Boarding schools today are poles apart from their stereotypical Hollywood images, as havens for children of privilege or refuges for troubled teens. Research proves that contemporary boarding schools serve a diverse body of motivated students who study and live in supportive, inclusive academic communities where they learn about independence and responsibility – values that help them achieve success at higher rates than private day and public school students – in the classroom and beyond.

Interviews with current boarding school students reveal what they learn once enrolled, and how boarders spend their time. Interviews with boarding school alumni across generations reveal the long-term, life-changing effects of attending school in a residential setting, and how the lessons and values learned at boarding school influence and shape college experiences and professional success.