Educational enrichment is the cornerstone of traditional private boarding schools. Founded on the premise of preparing students scholastically for college, traditional private boarding schools place much value on academic and/or athletic success, and require a certain performance level from their student population. Adolescents are expected to be motivated, accomplished, and willing to take advantage of the opportunities available to them, and much emphasis is placed on long standing personal character and integrity. Acceptance into traditional private boarding schools is usually based on academic and intellectual promise, and students must exhibit enthusiasm and a strong desire to contribute to campus life. Students who attend such programs are bright, motivated, and responsible, with few behavior problems or issues. Expectations are high, and tolerance for acting out behaviors is low.
While social and emotional growth are inherent components of the traditional private boarding school environment, there is no structured emotional growth component. Students are assigned advisors who offer support and guidance, however they do not serve as counselors. Traditional private boarding schools cater to adolescents who already possess a strong sense of purpose and self, and work with them to further develop a student’s intellect, curiosity, excellence, and creativity. They are not appropriate for students struggling with issues of self-worth, self-discipline, and/or inadequate problem solving and decision-making skills and abilities. Private therapeutic boarding schools would be better suited for students struggling with these issues.