Is going to le cordon bleu worth the money?

In a Word, no.

In more than a Word:

It isn't worth the money because culinary school is like any other school you go to: You get out of it what you put in. I have worked with people who went to Le Cordon Bleu who couldn't cook their way out of a paper bag. Truly, I wondered how they graduated. I have also worked with people who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu who really knew what they were doing, and I was very impressed with their talent. They both received the same schooling, but one of them cared enough to learn while the other didn't.

That means that you will learn as much as you want to no matter where you go to school. Or if you go to school at all. I have worked with many people who didn't attend culinary school and they know as much about cooking as most of my culinary school friends.

My best advice is for you to go to a school that is nearby which won't charge you an arm and a leg. This probably means a community college. Also, get a job in a kitchen as soon as you can, even if it's just chopping parsley. Any job is better than no job. As long as you start to understand the pressure that you will be under as a cook, then you can decide if you want to spend a small fortune on culinary school, or if you want to go the route I went and go to a community college.

In another Word then; Yes

As stated above, what you put into it is what you get out. This is true in all things in life. So, a once highly revered culinary school like Le Cordon Bleu, could help you get a fast start to some great techniques, understanding and experience that could take years and years of hands-on experience at a full scale restaurant. The rigorous courses at LCB will entrench you with experiences that you may never see or be exposed to while on-the-job training.

There are always exceptions, and perhaps you could get what you need to be a chef without attending LCB, but then that is not the question - now is it?

So worth it? Yeah, if handled well, yes. If treated with a just-get-by attitude, then save your money.