Sending a troubled teen to an affordable boarding school may seem like the best answer parents have to get their child the help they need. However, one of the biggest factors that prevent parents from taking this vital step on behalf of their troubled teen is the costs associated with therapeutic boarding schools.

Some of the tuition and expenses total as much as half of a family’s annual income. As parents are trying desperately to find affordable boarding schools for troubled teens, the good news is that there are plenty of schools that are both effective and affordable.

Is There Such a Thing as an Affordable Boarding School?

Boarding schools face immense costs in housing students, paying therapists and teachers, and running the facility, and therefore must charge tuition to cover those costs. Sometimes this tuition can be prohibitive for parents seeking to get real, long-term help for their troubled teens. Recognizing that many families cannot afford to send their troubled teen to a boarding school, certain boarding school facilities have found several ways to make the cost more affordable for families.

How Do Boarding Schools Reduce Tuition?

There are several ways that therapeutic boarding schools can reduce the tuition costs for families. Here are some of the more common methods:

• Limited income families can often qualify for tuition-free or reduced tuition plans, based on family income and ability to contribute.
• Scholarships are available at certain schools for qualifying students that reduce or waive tuition requirements.
• Sliding scale tuition plans are becoming more popular as schools find success in using a percentage of family income or a chart that links tuition with income. In this system, families pay what they can afford.
• Financial aid, grants and other resources are available via non-profit groups who are part of the teen help industry, government and others.

Parents who are looking for therapeutic boarding schools and desperately wondering about the cost, should not give up hope. There are affordable therapeutic boarding schools out there that are extremely helpful in ensuring that finances won’t restrict a teen’s opportunity to attend.

Most schools have a financial representative that can walk families through their obligations and point them toward resources that can help. It’s a relief to many parents who finally realize they don’t have to forego the opportunity for their troubled teen to receive help.