Onsite (in the student's assigned public school) and offsite programs are compared, and the major advantage of offsite programs is emphasized: they remove the disorderly child from negative interactions with other students. The prevalence of offsite programs is noted, and the fact that many 'in-school' suspension programs are located outside the main school building is highlighted. The return rate from offsite settings to the regular school setting is shown to be quite low. Costs of onsite and offsite settings are compared, and the major disadvantages of offsite schools are shown to be the costs of separate maintenance and of busing. Advantages and disadvantages faced by directors of nonpublic programs for disruptive youth are identified; for example, they do not have to deal with the restrictions imposed by teachers' unions, but they do encounter substantial resistance when they attempt to return their wards to regular education in onsite classes. Enrollment biases in the alternative educational placement of deviant students are identified, and the effectiveness of both onsite and offsite programs for disruptive students is analyzed. Both are determined to be relatively effective during structured intervention, but long-term effects are marginal. Evidence that the benefits of both behavioral and nonbehavioral programs fade after termination of all program interventions is reported, and the negative outcome of vocational intervention for seriously disruptive and disaffected adolescents is noted. Included are 91 references.