Because of geographic isolation, many Australian families find it necessary to send their children to boarding schools for an appropriate secondary education. To determine the impact that leaving home has on young adolescents, and how they cope with the change, 38 year-8 boarding-school students from remote areas of Western Australia were surveyed. The director of the hostel where they lived and a school psychologist were interviewed concerning policies that aid student transition. Results indicate that the ease of making the transition from home to the boarding situation was heavily reliant upon expectations, which were derived from family ideology and the child's background. Personal attributes such as self-confidence and self-esteem, the ability to make friends, interest in sports, and previous experience with change contributed to ease of adjustment. How a child coped often had a lot to do with how well their parents were prepared for this eventuality. Factors that facilitated the transition were a high quality of care provided by the hostel, close staff and student relationships, opportunities to meet others and communicate effectively, an environment where facilities and opportunities stimulated and benefited the individual, the presence of siblings at the hostel, and programs and policies that considered each child's unique way of dealing with the move away from home and offered support. (TD)