10 Military Boarding High Schools for Troubled Youth

 These 10 military boarding high schools for troubled youth will provide you with a list of institutions which are highly recommended when it comes to teenage issues.

Teenage years are a period so specific even the English language marked all those numbers with “teen” in their ending. Hormones are raging, and so are their owners. In these gentle years children undergo transformations on different levels; some become shy, others extrovert, unfocused, or rebellious. There is no reliable way of predicting what this period will bring. As hard it is for the teenagers, it is even worse for the parents responsible for them. Taking care of a teenager can be a real handful at times. Surely parenthood is the most rewarding and an absolutely wonderful duty. However, on some occasions it is difficult to make the right choice for your family. Problems youth encounter nowadays are various and they range from innate ones, such as dyslexia, to the behavioral problems reflecting in drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, suicidal tendencies and so on.

In order to tackle these hazards, different approaches have appeared. Sometimes so much trouble piles up it is hard for parents to cope on their own. Having used up all of their arguments, advice and tactics, they turn to professionals. The professionals come from various fields and with various solutions. Some parents turn to psychologists, counselors, therapists… There are also various boot camps focusing on the physical and mental well-being of their attendants, and even special therapeutic boarding schools situated in nature. Out of all of these choices, the one that is usually used as a threat in parent-teenager arguments and the one most parents approve of are military boarding schools.

Due to their appearance and strict discipline, many people might have some prejudice over these institutions. They are sometimes mocked, underestimated and observed only as places with rigid rules where children will be taught to obey orders and be focused mainly on physical activities, while the intellect is neglected. As usual, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Despite the uniforms and military discipline, what all these schools take pride in are numerous successful college applicants. Military boarding schools are actually an excellent preparation for universities. What is more, there is a huge number of them which boasts about the fact that 100% of their ambitious students enrolled a college. Therefore, there is more than meets the eye with military boarding schools. If all this sounds appealing, look at our 11 Best Military High Schools: 4 are Free article.

Apart from excellent learning opportunities, the schools we have picked for you are famous for their successful solving of teenage issues. We visited  LoveToKnow, OurKids, MilitarySchoolUSA and HelpYourTeenNow with advice on most suitable schools. In our search for the best options we explored websites of Robert Land Academy, Camden Military, and MilitarySchool. Basically, we compared different schools to find which ones put their focus on helping troubled teenagers. A number of schools named discipline and character shaping as their main aim. Others pointed out they nurture Christian qualities above all, which also meant they are dedicated to building a moral and responsible individual. If the mention of religion puts you off, there are schools which are clearly focused on teaching children with learning disabilities.

To summarize, our list of military boarding high schools for troubled youth will present you with schools which have successfully dealt with youth issues, helped teenagers grow up and prepared them for a college of their own choice (not strictly a military one). The list is given in no particular order. It is up to you to decide which features are most appealing to you: the school’s location, commitment to religion, cooperation with universities or student-teacher ratio. Admittedly, most of the academies are meant for boys, but we also found the best of the coed schools, too.

10. Army and Navy Academy

We are starting our list of military boarding high schools for troubled youth with Army and Navy Academy that was founded in 1910 and it is situated in San Diego, California. This is a school for boys from 7th to 12^th grade. What guarantees success is the fact that the student teacher ratio is 10:1, so the child is going to get the attention he deserves so as to fulfill his potential by overcoming obstacles and achieve high scores in tests. The schedule is rigorous, including daily inspections, but it also offers courses in art and music. Yearly tuition is around $34,000. Another interesting fact: around 35% of its students come from abroad.

9. Marine Military Academy

This academy is open for boys that are a bit older than in the previous one. It caters to boys from 8^th to 12^th grade and it is located in Texas, USA. It is similar to Army and Navy Academy in a way that it is also has a long and respectful tradition, as well as an excellent student-teacher ratio. They take great pride in the fact that 100% of their graduates become accepted into colleges or universities. Their website shows praises from parents who testified the positive transformation of their children.

8. St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy

This school is meant only for boys. We chose it as a part of our list of schools for troubled teens since its focus is firstly on making “good citizens who understand basic values”.  Student-teacher ratio absolutely recommends this place. There is one teacher per three students. Therefore, your boy is bound to have the special attention he deserves in order to overcome his problems. If he is in a grade between seven to twelve, he could be accepted. Academic studies and lots of sports are waiting.

7. Fork Union Military Academy

The number 7 on our list of military boarding high schools for troubled youth is Fork Union Military Academy that is situated in the Fork Union in Virginia, US. This is an all-boys school that is based on Christian values. As we have mentioned before, it means they pay close attention to personality development and character strengthening, which you should find very helpful if you have a teenager struggling. They promise a rigorous academic curriculum together with Bible studies, but also some other after school clubs.

6. Missouri Military Academy

Their motto is “Character. Athletics. Academics. Leadership. Adventure.” That is what you will get promised by most of boarding schools, but this one puts character building first. It is intended for boys from the 7^th till 12^th grade. They would seem a great choice concerning how long they have been educating teenagers – Missouri Military Academy, one of the military boarding high schools for troubled youth, was founded in 1889. That is basically two centuries ago, so obviously they have a huge experience in shaping the minds of the young teenagers to recommend them. In addition, parents outside the USA have chosen it as the best chance for their children.

5. Robert Land Academy

The question they set is the following: “Is your son bright, inquiring, energetic and testing the limits?”. If your answer is positive, this would be the perfect school for him. It isn’t in the USA, though. Nevertheless, it is in Ontario, Canada, which means it’s only an hour from Toronto and 35 min from the US border. Robert Land private military school for boys, is one of the military boarding high schools for troubled youth ecause recognizes the needs of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), or other Learning Disorders (LD). Apparently, most of the parents who applied their sons for this institution regret not having them enrolled sooner.

4. Gateway Military Academy

Now this is a proper military boarding high school for troubled youth that clearly defines itself as a school for problematic boys. Apparently, they cater the needs of parents whose boys are misbehaving, having problems with the law, were expelled from previous schools or are underachievers at school. They promise to change the youth’s view on life and help them develop into happy, satisfied and helpful members of society through character-shaping programs and close supervision without meaningless drills and bellowing drill sergeants.

3. Randolph – Macon Academy

Even though it is usually praised to be as the only school in North America with its own aviation program, for our list of military boarding high schools for troubled youth it is more important to stress that it is religious based, meaning they strive for excellence in character as much as exam results. Of course, you don’t have to be a Christian Methodist to attend it. What is also recommendable is the fact that Art isn’t excluded from the curriculum and that says something about the Academy, too. Naturally, with such good program, the college acceptance rate is 100%. Last but not the least, girls are welcome to enroll, too.

2. Massanutten Military Academy

Located in Woodstock, Virginia, US, Massanutten Military Academy firmly believes in a holistic approach to helping students reach their full potential. In a nutshell, the students are going to be paid full attention because the academy has faith in looking at all pieces of a puzzle, i.e. will observe and develop their character as well as high grades. It is a coed school, which means it’s open for both boys and girls from 6^th to 12^th grade. Attending Massanutten brings some benefits with certain universities, too.

1. Camden Military Academy

We are ending our list of 10 military boarding high schools for troubled youth with a school that is extremely confident when it comes to dealing with students with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) or are just considered “lazy” by their environment. Camden Military Academy promises to help the boys successfully overcome their issues through small classes, individual approach, tutoring and so on. Its tradition dates back to 1892 and its location in South Carolina. It is also very welcoming to foreign students.