Anonymous
Post 05/15/2026 07:49     Subject: Re:Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
Leave my kid 100% unprotected from older kids and adults when so vulnerable? Never.
Anonymous
Post 05/15/2026 06:39     Subject: Re:Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
We did and it's been a fantastic opportunity. A couple caveats, though. There's no way we would have considered co-ed for boarding school. Also, like OP, we are roughly an hour away from the school. We have not had any medical emergencies or situations where we've needed to be at the school immediately but there is peace of mind knowing we aren't across the country.
Anonymous
Post 05/15/2026 06:34     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
If the desire is coming from your kid, if you can afford it, I definitely would. Boarding schools provide many amazing opportunities and lifelong connections.
Anonymous
Post 05/15/2026 06:32     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
I would do it, because she wants it. Can she change her mind and come back to local high school?
I went to test-in boarding school abroad. I was very independent at young age and wanted to be away from my parents.
Anonymous
Post 05/15/2026 06:18     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
Anonymous wrote:I have a friend that went to a boarding school because we were from a city out west that had very limited private school options and he just really did not fit in at either of the two options. He thrived there.
But in an area like ours that has so many options, I cannot understand why anyone would do it, absent unusual family circumstances (parents who travel frequently; sibling with SN; etc.)
I have three teens and having the daily contact with them is just so important. They won’t seek you out at that age so you have to just sort of be there so that when things come up, you see them.


Except for a 3-4 local day schools, the schools in the area are not good options in comparison to boarding schools. They don’t even compare. My teen is at a top boarding school and they are able to do so much more in sports, activities, language, history, math, and science. The Ivys also come to their boarding school to recruit. And the social environment is so much healthier than when we’re in DC private. My teen loves their school. The DC schools are typically ranked lower nationally except the Big 3. If we were comparing New York schools, your statement would be accurate.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 23:14     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
We are considering it for our son due to living in Western Howard County and not having any decent close-by options. The Baltimore schools include a long commute, and he would be getting home after 6 or 7 p.m. due to sports and having to be on the bus at 6 a.m. the next morning. That's not enough time to get decent sleep and do homework.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 14:24     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
Anonymous wrote:We’re local and Woodberry and Episcopal are top of our lists for HS. I’m from a large southern city and many of my friends are interested in sending their kids, and they’re more similar to the private high schools DH and I attended. I could also see Gonzaga being a good fit for my son but would be a nightmare commute for us and we’re definitely factoring in traffic - being in boarding would allow for them to focus more on studies and sports instead of rushing back and forth all the time. We could afford the cathedral schools but I don’t think my kids could handle the at level of rigor. In imagine they’d be interested in the likes of Clemson, Sewanee, or Wake versus ivies when college rolls around


I would still check out St. Albans if I were you. Plenty of their boys go to Clemson or Wake type colleges.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 14:17     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
I have a friend that went to a boarding school because we were from a city out west that had very limited private school options and he just really did not fit in at either of the two options. He thrived there.
But in an area like ours that has so many options, I cannot understand why anyone would do it, absent unusual family circumstances (parents who travel frequently; sibling with SN; etc.)
I have three teens and having the daily contact with them is just so important. They won’t seek you out at that age so you have to just sort of be there so that when things come up, you see them.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 14:14     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
No, but it's mostly because I only have one kid left at home and I selfishly want more time with her.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 14:12     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
We’re local and Woodberry and Episcopal are top of our lists for HS. I’m from a large southern city and many of my friends are interested in sending their kids, and they’re more similar to the private high schools DH and I attended. I could also see Gonzaga being a good fit for my son but would be a nightmare commute for us and we’re definitely factoring in traffic - being in boarding would allow for them to focus more on studies and sports instead of rushing back and forth all the time. We could afford the cathedral schools but I don’t think my kids could handle the at level of rigor. In imagine they’d be interested in the likes of Clemson, Sewanee, or Wake versus ivies when college rolls around
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 13:02     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
Anonymous wrote:Barring extraordinary negative home circumstances or significant special needs that could not reasonably met at home, I would not do it.


+1
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 12:57     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
I went to a former NE BS that had transitioned to a day school, had relatives at BS and always wished I had gone... always thought I'd be happy to send my kids... now that they're actually the age to be considering it, I hate the idea.

If it was something they really want to do, I'd do it, because it's about them, not me and it would be selfish to keep them home just because I'd miss them... but if they don't want to, I'm not going to encourage it.
Anonymous
Post 05/13/2026 12:36     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
OP, there are a couple of recent threads on boarding schools:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1318635.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1317793.page


Anonymous
Post 05/13/2026 12:35     Subject: Re:Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
My ex went to the Hill School. Based on what he has told me about it (one of the best in the country, right) i would never send my child to a boarding school.
Anonymous
Post 05/13/2026 12:31     Subject: Would you send your kid to boarding school for HS?
No.

I attended boarding school myself, and my mother did as well. Because of our experiences, I would never do that to my children.