- Location
- Stowe, Buckinghamshire
- Recorded age range
- 12–19
- Education
- British · A-Level
About Stowe School
Founded 1923 in the Grade I-listed Stowe House on a 750-acre Capability Brown estate — co-ed boarding+day, A-Level + Pre-U + EPQ, ~870 pupils.
Stowe School was founded in 1923 in Stowe House, a Grade I-listed 18th-century country house designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and set in 750 acres of National Trust gardens by Capability Brown. About 870 pupils aged 13-18, fully co-educational. The curriculum is A-Level alongside Pre-U options and the EPQ for sixth-formers. Stowe has a strong music and drama tradition, with the Marble Hall and Stowe Theatre supporting one of the busiest performing-arts calendars in UK independent education. Recent leavers' destinations include Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Durham, Edinburgh and St Andrews.
School life and areas of focus
- Stowe House — Grade I-listed 18th-century Vanbrugh country house
- 750-acre Capability Brown gardens (National Trust)
- Founded 1923, fully co-educational
- Strong music and drama tradition
- A-Level + Pre-U + EPQ pathway
- 870 pupils across Years 9-13
- Founded 1923 in the former Duke of Buckingham's country house — 103-year history
- Co-educational since 2003
- ≈901 pupils with substantial boarding population
- Set on Stowe Gardens — the eighteenth-century landscape masterpiece (now National Trust)
- Campus contains Vanbrugh's Stowe House (Grade I listed) and 250 acres of Capability Brown landscape
- Championship 18-hole golf course on campus
- HMC and BSA member
- Most famous alumnus: Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group
- 901-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Church of England foundation
Education and school life
Explore the curriculum and subjects below. Our team can help you find out about subject choices, year groups and programme availability.
- Programme type
- Boarding school
- Curriculum
- British, A-Level
- Teaching language
- English
- Campus setting
- rural
Subject areas
- Mathematics
- Further Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- English Literature
- History
- Geography
- Economics
- Politics
- Classics
- French
- Spanish
- German
- Italian
- Mandarin
- Art
- Music
- Theatre
- PE
- Design Technology
- History (Stowe Gardens — 18th-century landscape masterpiece by Bridgeman, Vanbrugh, Kent, Capability Brown)
- Sport (golf — championship 18-hole course on campus; rugby)
- Drama
- Sciences
Listed memberships and accreditations
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- The Rugby Group
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
- National Trust (Stowe Gardens owner of the grounds)
Study and progression pathways
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- Imperial
- Durham
- Edinburgh
- St Andrews
- Oxbridge
- Russell Group (Edinburgh, Bristol, Durham, Newcastle)
- US universities
- Sandhurst / Royal Navy
Academic profile in the catalogue
Catalogue review date: 2026-05-18
- Typical class size
- 15 · catalogue record
- Student / teacher ratio
- 1:8 · catalogue record
The source does not specify a measurement year for these figures. Ask our team about current class sizes and staffing.
Campus, boarding and student community
Catalogue profile
- Founded
- 1923
- Recorded student population
- 870
- Campus setting
- rural
- Boarding
- Listed in the catalogue
- Co-education
- Listed as co-educational
School-wide directory record
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- School stages
- Senior, Sixth Form
- Directory age range
- 12-19
- Student intake
- Co-educational
- Attendance
- Day and boarding
- Religious ethos
- Church of England
- Headteacher in source record
- Dr Anthony Wallersteiner
- Inspectorate
- ISI
- Total pupils
- 901
- Boys · number / share
- 523 · 58.05%
- Girls · number / share
- 378 · 41.95%
- Pupils receiving SEN support · number / share
- 0 · 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan · number / share
- 0 · 0%
Directory and catalogue figures are shown separately because their age groups or record dates may differ.
Recorded examination results
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- Qualification
- A-level
- Results year
- 2025
- Average grade
- B
- Progress score
- 0.30 (Above Average)
- AAB or higher
- 19.90%
Results are for the year shown, separately from the estimated catalogue indicators.
Tuition and costs
Recorded GBP school fees
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
| Attendance | Recorded range |
|---|---|
| Day fees | £11,385.60 |
| Boarding fees | £18,680.40 |
These historical directory amounts are not a confirmed school quotation. The billing period, VAT, academic year and included costs need confirmation from the school.
Catalogue USD figures
Estimated catalogue fees · USD
Catalogue figures are shown in US dollars (USD). The fee period and academic year are not specified in this record. UK institutions generally publish their own fees in pounds sterling (GBP); check the current fee schedule rather than treating this range as a GBP price.
Ask the UniCampus team about the fee period, entry year, boarding and additional costs.
Ask about current feesPlanning your application
Entry requirements depend on the school, age group and programme. Talk to the UniCampus team about school reports, language requirements, assessments and your application timeline.
- Catalogue application window
- 13+ Common Entrance pre-test (Year 6); 16+ October prior to entry
- Listed intake
- September 2026
These catalogue notes do not confirm an available place or a current deadline. MEC guidance can help you organise a shortlist and prepare questions for the school.
Support recorded in the catalogue
- Scholarships or bursaries
- Listed; eligibility and availability need confirmation
- Visa application support
- Listed; confirm what assistance is provided
Source notes and alternative records
Dated background research is retained below; source descriptions may differ and have not been newly verified by UniCampus.
School background research · 2026-05-31
School background notes
Source record dated 2026-05-31 · Source text retained in English
Stowe School was founded in 1923 in the former Duke of Buckingham's country house — Stowe House, one of the most architecturally significant English Baroque-Palladian country houses, designed by Sir John Vanbrugh (the architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard) and set in 250 acres of landscaped gardens laid out successively by Charles Bridgeman, William Kent and Lancelot "Capability" Brown. The Stowe Gardens are widely regarded as the supreme example of the eighteenth-century English landscape garden style and are owned by the National Trust; the school holds Stowe House on a long lease from the Stowe House Preservation Trust.
Stowe was founded after the 4th Duke of Buckingham, having bankrupted himself maintaining the estate, sold the house and grounds in 1922. A group of educational and architectural enthusiasts bought the property the following year specifically to convert it into a public school, with the explicit intent of preserving both the buildings and the gardens. The school became co-educational in 2003 and today educates around 901 pupils with a substantial boarding population. The Headmaster is Dr Anthony Wallersteiner.
Stowe is a member of the HMC and the Boarding Schools Association. The 250-acre Stowe landscape includes a championship 18-hole golf course — one of only two or three UK schools to offer this — alongside extensive sports pitches, a competition swimming pool, and the Grade I-listed Stowe House itself as the school's principal academic building.
The school's most internationally famous alumnus is Sir Richard Branson — founder of Virgin Group, owner of Virgin Records (which launched Sex Pistols, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, Boy George, the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson and many others), founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways and the orbital-spaceflight venture Virgin Galactic, and one of the most internationally recognised British entrepreneurs of the twentieth century. Branson left Stowe at sixteen in 1968 with poor exam results to start the magazine that became Virgin.
The Hollywood actor David Niven — twice Oscar-nominated, the star of Around the World in Eighty Days, The Pink Panther, A Matter of Life and Death and many other films — was a Stowe boy. The Oscar-winning Aardman animator Nick Park CBE — creator of Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and the Shaun the Sheep series — was at Stowe. Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster — among the youngest billionaires in the world following his father's death in 2016 — was educated at Stowe.
The school operates a substantial bursary programme.
- Founded · source note
- 1923
- Campus setting · source note
- rural
- Religious ethos · source note
- Church of England
- School leadership · source note
- Dr Anthony Wallersteiner (Headmaster)
- Scholarships · source note
- Mentioned in saved research; confirm current terms
Additional subject and programme notes
- History (Stowe Gardens — 18th-century landscape masterpiece by Bridgeman, Vanbrugh, Kent, Capability Brown)
- Sport (golf — championship 18-hole course on campus; rugby)
- Drama
- Music
- Sciences
- Classics
Listed education pathways
- Oxbridge
- Russell Group (Edinburgh, Bristol, Durham, Newcastle)
- US universities
- Sandhurst / Royal Navy
Memberships and accreditations in the source
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
- National Trust (Stowe Gardens owner of the grounds)
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
School-life notes
- Founded 1923 in the former Duke of Buckingham's country house — 103-year history
- Co-educational since 2003
- ≈901 pupils with substantial boarding population
- Set on Stowe Gardens — the eighteenth-century landscape masterpiece (now National Trust)
- Campus contains Vanbrugh's Stowe House (Grade I listed) and 250 acres of Capability Brown landscape
- Championship 18-hole golf course on campus
- HMC and BSA member
- Most famous alumnus: Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group
Notable alumni listed in the source
- Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group — Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Galactic; net worth $4 bn — among the most famous British entrepreneurs)
- David Niven (Hollywood actor — Around the World in Eighty Days, The Pink Panther, A Matter of Life and Death)
- Lord Quinton (philosopher; Chairman of the British Library Board) — at Stowe
- Henry Channon (Chips Channon — diarist and politician)
- Sir Peregrine Worsthorne (Sunday Telegraph editor; conservative commentator)
- Lord Stuart Tugendhat (former MEP; banker)
- Nick Park CBE (Oscar-winning animator — Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run)
- Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster (one of the youngest billionaires in the world)
Additional school record · 2026-05-30
Additional saved school information
Source record dated 2026-05-30 · Source text retained in English
- Scholarships · source note
- Mentioned in saved research; confirm current terms
School-life notes
- 901-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Church of England foundation
Schoolscout introduction
Set within a stunning landscape of rolling parkland, the school offers a vibrant and inclusive environment where students can thrive academically and perso...
School location
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- Recorded address
- Stowe, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, South East, MK18 5EH
- Postcode
- MK18 5EH
Questions in the source record
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18 · Original English answers
What type of school is Stowe School?
Stowe School is a co-educational independent mainstream school for pupils aged 12 to 19, located near Buckingham in Buckinghamshire. The school offers education from Senior through to Sixth Form, with pathways leading to GCSEs and A Levels.
How do I apply to Stowe School?
Most families apply to Stowe School 1–2 years before entry, with a process that can include tests, interviews and school reports. See the private school admissions timeline for when to apply and what to expect.
What are the fees at Stowe School?
Fees for Stowe School vary by year group, with typical termly costs around £11,385.
Is Stowe School a day or boarding school?
Pupils at Stowe School can attend as day and boarding.
Is Stowe School selective?
Stowe School may use interviews or entrance assessments as part of its admissions process.
Contact our team for current dates, entry criteria and fees.
Plan your next step with UniCampus
Our team can help you explore programmes, understand fees and prepare for your application.
Enquire about this schoolCatalogue review date: 2026-05-18