Yes, it is. John Green incorporated elements from his time in boarding school into the story. It has that sense of authenticity as it reflects on real - life situations like friendship, love, and the search for meaning that he might have witnessed or experienced himself during those years.
Definitely not. Daily Alaska is a work of imagination. It doesn't have any roots in reality. The story was crafted to engage and captivate the readers' minds, not to represent actual happenings.