Has your teen been struggling to keep up in school? Perhaps he’s dealing with mental health concerns that would be better addressed in a different and more structured, supportive setting? A boarding school that offers teens a focus on recovering and healing could just be the correct answer.

As you start to dive into looking for the right solution to meet your teen’s needs, you’re likely going to encounter information about both day boarding and residential boarding school. Learning the differences between the two can help you make the right decision to meet your teen’s needs.

What is Day Boarding School?

While it might be easy to think of a day boarding school as being quite similar to a regular public school, the truth is that there are a few significant differences between the two.

· The day boarding school will often provide more structure and support for the students than what would be found in a regular public school. Structure and support are essential in helping struggling teens find their way back from the issues they’ve been facing.

· Day boarding schools may offer therapeutic solutions for struggling teens. This could include individual counseling, family counseling, and peer or group counseling.

· With smaller classes and staff more in-tuned with the individual student’s needs, each teen can get the correct type of attention needed to promote healing and growth.

Unlike residential boarding schools, students will return home after a full day at the school. They may participate in after-school activities or sporting events with their peers.

What is Residential Boarding School?

The residential boarding school provides students with a warm and nurturing environment that will provide the structure and care needed to succeed.

· Students live at the school. Some may share a room with a roommate, some may share a bed in a dormitory of fellow students, and others may get a room and bathroom of their own. Living and sleeping arrangements will vary by boarding school.

· The boarding school will provide each meal and snack. Students will enjoy meals with their peers and enjoy the conversations accompanying shared meals.

· Teens will be allowed to focus on getting caught up on schoolwork that they may have struggled with in their previous school environment. Whether due to not being able to correctly focus or because they were being bullied by peers or misunderstood by educators, teens often thrive in the boarding school environment.

· The on-site support staff lives alongside the teens, providing them with the care they need around the clock.

· Adventure hikes, sporting events, and other excellent physical activities keep teens in good shape while helping them to learn more about teamwork and leadership.

Teens will be encouraged to maintain good communication with their family members while at boarding school. A part of individual and family therapy sessions will be to learn better communication skills.

What Is the Purpose of Boarding Schools?

The primary purpose of any boarding school is to provide students with a supportive learning community that will allow them to focus on their education, mental wellness, and life skills. Not all boarding schools will focus on mental wellness, of course. Therapeutic boarding schools provide a strong focus on mental health and behavioral concerns that teens may be struggling with.

At these boarding schools, teens will undergo a complete evaluation that will help the on-staff professionals best understand the needs of the individual. This evaluation and understanding of needs can help create a treatment and academic plan that will help guide struggling teens back to the bright future they deserve.

Teens will also be able to meet others who have been struggling with similar mental wellness issues. They’ll have the opportunity to establish friendships and mentorships that will help them as they heal and recover.

Academics can suffer when a teen is struggling with a range of mental health and behavioral issues. A boarding school can offer them a fresh start to focus on catching up, meeting their academic goals, and even exceeding them.

In addition, some of the concerns that can be addressed at a therapeutic boarding school could also include the following.

· Reactive attachment disorder (RAD)
· Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
· Anxiety
· Depression
· Drug and alcohol use
· A lack of self-esteem and self-confidence

Do Boarding Schools Have Houses?

Are you wondering how your teen will be housed at a residential boarding school? It’s important to note that every boarding school will have differences in housing. Some of the options that you might find offered could include the following.

· A community of individual houses where students live in a family-like environment, supervised by a responsible member of staff who will take on the guiding parental role teens need. In these homes, teens will learn responsibilities, leadership, and valuable life skills.

· Dormitory environments, where teens may share a room with one or more peers. Teens will have a space of their own, with a bed, closet, and perhaps a desk for working on school assignments. Layouts will, of course, vary by boarding school type.

· Some may have private rooms and private bathrooms, whereas others may share a bathroom with their housemates.

Each housing situation will have been designed with purpose, to help provide teens with the right environment to encourage them in the ways they need. Whether that is to help them learn how to be responsible for themselves by making their bed and doing their laundry or communicating effectively with those they live with.

Even teens who have come from a structured home can find the structure offered in a boarding school better suited to fostering the environment they need to heal and grow.

If you’re looking for more information about how to find the right therapeutic boarding school to address and meet the needs of your struggling teen, we have a few tips to help you along the way.