Boarding Schools in America

Boarding Schools in America

We Americans are a little behind. Boarding schools in Europe and the United Kingdom are much more the norm than in our country.

The United Kingdom has both state and private boarding schools. The state schools charge only dormitory fees. In America, most boarding schools are private. Tuition is high, around twenty thousand dollars a year, but more affordable options are cropping up.

One school district in Oregon found a creative way to keep their high school open. The population was under two hundred people and the school was faced with closing. They became a boarding school taking in students from other areas and receiving state funds for each student enrolled. The school remains open and they have a waiting list.

East coast boarding schools are among the oldest and most exclusive, but they are becoming much more diverse today. There is a long family tradition for some students of attending the same boarding schools as their parents. Focus today is not so much on family name as in merit and many different students attend.

Many private schools, once exclusive, now admit women and minorities to keep abreast of the changing times. Boarding schools are no longer just punishment for misbehavior. Schools for troubled youth do exist, but by and large, most private school students are there to get a good education and prepare for college.

In many households today, both parents work and travel extensively. Boarding school is an excellent option for them. With internet access, there is no reason to be out of contact with your children while they are in boarding school. They will be in a safe environment and the parents can work without worrying about where they are and what they may be up to.

After The Harry Potter books became so popular, boarding school admissions increased in England and in America, more children found the idea appealing as well. Out west where schools are sometimes miles away with a very long bus ride daily, boarding schools are an alternative. Students can go home on the weekends.

Most traditional boarding school have students during the entire school year. They return home for holidays and summer vacation as a rule, although summer programs are often offered.

If your child is begging for more freedom or to go away to school, check out your options and see if boarding school is the answer.