My dad went to one of these schools and later worked for the same school. When they work well they really work well. The problem with his school was that they couldn't afford to pay anything like a living wage so the only adults who ended up working there were deeply religious and saw it as their mission from god to go help the kids.

For my dad as a child it was a lifesaver. He was in juvie and the school was an alternative. An adult recognized his intelligence and connected him to an outside mentor (a local author) who paid for my dad's college and provided him guidance he was not getting at home.