Do you know anybody that went to boarding school for elementary or high school, and if so, how did they like it?

I live near Connecticut and there are a lot of boarding schools around. Yesterday i was in a restaurant and overheard two girls talking about how one almost went to boarding school. I googled the school and i see it costs about $45,000 annually to go there. I am curious if you or anybody you know went to boarding school, and what the experience was like. Do you think the experience was enriching and wonderful, or torture being away from home at a young age?