Why do you send your kids to boarding school?

GnarWhail
Fri, 20 Nov 2015 07:45:16 +0000

For 999 out of every 1000 students, graduating from an elite boarding school does not change the likelihood of attending the most famous of the famous colleges–that’s the fact most difficult for people beyond the prep school world to understand. But so what? The top boarding schools don’t get every student into Williams or Amherst, but the breadth of amazing colleges to which those boarding schools send students every year is unmatched when compared to ‘good’ or ‘top’ public schools or day schools or…

You go to an elite boarding school because the education and experience are lightyears beyond those day schools and magnet schools and charter schools and local public schools. If you are wicked smart, you get access to classes and teachers you wouldn’t get at those other schools. If you are an exceptional athlete, you get coaching and competition and facilities those other schools could never offer. Even better, the well-rounded, high-achieving generalist can exercise all the facets of their abilities and interests without worrying that their school is using up resources because they are more concerned with keeping most disruptive 1/3 of the class under control than they are broadening the scope of the opportunities for the whole student body.

Boarding school is not for everyone. Some kids–many kids–are just not up to it, but for those who can thrive, they are in the best possible environment. For those students, even the best public and charter and magnet and day schools fall short.