Earlier, boarding schools were supposed to be meant for only troubled teens, or children who come from troubled families. They were, and still are being thought of as places where children are "disciplined" to stay away from trouble. But these days, boarding schools have an entirely different perspective. Even good children from normal, happy families get to study in boarding schools and become better individuals. They make the students become independent, self-motivated, and confident individuals who can make practical decisions in life.

History has it that boarding schools were once meant for troubled teens who came from troubled families. The rules and regulations in these schools were meant to teach strict discipline, and if a student broke the rules, punishment followed. Although times have changed, and boarding schools are geared for all types of students from all types of backgrounds, there are still special boarding schools meant for troubled teems.

These special boarding schools help students tackle several problems like depression, alcohol, drug abuse, teen suicide, stress, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), teen pregnancy, conduct disorders, behavioral problems, oppositional defiant disorders, learning disabilities, obesity, eating disorders, violence, bullying and other problems that adolescents may face. The school provides therapeutic programs to enable the child to overcome problems through therapy, counseling, personality development workshops and many other activities. It is hoped that this environment will help a student realize there are other students with similar problems. With support from faculty and family counseling, a troubled child's live can be turned around for the better. There are religious, military and private boarding schools that focus only on troubled teens.

Boarding schools for troubled teens have programs that last from a few months to a few years, depending on the requirements. They offer more attention to students through a smaller student-teacher ratio, as well as special programs that help them focus and deal with their problems, as well as maintain a normal academic setting.

While choosing a boarding school for your troubled teenage, consider the location, the size of the school, therapeutic programs), facilities, faculty members, workload, academic requirements, support services like counseling/career guidance, athletics, arts and others) and the school's environment.