TO BE THEMSELVES – Girls’ schools provide an environment where students feel safe to express themselves and engage in an open and safe exchange of ideas
Over 88% of girls’ school students report they are comfortable being themselves at school, which means they are free to focus their energies on their learning. Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools.

93% of girls’ school grads are very or extremely satisfied with their school’s ability to provide individualised attention, and 80% strongly feel encouragement to develop their own interests. Goodman Research Group, The Girls’ School Experience: A Survey of Young Alumnae of Single-Sex Schools.