Are Junior Boarding Schools Too High Pressure?

Posted on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 @ 02:42 PM by Allison "AJ" Miller
Tagged with: Junior Boarding

One of the biggest benefits of junior boarding schools in general is the rigorous academic program. Students with Ivy League ambitions and an A-studded report card are serious candidates to be admitted to top boarding schools. But what about junior boarding schools, for the elementary and middle school set? Are the schools too much pressure too soon?

 

Hardly, say administrators at many junior boarding schools. Yes, junior boarding schools provide excellent preparation for high school years at traditional boarding schools, but that is not all they do.

 

Junior boarding schools are a home-away-from-home for their students, who range from Kindergarteners to eighth graders. The supervision and care provided by school staff members is above and beyond what is available at private day schools or at boarding schools for older students. While away at school, students at junior boarding schools are treated like children and the expectations set are appropriate for elementary and middle school students.

 

While academics take up the majority of the day during the school week, there are a wide range of activities and events on-campus to supplement classes and studying. Everything from arts instruction to music, sports, theatre, social service clubs, fitness activities and outings are regularly available.

 

Junior boarding school students are encouraged to do their best, and when their best is not sufficient to maintain academic progress, the school makes available tutors and supplementary help to assist the child in catching up. In schools where there are older students, high schoolers may be asked or expected to help out their younger junior boarding schoolmates.

 

Pressure to perform, while common in high school, is much less evident at junior boarding schools, where emphasis is more on personal growth than a perfect report card.