Gateway Academy for Boys

Our 13 YO son is attending this school, and it is one of the best things that we could’ve done for him. The staff is very loving, very engaged, and very much in God’s word. There is a regimen that is very fair, and very appropriately enforced. There is physical training, there is growth, there is discipline. All the things that are needed to help misguided boys like ours and the situation that we found ourselves in. It is not an easy process but it is a process that we knew was right. God definitely led us to Gateway Academy and we cannot say enough about how appreciative we are. Pastor Clay, all the counselors and the direct care staff as well as all the administrators that work in the front office, care for the boys, love the boys and are all crucial in their growth. I personally have witnessed the change in my son and have spoken to many other parents that also have seen positive change. It is not an overnight change and you would not want it to be that way. You have to stick it out for the long haul. For the change that will last and not allow them to fallback on to habits that likely are the reason your reading my review. It’s different for all the boys and they all absorb the transformation at different times. My only regret was not having my son attend sooner.

My husband and I just attended our first parent visit weekend at the Gateway Military Academy, and I could not be more impressed. I loved the grounds, the staff, the other parents, and most of the activities. It was extremely well organized. Our son has only been there 3 months, so, as expected, had not made much progress, but that is certainly through no fault of the school.
If you are reading this, you, like me, might have spent months looking for a place to send your troubled teen boy to. Some of what I read online about places for troubled teens, even about Gateway, was very scary. But Gateway's problems were in the past. Under its most recent director, it is about as warm and fuzzy as a military style school can get. If you are looking for a faith-based (Christian) school to send your son to, you really cannot do better than Gateway. The one thing that I would recommend though is that, for your sake, your son's, and the school's, you only proceed with contacting them if you can commit to enrolling your son for the full 15 months of the program. Also know that they are all about healing the entire family, and expect a lot of family involvement, so, if you are looking for a place to dump your son off at and forget about him, this is not the place. If you are looking for a school that will partner with you to help heal your son and your family, look no further; Gateway is it.

I am a single mom. I have stretched and sacrificed and given all I could to raise my son well. When I saw the crowd he was hanging around with and the choices he was making, I realized there was something missing. Gateway Military Academy stepped in to give him what I was not able to do myself: godly male role models, structure and consistency, and the best in educational opportunities. I count it a blessing that they helped me with the huge responsibility of parenting, and I know my son is the better for it

We brought our son here three years ago, and our son is still clean and sober and serving the Lord with his whole heart and soul! My son would not be alive today if we had not brought him here. This was the hardest thing I ever had to do but only good has come from it. Everything about West Florida Teen Challenge is top notch, excellent! I will personally talk to anyone who has questions or concerns and share our testimony. I am forever grateful for the staff, and volunteers that give to the boys.

What dedicated amazing people who transformed the life of our son. What a blessing the staff is not only to the boys but to the families. Before sending our son to Gateway, we had looked at other places... I am so grateful that we picked Gateway!

Gateway Military Academy gave me a brand new start. I didn’t realize it at first, but getting away from everything going on at home really freed me up to think about things. The problems that were weighing me down looked so much different when I was there. I could think clearly for the first time in a long time. I’m thankful for the mentoring I received at Gateway Military Academy. I was glad to have someone alongside me to help me work through my struggles and show me healthy ways of dealing with them.

Shared the love of God with my son. Loved him with firm boundaries, which is exactly what these boys need. The staff pored their heart and soul into my son! I thank God for them every day!

LOVE being here! Thank the Lord I found this place!

A 2007 graduate who is very grateful he went through this program.

I was a student there and I would,not be here if God would not have sent me there

Been there it saved my brothers life

Looks very nice I'm from out of State I have a young boy and looking now for military schools for the future. Love the concept of the school only 3 stars because from Google pictures and the website no diversity =( it would be nice to see all ethnicities displaying God's love for all.

I have a troubled teen we’re I’m looking to enroll my son in a military style boys academy. However, viewing the pictures I do not see a diversity of our young boys. When promoting Gods Will I will think that a diversity of them should be shown. Has I’m looking I will think that you guys only accept one race and that doesn’t make me comfortable to send my son there. And this is the reason I rated it a 2.

This place is a money trap. If you read the earlier reviews everything stated is true. I will admit there are some very good people there, but the program itself is very corrupt. I was a student there and I remember feeling forced to do very cruel and disturbing things to myself and others just to escape from there. There is no help there. I felt very trapped as i was forced into a fifteen month minimum program because someone else decided i needed it. I actually acquired my first and only felony while at this program because i felt that i needed to get out as i was only getting worse and i knew i couldn't fake it through the program (as most kids do). After acquiring this felony i was sent to a state run program for 6 months and for free and actually made more progress there in the first couple weeks than i had in my entire stay at gateway. Please, for your kids sake, don't believe a word that they say. If you do or have ended up sending your kid there, the realest person you will talk to there is Mr. Henderson. Don't waste 15 months and thousands of dollars on this scam. There are much better programs out there for much much cheaper. Once you're in there the only way to get out is to run out of money, catch a charge, or find a way to fake it through the program. That's a very dark reality to accept, especially for those of us who didn't know we were going until we were there.

terrible. badservice waited an hour just for the lady to come