History Main / OffToBoardingSchool

* ''Film/ThreeMenAndALittleLady'' has the musician fiance of the little lady Mary's mother plotting to send Mary to one

* Zig-zagged for Dinnie, the protagonist of the Creator/SharonCreech novel ''Literature/{{Bloomability}}''. Technically, she's sent to live with relatives... who run a boarding school, which she attends (although she continues to live in her relatives' house instead of the student housing). In her case, it's being done with good intentions; Dinnie's parents were poor and transient and both of her siblings had had some issues (her brother was in trouble with the law and her sister [[TeenPregnancy had a baby before she finished high school]]), so the family hoped that sending Dinnie out of that environment and to a good school would help her to have a better life. She's not thrilled at first, perceiving it as a straight version of this trope (that her parents were trying to get rid of her), but eventually comes to like the school and recognize that the change is to her benefit.

* ''Film/ProblemChild 2'': "Whether you like it or not, I am going to marry your daddy. And when I do, you will be on the first plane to boarding school - in Baghdad!"

* Zig-zagged for Dinnie, the protagonist of the Creator/SharonCreech novel ''Literature/{{Bloomability}}''. Technically, she's sent to live with relatives... who run a boarding school. (She attends the school, but gets a special exception to stay with her relatives in their home instead of living in the student housing.) In her case, it's being done with good intentions; Dinnie's parents were poor and transient and both of her siblings had already begun having issues (her brother was in trouble with the law and her sister had a TeenPregnancy), so the family hoped that sending Dinnie out of that environment and to a good school would help her to have a better life. She's not thrilled at first, but eventually comes to accept it and realize that it's to her benefit.

* Happens to the titular character in ''Manga/CandyCandy'', but under orders of her MysteriousProtector Uncle William rather than a villain. (Though one of the local {{Rich Bitch}}es, Aunt Elroy, ''is'' involved.) This kicks off an entire arc that happens in said school, Saint Paul's College in England, with important CharacterDevelopment for Candy and her friends -- not to mention the introduction of another boy who's sent there by his father, Terry Granchester.
* ''[[Anime/LupinIIIPart5 Lupin III (Part 5)]]'' has a non-villainous example. Lupin sends child prodigy hacker Ami to a French boarding school because he wants her to experience a normal childhood (while also keeping her safe from any dangers that come with his "job" as a master thief).

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', Charles Rowland is sent off to boarding school because his single-parent dad works for the British foreign service. At one point, having died of injuries sustained at the hands of undead bullies, he wonders if his being sent to boarding school was just a way for his dad to avoid actually having to be a parent.
* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}'': For one of the arcs during Creator/ChuckDixon's run, Tim gets sent to Brentwood Academy by his dad, who is worried about him being a rebellious and secretive teenager.

* ''Fanfic/RealityChecksNyxverse'': Discussed and averted in ''Alicornundrum'', where Nyx is afraid that the nobles will try to force a newly ascended Twilight into sending Nyx off to boarding school. When Lord Blueblood tries to force Twilight into marrying his son Prince Blueblood, it turns out boarding school is ''exactly'' what he intends for Nyx, thus getting her out of the way so his own son can sire a "legitimate heir" with Twilight. Twilight is having none of it, however, and Celestia firmly supports her in the matter.

* Zig-zagged for Dinnie, the protagonist of the Creator/SharonCreech novel ''Literature/{{Bloomability}}''. Technically, she's sent to live with relatives... who run a boarding school. (She attends the school, but gets a special exception to stay with her relatives instead of living at the school.) In her case, it's being done with good intentions; Dinnie's parents were poor and transient and both of her siblings had already begun having issues (her brother was in trouble with the law and her sister had a TeenPregnancy), so the family hoped that sending Dinnie out of that environment and to a good school would help her to have a better life. She's not thrilled at first, but eventually comes to accept it and realize that it's to her benefit.

* Zig-zagged for Dinnie, the protagonist of the Creator/SharonCreech novel ''Literature/{{Bloomability}}''. Technically, she's sent to live with relatives... who run a boarding school. (She attends the school, but gets a special exception to stay with her relatives instead of living at the school.) In her case, it's being done with good intentions; Dinnie's parents were poor and transient and both of her siblings had already begun having issues (her brother was in trouble with the law and her sister had a TeenPregnancy), so the family hoped that sending Dinnie out of that environment and to a good school would help her to have a better life. She's not thrilled at first, but eventually comes to accept it and realize that she's in a good situation.

* Zig-zagged for the protagonist of the Creator/SharonCreech novel ''Literature/{{Bloomability}}''. Technically, she's sent to live with relatives... who run a boarding school. (She attends the school, but gets a special exception to stay with her relatives instead of living at the school.)

* Zig-zagged for the protagonist of the Creator/SharonCreech novel ''Bloomability''. Technically, she's sent to live with relatives... who run a boarding school. (She attends the school, but gets a special exception to stay with her relatives instead of living at the school.)

* Creator/CorneliaFunke's ''Ghost Knight'' has ten-year-old Jon Whitcroft sent off to boarding school by his mother, who has gotten serious with a new boyfriend. The boarding school in question has a lot of ghosts that hate his guts and want revenge for something his ancestors did long, long ago.
* Jeanne Birdsall's ''The Penderwicks'' has Jeffrey's mother and her fiancé pulling the MilitarySchool example. It should be said, though, that in this case the mother is just as bad as the fiancé.

-->-- '''Clarice Kensington''', ''Film/ItTakesTwo''

* In the modern retelling of ''Literature/LittleWomen'', Amy, who is half-black in this adaptation, is being bullied by a bunch of girls for her race and sense of style. When the truth comes out, Meg and Jo tattle about the main bully, Tara Connor, to her mother. Mrs. Connor is rightfully furious, and declares she’s sending Tara to boarding school.

The only problem is their "bratty" kids who can tell you're a DevilInPlainSight. What should you do about them? Hollywood always provides the same answer. Send them to boarding school![[labelnote:*]]And for the extra-bratty boy, MilitarySchool![[/labelnote]] Now you have to keep them from talking their parent out of marrying you just long enough to make it to the altar. After that, it's smooth sailing. Naturally, this always fails at the last minute.

This trope can be combined with DustbinSchool.

* Creator/CorneliaFunke's ''Ghost Knight''.

* Inverted spectacularly in ''Literature/{{Lolita}}''. Single mother Charlotte Haze plans to send her daughter Dolores (a.k.a. Lolita) off to summer camp and then to boarding school in order to get her out of her hair so she can enjoy the attentions of her AffablyEvil paramour, Humbert Humbert. Unfortunately, getting rid of Lolita is the last thing that Humbert wants. Lolita, on the other hand, has no clue that Humbert secretly holds her mother in contempt and in fact seems to harbor a schoolgirl crush on him ([[UnreliableNarrator according to Humbert, anyway]]). The marriage [[spoiler: goes off without a hitch, [[MurderTheHypotenuse Charlotte gets conveniently killed by a car]], and Humbert is free to happily molest his step-daughter]].

** Mallory effectively sends ''herself'' off to boarding school (her parents obviously have to sign off on it, but it's her idea and she's the one who puts in the work to make it happen) to get away from the extreme bullying she's been dealing with at the local school. In the one book it's featured in, the school seems to be pretty nice (except for Mallory having a JerkAss roommate, which is resolved by the end of the book) and Mallory is happy there.

** Mallory effectively sends ''herself'' off to boarding school (her parents obviously have to sign off on it, but it's her idea and she's the one who puts in the work to make it happen) to get away from the extreme bullying she's been dealing with at the local school. In the one book it's featured in, the school seems to be pretty nice and Mallory is happy there.

** Mallory effectively sends ''herself'' to boarding school (her parents obviously have to sign off on it, but it's her idea and she's the one who puts in the work) to get away from the extreme bullying she's been dealing with at the local school. In the one book it's featured in, the school seems to be pretty nice and Mallory is happy there.

** ''Film/AntMan'': Part of the estrangement between Hank and Hope comes from the fact he sent her to a boarding school after her mother died.

* In ''Film/TheParentTrap1961'' and ''Film/TheParentTrap1998'', the father's new fiancée plots to have his daughter sent away to boarding school after they're married.

* In TheMovie of ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'', Alec Baldwin wants to marry Kelly Preston and send her son off to military school (same dif). Unfortunately, his evil scheme is foiled by Mike Myers, making Baldwin go to military school alone while getting Kelly Preston to place a military school flyer on his sticky, purple goo filled body, thus ending the film with Fanning, Preston, and Breslin (all 3) jumping on a couch as Myers sets off on his own (with Thing 1 and Thing 2).

** Mallory effectively sends ''herself'' to boarding school (her parents obviously have to sign off on it, but it's her idea and she's the one who puts in the work) to get away from the extreme bullying she's been dealing with at the local school.

** Mallory ''chooses'' of her own volition to go to boarding school (and puts in the work to make it happen) after she becomes a bullying target at her local school.

** Mallory ''decides'' of her own volition to go to boarding school (and puts in the work to make it happen) after she becomes a bullying target at her local school.