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(NBC News) -- Adolescent obesity rates are rising, with an estimated 15-percent of teens overweight.
One Boston teenager has tried all kinds of diets without success. Now he's traveling across the country to get an education that could save his life.
"It holds me back in school and everything..."
Jahcobie Cosom is talking about his weight. He 15 years old and weighs more than 480-pounds.
Jahcobie Cosom - Boston, MA: "Be on the bus and get teased. To have grown up people laugh at you... to have little kids laugh at you."
He's tried to lose weight....
Jahcobie Cosom - Boston, MA: "I've tried Weight Watchers, I've tried a medical diet. I've tried fat camps."
Now Jahcobie is trying something new, The Academy of the Sierras in California, the first ever boarding school for obese teens.
Ryan Craig, Director, Academy of the Sierras: "Our goal here is to get students down to a goal weight because when they're within a normal weight range, they're much less likely to return to being overweight or obese again."
Students work on changing behaviors when it comes to food. They keep a daily written record of what they eat. They eat very low fat meals. And all walk up to 5 miles a day. And after being there for two months...Jahcobie is happy with the decisions he's learning to make.
Jahcobie Cosom, Boston, MA: "I set goals for myself everyday."
He still takes all his normal high school classes, but now exercises daily.
"Why do we keep milk over medium heat?"
He also takes cooking and nutrition classes. For many, attending this unique school has been a life changing experience, including Jahcobie.
Jahcobie Cosom - Boston, MA: "I'm really ready and I'm determined to make this life change. "
So far Jahcobie has lost 85-pounds.
But it's not cheap to attend the school. It costs more than five thousand dollars a month.
