<p>Despite the fact that this is a CC board, the vast majority of human beings here in the US do not generally have "boarding school" as a viable option -- except for possibly very specialized programs like the one Northstarmom referenced. If you have specific links like that, then please share them. </p>
<p>Usually it's enough of a struggle for typical US teenagers to keep their head above water and pass all their courses each year, especially if dealing with the sort of family stress and issues. These kids have a parent who is a drug addict and another sibling who is incarcerated. You really should not be assuming that the younger sister is a strong student or has good test scores. Given the family circumstances, we don't know what other social/behavioral issues the younger sister might have as well. Part of Oiram's frustration might stem from the fear that his younger sister is about to make the same mistakes that have already caused disarray in the older siblings' lives. We just don't know that this kid is a candidate to be shipped off to some school somewhere.</p>