Revisiting Childhood Dream of Boarding School

Since I was in middle school, I have always dreamed of running a boarding school. At first I saw myself surrounded by 100 kids and then that bloomed to wanting a school with 2,000 beds. 

When I was 19 years old, I worked at a residential treatment center for kids with attachment disorders. We served between 16-20 kids although there were beds for 32 youth. 

Working at that center taught me so much! There were 45 staff members between the administration, maintenance and youth workers. Our revenue was about $2 million. 

As a bookkeeper I got a behind the scenes look at the finances and became discouraged. Running this center was expensive! The parents were grateful for the services we were offering but honestly I didn't think I could replicate it. 

At this time we were averaging $10 an hour for the staff or $21,000 a year. This was back in 2013. Today, minimum wage is $12 an hour or $25,000 a year so salaries alone will increase costs 17%. 

Anyway...I believed since this center had 3 staff for every student, I would need the same. So if I have 100 students I would need 300 staff 😩. 

That would be madness! Thankfully I realize now the maintenance staff and administrative staff wouldn't have to increase that much depending on the beds. 

The number of staff would depend entirely on how luxurious I want to advertise the programs as. Low student ratios are often bragged about but not something a tight on money school can afford. 

I'm getting off track again. I love this topic so much I can't help it 🤣. 

The rise in AI is making me realize two things. Its possible to combine Khan Academy and other online resources with AI tutors. Google Gemini is making software that targets education and its getting better each year. 

The second is it's possible for me to build a business that completely finances the boarding school myself. I think bare minimum a school of 100 can survive on a $1.7 million budget or $17,000 per student. 

So a business bringing in $2.5 million would cover the costs without relying on outside funding. 

After 9 years of being a business owner, I know this is possible. It won't be easy but it's something I know I can do. 

So I'm excited again. Before I thought I needed billions of dollars to do construction and pay salaries. Now, I'm ready to string together some mobile homes and portable classrooms. 

It won't be the sexiest school but if people see how serious I am about this then just starting will make it easier to raise funds in the future. 

We don't need fancy in the beginning. The best schools start with humble beginnings. 

Anything that gets me excited to dream again is a win in my books. So cheers to new beginnings 🎉.