Location Page
Boot Camps & Military Schools in Mississippi
From peer pressure to parental conflict, at-risk teens simply don’t have the tools they need to cope with the challenges they face. If your teen is depressed, rebelling against authority, abusing alcohol or drugs or engaged in risky behavior, consider an immersion program designed to help. Many parents feel that military school or boot camps are a fast solution to their teen’s behavior problems. At HelpYourTeenNow, we can point you in the right direction when it comes to finding programs, evaluating them, looking at their references and ultimately making the decision to enroll your teen. Call us for a free consultation on programs that can give your teen the structure, therapy and second chance he or she deserves.
Military Schools and Boot Camps Aren’t the Best Option for Troubled Teens
Troubled teens need structure and discipline, it’s true, but military schools and boot camps are simply not designed to give the therapy and motivation to really change the course of their lives. Many boot camps are privately run, under no state regulatory agency and engage in a hard-core, ultra physical atmosphere that can sometimes harm kids more than help them. True military schools aren’t the answer either—they are prestigious academic institutions that focus on college prep and officer training for military service. Even though military schools and boot camps are not the answer for your troubled teen, there are plenty of other options that produce lasting results.
Mississippi Regulatory Laws
The Child Residential Home Notification Act 43-16-1 (Miss. Code of 1972) gives the Mississippi State Department of Health the authority to regulate and license all care facilities for children and youth.
Private schools in Mississippi do not need licensing or accreditation to operate. They can request approval from the state Board of Education, however (Miss. Code Ann. 37-17-7). Standards for private schools in Mississippi are set out in the state’s Nonpublic Schools Accountability Standards 2004. Any approved private school must hire only state certified teachers, while non-approved schools are not required to (Nonpublic Schools Accountability Standards 2004). If a school is run by a church, it is exempt from many of the regulatory standards of secular private schools (Miss. Code Ann. 41-3-15).
(U.S. Department of Education, State Regulation of Private Schools, 2009)
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
Request Free Admissions Information
Educational Recources
Request Free Admissions Information
Mississippi Regulatory Laws
The Child Residential Home Notification Act 43-16-1 (Miss. Code of 1972) gives the Mississippi State Department of Health the authority to regulate and license all care facilities for children and youth.
Private schools in Mississippi do not need licensing or accreditation to operate. They can request approval from the state Board of Education, however (Miss. Code Ann. 37-17-7). Standards for private schools in Mississippi are set out in the state’s Nonpublic Schools Accountability Standards 2004. Any approved private school must hire only state certified teachers, while non-approved schools are not required to (Nonpublic Schools Accountability Standards 2004). If a school is run by a church, it is exempt from many of the regulatory standards of secular private schools (Miss. Code Ann. 41-3-15).
(U.S. Department of Education, State Regulation of Private Schools, 2009)
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
Educational Recources
Statistics for At-Risk Mississippi Teens
ADD/ADHD
- 14.4%
14.4 percent of children in Mississippi, aged 3–17 years have been diagnosed with ADHD. (National Survey of Children’s Health, 2016–2019).
TEEN PREGNANCY
- 27.9%
The teen pregnancy rate for adolescents aged 15 to 19 in Mississippi is 27.9 per 1,000 females in this age group, according to the World Population Review.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/teen-pregnancy-rates-by-state
TEEN SUICIDE
- 9%
Mississippi ranks 8th with a suicide rate of 9 deaths per 100,000 adolescents aged 15 to 19, according to data from the CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death Files (2020–2022).
https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/measures/teen_suicide/MS
DRUG USE
- 6.56%
In 2020, approximately 788,000 teenagers aged 12 to 17 nationwide met the criteria for Illicit Drug Use Disorder (IDUD). In Mississippi, about 6.56% of adolescents in this age group reported using illicit drugs, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.
ALCOHOL USE
- 7.79%
Approximately 7.79% of teens in Mississippi suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). (National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 2020).
TEEN VAPING
- 21.4%
Mississippi ranks 29th among all states, with 21.4% of high school teens reported to have used vapes. (Drug Watch, 2024).
TEEN PORNOGRAPHY
- 57%
The porn industry experienced a 12.6% annual revenue increase from 2018 to 2023. Adolescent exposure to pornography has steadily risen, with the age of first exposure becoming increasingly younger. 57% of young adults ages 18-25 use porn monthly or more often.
TEEN BULLYING
- 46%
According to Pew Research Center, 46% of U.S. teens aged 13 to 17 have experienced at least one of six types of cyberbullying behaviors. (Pew Research Center, 2022).
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/
Summary
We Can Help!
When teens are depressed, unmotivated or rebellious, it can just be phase they are going through. However, when behavior issues turn serious, like substance abuse, violence, illegal behavior, self-harm, poor academic performance and engaging in risky behavior, it’s time to intervene. HelpYourTeenNow will guide you in evaluating all kinds of long-term therapy programs and give you the information you need to steer clear of military schools and boot camps. As a parent advocate group, we are ready and waiting to help parents across the country, just like you, to get your child the therapy and immersion program that best suits them. Call HelpYourTeenNow for a free consultation.