<p>Are there any boarding schools where drugs, alcohol and bullying problems DON'T exist? I can honestly say I don't do, nor would ever want to do, any of these things even though otherwise certain peers would consider me goth... I want to go to a boarding school to get away from the public schools who have so many problems with these sort of things. Any advice????</p>
<ol>
<li>All boarding schools have people who participate in these things.</li>
<li>Just like at normal high school, however, it is up to you to decide whether or not you will do them. No one will force you and there are plenty of people who do not use substances.</li>
<li>As for bullying, I’ve found that there is very little bullying [if any] in my time here. I think that’s definitely a benefit to boarding school, though I don’t know how common it really is at public school.</li>
</ol>
<p>There are virtually no drugs, alcohol and bullying at Thacher. If you don’t believe me, ask any recent alumni. It’s just not part of the school’s culture in any way.</p>
<p>i agree with izzybusybee</p>
<p>All boarding schools can claim they have “virtually” none of these things; yet none can claim absolute non-existence.</p>
<p>I think you’ll find less of all those things at boarding schools than you would at public high school (or even day schools), but you’ll always find some going on. What part of the country are you looking at, and what are your overall academic credentials? A school with less focus on athletics, and more on arts, will probably foster less of an alpha-male culture. Depending on your qualifications, you might consider Concord Academy, Millbrook, Portsmouth Abbey, Cambridge School of Weston, or George School.</p>
<p>I’d include Westtown in stagemum’s list . . . although it doesn’t have horses, and George School does.</p>
<p>I’m not as familiar with Thacher as ThacherParent, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find significantly less bullying at any of the west coast schools. The culture and traditions are just different out there. Again, if you want horses, that pretty much limits you to Thacher.</p>