| Schools for Troubled Teens |
"Schools for Troubled Teens" Review--
Welcome to our school resource center where parents find the right school for their troubled teen.
If you are searching for a troubled teen school or program, we can help with your selection.
Types of schools and programs include:
1. Boarding Schools
2. Christian Schools
3. Military Schools
4. Wilderness Programs
5. Residential Treatment Centers
6. Boot Camps
1. Boarding Schools—
Boarding schools are independent, college preparatory schools that provide housing facilities for
students and faculty. Boarding schools are sometimes referred to as "intentional communities"
because the faculty and staff at boarding schools work very hard to create an environment for
students that is safe, academically challenging, active, and fun.
Boarding schools are well known for their academic excellence. With small class sizes, diverse
curricula, and individual attention from teachers and advisors, the boarding school experience gives
students many distinct advantages. Boarding school students acquire the abilities that help ensure
success in college and in life.
During the academic year, boarding schools become extended families where teachers and students
live and learn together. The 24-hour community of a boarding school environment allows the faculty
to seize every teachable moment whether in the classroom, on the playing field, or in the dormitory.
While boarding schools differ among these broad types, they also differ in their philosophy and
mission. Because no two boarding schools are alike, matching a student with an appropriate boarding
school is a big step toward ensuring future success. We see boarding schools as a good option for
troubled teens.
Top 10 Reasons to Go to Boarding School--
1. It's cool to be smart. This is probably the best
reason to go to boarding school. In a public school
the kids who really want to learn frequently end up
being social outcasts. Not so in boarding school. It's
cool to be smart in boarding school. It's also very
cool to learn.
2. The classes are small. If you are in a public
school with 30-40 students to a class, chances are
that you will just be a number, unless you are very
smart or very bad! You will probably get lots of
attention then. In a boarding school, on the other
hand, classes typically are 10-15 students. You
cannot hide in a class that small. You have to
participate. You will get called upon for your response. You will never just be a number in a boarding
school.
3. The libraries/media centers are well-stocked. The older, more established schools have
traditional library facilities which in many cases are better equipped than many colleges. Libraries
have morphed over the years into media centers. The typical boarding school library will have the
latest technology available in addition to all the usual print materials. And they will have them in
abundance.
4. You will be stretched by the amount of work you have to do. In a public school you might read
one Shakespeare play in a year if you are lucky and it happens to be relevant to the test. In a private
school you will read three or four Shakespeare plays and study them in detail. Teaching to the test is
virtually unheard of because boarding schools only have to be concerned with getting you into a
college. As a result the depth and breadth of the academic courses in most schools is remarkable.
5. You will be surrounded by classmates who want to go to college. Your classmates are in
boarding school because they want to be there. The reason you go to private school is to learn. Most
schools are selective about who they admit. Being willing to work hard in class and play hard on the
playing field is all part of the college prep package these schools offer.
6. You will get great teachers who love to teach. Boarding schools traditionally hire teachers with
degrees in their subjects. A large number of these experienced teachers have advanced degrees in
their field as well. Typically all are passionate about their subject and love to teach it to young people.
Because discipline is rarely a problem in boarding school, these talented teachers get to teach without
having to be traffic cops or paper pushers like their public school counterparts.
7. You will get to live away from home. It's never easy to leave the nest. But, doesn't it make more
sense to make the move before college? Of course it does. You will learn how to cope with life and all
its many high and low points in a community of your peers who are going through the same things you
are. All of this is happening under the watchful eye of your teachers who are mentors, not baby-
sitters.
8. You will have great arts programs and arts facilities. Theater, dance, music, fine arts, in short,
anything and everything artistic is part of the opportunity which awaits you at most boarding schools.
Several schools have magnificent arts centers. Gorgeous chapels with fine pipe organs and choirs are
still common. Chamber music, bands, orchestras and jazz ensembles will give you many opportunities
to use your musical talents. The art galleries and museums many schools have acquired offer another
serious enhancement for the artistically inclined.
9. You will have great sports and sports facilities. Most boarding schools have amazing sports
facilities. The range of sports and teams is mind-boggling. You will find everything from squash to
crew, hockey to basketball. Natatoria are common. Fitness facilities make Gold's Gym look tame. The
varsity teams travel regionally and globally to compete.
10. You will learn to be responsible for yourself. Taking a lot of little steps towards maturity is one
of the intangibles of going to boarding school. You have to learn to get along with others because it is a
community. You learn to be responsible for your actions because you are bound by an honor or
discipline code of some kind. The lessons in life learned in boarding school will lay a solid foundation
for adulthood. You will make friends for life. Most boarding school graduates look back at their years
in school as a time when lasting friendships were established. Coupled with that is the building of a
network of friends and acquaintances who know you and care about you. Isn't that what life is really
all about? Being surrounded by people who understand you and care about you is affirming and
encouraging. We all can do with a dose of encouragement now and then, can't we?
2. Christian Schools—
Christian Boarding Schools are designed for unmotivated, gifted troubled teens. Christian Boarding
Schools can accommodate teens that are:
• Academically unmotivated: thinking that academic pursuit is no longer a part of their vision
• Acts entitled
• Blames their poor choices on everyone but themselves
• Emotionally immature
• Experimenting with sex, alcohol, and drugs
• Looking for acceptance in the wrong places
• Lying, sneaking out, isolating from family
• Making poor personal choices
• Plays the victim
• Poor peer choices (new group of troubled friends)
• Rebelling against parental authority
• Rejecting their Christian heritage
Christian boarding schools for troubled teens are designed for teens that have good hearts, and the
academic potential to be great students. Yet, they are currently off track, lost, and wandering down a
road that leads to destruction. Most of the troubled teens that come to Christian Boarding Schools are
selfish, ungrateful, and motivated only by fun with troubled friends.
Christian Schools Can Have a Great Influence on a Teenager. At Christian boarding schools, your
distressed teen will be able to receive proper education and behavior modification. In addition to such
training, religion will also play a major role in your child's life. Your child won't miss out on anything.
Boarding schools have been known to work wonders. Boarding schools that focus on Christianity
aren't any different. Rest assured, at Christian boarding schools, you child will be in the best of hands.
A typical Christian School is not to be confused with a Sunday School, or with any other institution
that exists to give children instruction in the Bible. The Christian School is an institution, which has
the function of instructing children in the various departments of knowledge (e.g., reading, history,
science, math, and the other subjects). It does this seven hours a day, five days a week, throughout
the school year. Christian schools are a good option.
3. Military Schools—
The public school system of today is not fully equipped to handle troubled teenagers. Often times,
parents turn to military schools as an option to discipline and educate their troubled teenagers.
Military schools, which seemed headed for extinction in the late 1960s and early '70s, have seen
enrollments increase steadily in recent years. Many military schools are jammed to capacity and sport
long waiting lists, as anxious parents scramble for slots.
In the past decade, our country's military has become much more selective as to whom they will or
will not accept. This trend has become even more apparent in private military schools. In most cases,
a troubled teen will have a very difficult time making it into and staying in any military school.
A recent survey of 30 traditional military schools found that only one military school would take a
student that was not willing to be there. Most military schools will expel students that break rules.
If the school has a non-refundable tuition policy, that can be very expensive for you. Thus, we do not
recommend Military Schools for troubled teens. Military schools are simply not a good option for
teens with emotional and behavioral problems.
4. Wilderness Programs—
Wilderness programs are usually short term. They seem to have a definite impact on the troubled
teen. Typically the teen, while in the program, sincerely feels the need to change and may even admit
that he or she needs to change their behaviors. In most cases, education consultants will recommend a
wilderness program to prepare a teen for a long-term placement. Usually the wilderness placement
alone is not long enough to make lasting changes in the teen’s life.
Short term is a great place to start but usually needs to be followed up by something longer in length.
Some programs include a wilderness component into their regular program. Some have more rustic
type living for teens that first come into a program, and then with appropriate choices they move into
nicer living conditions.
Wilderness programs are usually not academically accredited, because of their short duration. There
are usually some credits available that would correspond to time in spent out in nature, but it is not a
given that they will be accepted. For this reason timing is an important factor involved with this type
of placement. If you are taking a troubled teen out of school and sending him to a Wilderness
Program, he will fall further behind in school. In most cases, the troubled teen is not making an effort
in school anyway, so this is not a huge factor. But in the case where the troubled teen is still doing well
in school, this should be taken into consideration.
Troubled teens are often resistant to just about everything, including authority, rules, advice,
structure, and therapy, just to name a few. Because of their oppositionality and defiance, treatment
programs like boot camps that feed resistance right back to them are frequently ineffective. A better
approach is the one taken by Wilderness Programs -- programs for troubled teens ages 13 to 17,
whose core philosophy emphasizes giving adolescents the power of choice and the ability to
experience the natural consequences of their decisions.
5. Residential Treatment Centers—
Some insurance companies will pay for placement in a Residential
Treatment Centers. If they do, they usually must be accredited
with the Joint Hospital Accreditation Committee or J.H.A.C.O.
To be approved by J.H.A.C.O., there are more requirements
that need to be met than just being licensed as a Residential
Treatment Center facility. Usually an insurance company will
pay for around 30 or 60 days in this type facility. This
sometimes is more like a vacation for the teen. The other
drawback is the fact that it is short term. Short term is typically not adequate to help make lasting
changes in a teen’s life. Also, Residential Treatment Centers are typically more of a medical type
placement rather than a boarding school placement.
There are long-term Residential Treatment Centers that will in some cases qualify for insurance
coverage if the insurance company will work with you. Residential Treatment Centers vary in price as
well as typical length of stay. Sometimes a program will have two different price structures. They will
have one program price for insured families and one program for non-insured families. The program
is in essence giving a discount to the family for bearing the total financial burden of their teens care. It
is good to find out if -- and what -- your insurance plan will cover before you begin the process of
searching for a Residential Treatment Center.
6. Boot Camps—
Boot camps are military-style institutions for defiant and
disrespectful teens who have a problem with authority.
They learn discipline and structure through military
exercises, and rigorous physical training.
The theory of boot camp is that a swift "kick in the pants"
will turn around a child who has probably been acting out
for years. But in a lot of cases, just a short-term boot camp
will not be enough for a teen to turn his or her life around.
Boot camps work great if they are followed by a boarding
school or other longer-term program.
Privately owned boot camps seem to have a greater affect on teenagers. Surprisingly, the recidivism
rate of juveniles who attend state-run boot camps has been said to be as high as 94%, while overall
privately owned boot camps have a much lower rate. Boot camps can also be long term (military
based boarding schools) or short boot camps (summer boot camps).
Overall, boot camps usually have a definite impact on a teen especially the defiant and disrespectful
ones. However, for a lasting change to take place, a boot camp usually needs to be followed by a
longer-term program such as a boarding school.
Welcome to our school resource center where parents find the right school for their troubled teen.
If you are searching for a troubled teen school or program, we can help with your selection.
Types of schools and programs include:
1. Boarding Schools
2. Christian Schools
3. Military Schools
4. Wilderness Programs
5. Residential Treatment Centers
6. Boot Camps
1. Boarding Schools—
Boarding schools are independent, college preparatory schools that provide housing facilities for
students and faculty. Boarding schools are sometimes referred to as "intentional communities"
because the faculty and staff at boarding schools work very hard to create an environment for
students that is safe, academically challenging, active, and fun.
Boarding schools are well known for their academic excellence. With small class sizes, diverse
curricula, and individual attention from teachers and advisors, the boarding school experience gives
students many distinct advantages. Boarding school students acquire the abilities that help ensure
success in college and in life.
During the academic year, boarding schools become extended families where teachers and students
live and learn together. The 24-hour community of a boarding school environment allows the faculty
to seize every teachable moment whether in the classroom, on the playing field, or in the dormitory.
While boarding schools differ among these broad types, they also differ in their philosophy and
mission. Because no two boarding schools are alike, matching a student with an appropriate boarding
school is a big step toward ensuring future success. We see boarding schools as a good option for
troubled teens.
Top 10 Reasons to Go to Boarding School--
1. It's cool to be smart. This is probably the best
reason to go to boarding school. In a public school
the kids who really want to learn frequently end up
being social outcasts. Not so in boarding school. It's
cool to be smart in boarding school. It's also very
cool to learn.
2. The classes are small. If you are in a public
school with 30-40 students to a class, chances are
that you will just be a number, unless you are very
smart or very bad! You will probably get lots of
attention then. In a boarding school, on the other
hand, classes typically are 10-15 students. You
cannot hide in a class that small. You have to
participate. You will get called upon for your response. You will never just be a number in a boarding
school.
3. The libraries/media centers are well-stocked. The older, more established schools have
traditional library facilities which in many cases are better equipped than many colleges. Libraries
have morphed over the years into media centers. The typical boarding school library will have the
latest technology available in addition to all the usual print materials. And they will have them in
abundance.
4. You will be stretched by the amount of work you have to do. In a public school you might read
one Shakespeare play in a year if you are lucky and it happens to be relevant to the test. In a private
school you will read three or four Shakespeare plays and study them in detail. Teaching to the test is
virtually unheard of because boarding schools only have to be concerned with getting you into a
college. As a result the depth and breadth of the academic courses in most schools is remarkable.
5. You will be surrounded by classmates who want to go to college. Your classmates are in
boarding school because they want to be there. The reason you go to private school is to learn. Most
schools are selective about who they admit. Being willing to work hard in class and play hard on the
playing field is all part of the college prep package these schools offer.
6. You will get great teachers who love to teach. Boarding schools traditionally hire teachers with
degrees in their subjects. A large number of these experienced teachers have advanced degrees in
their field as well. Typically all are passionate about their subject and love to teach it to young people.
Because discipline is rarely a problem in boarding school, these talented teachers get to teach without
having to be traffic cops or paper pushers like their public school counterparts.
7. You will get to live away from home. It's never easy to leave the nest. But, doesn't it make more
sense to make the move before college? Of course it does. You will learn how to cope with life and all
its many high and low points in a community of your peers who are going through the same things you
are. All of this is happening under the watchful eye of your teachers who are mentors, not baby-
sitters.
8. You will have great arts programs and arts facilities. Theater, dance, music, fine arts, in short,
anything and everything artistic is part of the opportunity which awaits you at most boarding schools.
Several schools have magnificent arts centers. Gorgeous chapels with fine pipe organs and choirs are
still common. Chamber music, bands, orchestras and jazz ensembles will give you many opportunities
to use your musical talents. The art galleries and museums many schools have acquired offer another
serious enhancement for the artistically inclined.
9. You will have great sports and sports facilities. Most boarding schools have amazing sports
facilities. The range of sports and teams is mind-boggling. You will find everything from squash to
crew, hockey to basketball. Natatoria are common. Fitness facilities make Gold's Gym look tame. The
varsity teams travel regionally and globally to compete.
10. You will learn to be responsible for yourself. Taking a lot of little steps towards maturity is one
of the intangibles of going to boarding school. You have to learn to get along with others because it is a
community. You learn to be responsible for your actions because you are bound by an honor or
discipline code of some kind. The lessons in life learned in boarding school will lay a solid foundation
for adulthood. You will make friends for life. Most boarding school graduates look back at their years
in school as a time when lasting friendships were established. Coupled with that is the building of a
network of friends and acquaintances who know you and care about you. Isn't that what life is really
all about? Being surrounded by people who understand you and care about you is affirming and
encouraging. We all can do with a dose of encouragement now and then, can't we?
2. Christian Schools—
Christian Boarding Schools are designed for unmotivated, gifted troubled teens. Christian Boarding
Schools can accommodate teens that are:
• Academically unmotivated: thinking that academic pursuit is no longer a part of their vision
• Acts entitled
• Blames their poor choices on everyone but themselves
• Emotionally immature
• Experimenting with sex, alcohol, and drugs
• Looking for acceptance in the wrong places
• Lying, sneaking out, isolating from family
• Making poor personal choices
• Plays the victim
• Poor peer choices (new group of troubled friends)
• Rebelling against parental authority
• Rejecting their Christian heritage
Christian boarding schools for troubled teens are designed for teens that have good hearts, and the
academic potential to be great students. Yet, they are currently off track, lost, and wandering down a
road that leads to destruction. Most of the troubled teens that come to Christian Boarding Schools are
selfish, ungrateful, and motivated only by fun with troubled friends.
Christian Schools Can Have a Great Influence on a Teenager. At Christian boarding schools, your
distressed teen will be able to receive proper education and behavior modification. In addition to such
training, religion will also play a major role in your child's life. Your child won't miss out on anything.
Boarding schools have been known to work wonders. Boarding schools that focus on Christianity
aren't any different. Rest assured, at Christian boarding schools, you child will be in the best of hands.
A typical Christian School is not to be confused with a Sunday School, or with any other institution
that exists to give children instruction in the Bible. The Christian School is an institution, which has
the function of instructing children in the various departments of knowledge (e.g., reading, history,
science, math, and the other subjects). It does this seven hours a day, five days a week, throughout
the school year. Christian schools are a good option.
3. Military Schools—
The public school system of today is not fully equipped to handle troubled teenagers. Often times,
parents turn to military schools as an option to discipline and educate their troubled teenagers.
Military schools, which seemed headed for extinction in the late 1960s and early '70s, have seen
enrollments increase steadily in recent years. Many military schools are jammed to capacity and sport
long waiting lists, as anxious parents scramble for slots.
In the past decade, our country's military has become much more selective as to whom they will or
will not accept. This trend has become even more apparent in private military schools. In most cases,
a troubled teen will have a very difficult time making it into and staying in any military school.
A recent survey of 30 traditional military schools found that only one military school would take a
student that was not willing to be there. Most military schools will expel students that break rules.
If the school has a non-refundable tuition policy, that can be very expensive for you. Thus, we do not
recommend Military Schools for troubled teens. Military schools are simply not a good option for
teens with emotional and behavioral problems.
4. Wilderness Programs—
Wilderness programs are usually short term. They seem to have a definite impact on the troubled
teen. Typically the teen, while in the program, sincerely feels the need to change and may even admit
that he or she needs to change their behaviors. In most cases, education consultants will recommend a
wilderness program to prepare a teen for a long-term placement. Usually the wilderness placement
alone is not long enough to make lasting changes in the teen’s life.
Short term is a great place to start but usually needs to be followed up by something longer in length.
Some programs include a wilderness component into their regular program. Some have more rustic
type living for teens that first come into a program, and then with appropriate choices they move into
nicer living conditions.
Wilderness programs are usually not academically accredited, because of their short duration. There
are usually some credits available that would correspond to time in spent out in nature, but it is not a
given that they will be accepted. For this reason timing is an important factor involved with this type
of placement. If you are taking a troubled teen out of school and sending him to a Wilderness
Program, he will fall further behind in school. In most cases, the troubled teen is not making an effort
in school anyway, so this is not a huge factor. But in the case where the troubled teen is still doing well
in school, this should be taken into consideration.
Troubled teens are often resistant to just about everything, including authority, rules, advice,
structure, and therapy, just to name a few. Because of their oppositionality and defiance, treatment
programs like boot camps that feed resistance right back to them are frequently ineffective. A better
approach is the one taken by Wilderness Programs -- programs for troubled teens ages 13 to 17,
whose core philosophy emphasizes giving adolescents the power of choice and the ability to
experience the natural consequences of their decisions.
5. Residential Treatment Centers—
Some insurance companies will pay for placement in a Residential
Treatment Centers. If they do, they usually must be accredited
with the Joint Hospital Accreditation Committee or J.H.A.C.O.
To be approved by J.H.A.C.O., there are more requirements
that need to be met than just being licensed as a Residential
Treatment Center facility. Usually an insurance company will
pay for around 30 or 60 days in this type facility. This
sometimes is more like a vacation for the teen. The other
drawback is the fact that it is short term. Short term is typically not adequate to help make lasting
changes in a teen’s life. Also, Residential Treatment Centers are typically more of a medical type
placement rather than a boarding school placement.
There are long-term Residential Treatment Centers that will in some cases qualify for insurance
coverage if the insurance company will work with you. Residential Treatment Centers vary in price as
well as typical length of stay. Sometimes a program will have two different price structures. They will
have one program price for insured families and one program for non-insured families. The program
is in essence giving a discount to the family for bearing the total financial burden of their teens care. It
is good to find out if -- and what -- your insurance plan will cover before you begin the process of
searching for a Residential Treatment Center.
6. Boot Camps—
Boot camps are military-style institutions for defiant and
disrespectful teens who have a problem with authority.
They learn discipline and structure through military
exercises, and rigorous physical training.
The theory of boot camp is that a swift "kick in the pants"
will turn around a child who has probably been acting out
for years. But in a lot of cases, just a short-term boot camp
will not be enough for a teen to turn his or her life around.
Boot camps work great if they are followed by a boarding
school or other longer-term program.
Privately owned boot camps seem to have a greater affect on teenagers. Surprisingly, the recidivism
rate of juveniles who attend state-run boot camps has been said to be as high as 94%, while overall
privately owned boot camps have a much lower rate. Boot camps can also be long term (military
based boarding schools) or short boot camps (summer boot camps).
Overall, boot camps usually have a definite impact on a teen especially the defiant and disrespectful
ones. However, for a lasting change to take place, a boot camp usually needs to be followed by a
longer-term program such as a boarding school.
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