Yes, parents send their children to Boarding Schools in real life. What’s even more surprising is that most of those students go willingly. Furthermore, boarding schools aren’t just a footnote in the traumatized backstories of fictional characters. In many instances, they’re viable, healthy, and worthwhile paths to giving students a valuable education, life skills, independence, and inarguable college readiness.
In this series, we’ll address five concerns/questions about students gaining education at a boarding school.
- Should I send my student to boarding school?
- What are the common Misconceptions about Boarding Schools?
- How much will it cost me to send my child to Boarding School?
- Real reasons parents send their kids to Boarding Schools
- How do I pick the right boarding school for my child?
Should I send my student to boarding school?
That’s the profound question many parents find themselves asking. Naturally, that honest inquiry often marks the beginning of a student’s boarding school journey. Over the ten years I’ve worked with students, there’s one salient silver lining I observe in 99.98% of the parents I work with prioritize this:
THEIR CHILD’S SAFETY, GROWTH, AND WELLBEING OVER ALL ELSE.
So, that begs the question, “Would your child thrive at a boarding school?” Answering that question allows you to determine if sending your student to Boarding School is viable.
How can you then determine if your student would thrive? We’ll also hear firsthand accounts from previous boarding school students and parents about how to do that. Firsthand accounts will give us a grounded insight into how the admissions process works.
What are the Common Misconceptions about Boarding Schools?
Boarding School possesses a ton of baggage in the form of misconceptions. There’s a ton of fiction rolling masquerading as fact. Below, you’ll find a list that codifies those misconceptions. You don’t have to read all of them, but the first few should give you an idea. Many of these you may find familiar.
- Boarding schools are only for wealthy families.
- Kids who attend boarding school are troubled or come from broken homes.
- Boarding schools lack proper supervision for students.
- Only top-tier athletes have a place at boarding schools.
- Boarding schools are high-stress, competitive pressure cookers.
- Students with learning differences won’t get the support they need at boarding schools.
- If a coach recruits me, I’m guaranteed admission.
- Boarding school students don’t get to visit home often.
- If you apply to enough elite schools, you will get into one.
- Day students struggle to fit into boarding school life.
- Middle school grades don’t matter for boarding school admission.
- Boarding schools are full of alcohol and drug use.
- Parents who send their kids to boarding school are being neglectful.
- Attending a prestigious boarding school guarantees acceptance to a top college.
- News stories give the most accurate picture of life at boarding schools.
Do any of those ring a bell? There’s a chance you may believe or have believed a few of them. If that’s the case, the joke isn’t on you. Unsurprisingly, a smattering of silly stigmas surrounds Boarding School Education. When you read this article, you’ll find the record set straight regarding these boarding school misconceptions.
How much will it cost me to send my child to Boarding School?
Granted, boarding schools aren’t cheap. However, the notion that only the absurdly wealthy can afford is ***wait for it*** absurd. Don’t get me wrong: while many boarding schools aren’t affordable for the average household income, there are ways to help families afford them.
Nearly every boarding school I’ve heard of offers financial aid packages. Those packages usually don’t cover the entire cost of tuition. Yet, a boarding school’s financial award can often mitigate the expenses enough to make them affordable.
How do I pick the right boarding school for my child?
Naturally, the concerned and present parent years to help their children. If your student plans to head to a boarding school, you, as a parent, are responsible for researching and helping your student pick the correct school. However, the word “correct” here is a misnomer. Just as there isn’t a correct breakfast entree for your morning meal, there isn’t a proper or correct boarding school for your student.
However, you can pick the wrong boarding school. For example, if we want to keep beating the breakfast metaphor into the ground (and we do), consider this: if your students are allergic to eggs, they probably shouldn’t eat most breakfast casseroles. Likewise, cinnamon toast may not be your student’s favorite, but it’s certainly more advisable than feeding them an omelet.
The lesson isn’t lost on you. Certain factors of a boarding school, whether in their absence or abundance, will be anathema to your student. It’s your responsibility to identify what those are.
Aptitude tests also empower families to select the best boarding schools for their students. The Benefits of aptitude testing are numerous for high school and boarding school students. From deciphering a child’s foreign language aptitude to spatial reasoning or learning aptitudes, aptitude assessments like the Johnson O’Connor or the Highlands Ability Battery reveal children’s innate talents. Parents can then use those insights more intentionally to pick their courses and select the best institution for their child.
Furthermore, we’ll look at these factors in our “Picking the Right Boarding School” article. For a preview of some of those qualities, consider the following institutional traits below:
- School Size
- Religious Affiliation or Not
- Single Sex or Co-Ed
- Academic Rigor
- Weather
- Distance from Home
- STEM or Liberal Arts Emphasis
- Sports
The bullets above include a few factors you’ll need to prioritize. Researching each school and comparing these factors will increase your child’s chances of gaining a rewarding boarding experience. Conversely, you’ll reduce your chances of sending them to a teenage purgatory.
What’s next on the Boarding School Series?
Keep reading to learn more about the boarding school admissions process. Throughout this series, you’ll tackle the tough questions, debunk the myths, and lay out the realities of boarding school life—both the advantages and the potential pitfalls.
Boarding school isn’t just some elite, mysterious institution hidden behind ivy-covered walls. It’s a real, tangible option for students who want a challenge, a change of pace, or an education that pushes them beyond the norm. But let’s be real—sending your child away for school is a big decision that demands more than just a gut feeling. It requires research, self-awareness, and a brutally honest look at what will set your student up for success.
That’s what this series is about. Not sugarcoating. Not fear-mongering. Just giving you the information you need to figure out if boarding school is the right move for your family. If it is? Great, we’ll help you navigate the process. If it’s not? You’ll walk away knowing you made the best call with clarity—not uncertainty.
