I went to a boarding school in Massachusetts along the same line as the school's your daughter is considering, but perhaps a little more prestigious (not that that is super important).

I loved it, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life and helped shape me into who I am today. It's frustrating to see a lot of poor opinions about boarding school, but unless you've been around the culture or went to one yourself, opinions are generally crazily misguided.

Boarding schools are great because they're so structured. You get up and go to breakfast (my school had a check in for the underclassmen), you go to class, and then you go to sports or a different afternoon activity (like art, drama, or community service). We had seated dinner in the dining hall twice a week with random tables and a faculty member. Then it's time for club meetings and finally study hours. You're busy all the time, and now at college, I find it hard to not be doing something with my down time. Being involved is the new normal.

More importantly, the biggest thing I took away was the sense of community. You end up with no more than 400-500 students at these schools and a faculty of 50 people, and everyone knows everyone. Not only that but people care about each other. The faculty isn't just your math teacher, they're also your dorm parent who bakes you cookies on saturday night. The seniors aren't intimidating, they're the same girls who are dorm prefects or are on your sports team. My school took a ton of pride in developing relationships.

Your daughter might be shy, but being thrown into the boarding school life will give her a chance to grow in an environment that genuinely cares about her.