On 27 September 1905 he joined the Sale, Brooklands and Ashton-Upon-Mersey High School for Boys. Excelling at school, his parents sent him to Doctor Summerfield's Preparatory School near Oxford. Rhys-Davids stayed there until September 1910, when he completed the Scholarship examinations for Eton College. After two and a half days of exams, Rhys-Davids was questioned by a formidable array of Eton notables. Rhys-Davids was duly elected as a "Colleger"—a term used for successful candidates, who usually numbered 10. There were two types of pupil: Oppidans—fee-paying pupils numbering 1,000—and King's Scholars or Collegers. The distinction was held to be between money and ability; Oppidans viewed Collegers, financially poorer, as "unwashed saps, tugs and swots", while Collegers regarded Oppidans as "philistines" and "hearties".