Best Series Set in Boarding Schools
In short: For a grown-up drama, watch Young Royals. For dark fun, Wednesday. For a creepy mystery, El Internado: Las Cumbres. For younger viewers, Malory Towers and The Worst Witch. Elite and Gossip Girl often get suggested, but they're set at private day schools, not boarding schools.
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- Romance and drama: Young Royals.
- Dark comedy and mystery: Wednesday.
- Creepy thriller: El Internado: Las Cumbres.
- Family viewing: Malory Towers or The Worst Witch.
The list
Young Royals (Netflix, Sweden, 2021-2024, 3 seasons). After a scandal, Prince Wilhelm is sent to Hillerska, an exclusive boarding school, where he falls for Simon, a local scholarship student. It's a tender, grown-up love story about duty and privilege, and one of the best teen dramas of recent years. Its three seasons are complete.
Wednesday (Netflix, 2022 onward). Jenna Ortega's Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts, and gets caught up in a string of killings. Directed in part by Tim Burton. Season 2 arrived in 2025 and a third is on the way.
El Internado: Las Cumbres (Prime Video, Spain, 2021-2023, 3 seasons). A rebooted version of the 2000s hit El Internado. Troubled teenagers are sent to a strict boarding school in a remote mountain monastery, where a forest legend and missing students point to something sinister. Atmospheric and properly creepy.
Malory Towers (CBBC, 2020 onward). Based on Enid Blyton's books, it follows Darrell Rivers through a 1940s girls' boarding school on the Cornish cliffs: midnight feasts, rivalries and lacrosse. Warm enough for kids, charming enough for adults.
Zoey 101 (Nickelodeon, 2005-2008, 4 seasons). Jamie Lynn Spears as one of the first girls at Pacific Coast Academy. Light, sunny and very 2000s. The cast reunited for the film Zoey 102 in 2023.
The Worst Witch (CBBC and Netflix, 2017-2020, 4 series). Mildred Hubble, a well-meaning but disaster-prone witch, at Miss Cackle's Academy. The best pick on this list for young children.
Often suggested, but not boarding schools
Elite (Netflix, 2018-2024) and Gossip Girl (The CW, 2007-2012) both show the lives of very rich students, but at private day schools. If what you want is the class tension of an exclusive school rather than the boarding itself, they fit; Elite in particular is built around scholarship students clashing with the wealthy.
Our verdict
Young Royals is the best show on this list and doesn't need a fondness for school stories to work. If you want something lighter, Wednesday is the most fun.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best boarding school show for adults? Young Royals. It's a mature, beautifully acted romance and drama, and its three seasons tell a complete story.
Is there a Harry Potter TV series? Yes. HBO's Harry Potter series premieres on December 25, 2026, with an eight-episode first season adapting Philosopher's Stone, set at Hogwarts.
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