Following is a list of Christian Boarding Schools in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wyoming for your teen or young adult boy or girl.
What is a Christian Boarding School?
Christian boarding schools offer the opportunity for children, teenagers and young adults to live full-time (typically 5 or 7 days) in a residence while studying at the school.
Please be aware that it is very common for parents to pay for their child’s tuition, plus room and board out of pocket. That is because most Christian boarding schools (CBSs) are private schools and are not state-funded.
However, there are several schools that are non-profit, and fees are greatly reduced because of donations and fundraising dollars they receive. Some schools provide opportunities for grants or scholarships and may offer financial aid, too.
You can also expect that while not all the fees will be covered by your insurance, some CBSs work with you so that your insurance covers some of the cost of medical or mental health care at the school.
Most CBSs are a type of therapeutic boarding school that helps children with mental health or behavioral issues. Check out our guide on therapeutic boarding schools and how to choose the best one for your youth to make sure you know what to look for when examining each of these schools to see if they are the right fit for your family.
The schools in this list are considered Christian because they teach or were founded on Biblical principles. Students do not need to be Christian in order to attend school.
Listings are for information purposes and do not imply a recommendation.
Listing of Christian Boarding Schools of Minnesota
Below you will find information for Christian boarding schools in Minnesota.
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls
Hillcrest offers Preschool through 12th grade schooling, as well as residential housing for 10th-12th grade students. Their mission is to equip students in a Christ-centered, Bible-based environment for a life of eternal significance.
In addition to strong academic, arts, and sports programs, the school provides a small school atmosphere where students can grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Tuition is as follows:
- 9-12th Domestic – Dorm (includes Room & Board) $24,616 plus miscellaneous fees.
- 9-12th International – Dorm (includes Room & Board & International Package $32,716 plus miscellaneous fees.
Financial aid and scholarships are available to all eligible students and Hillcrest offers multi-child discounts.
For more information, please call (218) 739-3371 or check out their website.
Minnesota Teen Challenge Lakeside Academy in Buffalo
Lakeside Academy is a faith-based residential treatment center for boys aged 14-18 years old who are struggling with substance use, anger management, and other behavioral issues. The school is located on 48 acres in the Buffalo, MN area.
Lakeside Academy offers licensed chemical dependency treatment, mental health and other counseling services, as well as onsite education including conventional, online, and project based learning – all in a camp environment.
Their program offers:
- Licensed residential chemical dependency treatment
- A 4-level program that is typically completed in approximately 12 months, depending on the individual. Typically, the longer students stay, the better the outcome.
- Mental health services, based on medical need, including co-occurring disorders
- Parent involvement – weekends, special events, student passes
- Students at Lakeside Academy are enrolled in the local Southwest Metro school district (Intermediate School District 288)
- Accepts public placements through host county contract, i.e. correctional, needing chemical dependence treatment, etc.
- Most insurance accepted for chemical dependence and mental health services
For more information, please call (844) 768-8336 or check out their website.
Listing of Christian Boarding Schools of North Dakota
There are currently no Christian boarding schools in North Dakota.
Listing of Christian Boarding Schools in South Dakota
Find information about the Christian boarding schools in South Dakota here.
Sunshine Bible Academy in Miller
Sunshine Bible Academy (SBA) is an independent, non-denominational, non-profit, educational, state-chartered corporation that provides a Bible-based Christian school offering both day and residential programs for students in grades 7 to 12.
They have a wide array of subjects in core academic and elective areas. High school students interested in pursuing a college education can take dual credit courses during their junior and senior years. Students interested in a vocational school or going directly into the workforce can take hands-on courses.
Tuition for 5-day boarding students is $11,568.90 and for 7-day students $12,697.50. There is a multi-child discount available.
Ten-month and twelve-month payment plans are available for U.S. students. There is additional financial assistance available for families who qualify (needs-based).
For more information, please call (605) 853-3071 or check out their website.
Teen Challenge of the Dakotas in Brookings
Teen Challenge of the Dakotas offers a residential program for adult males, 18 years and older struggling with substance abuse problems.
The 16-month program consists of five phases: 10 months of induction and training (the first four phases) and 6 months of re-entry (the fifth and final phase), which is focused on discipleship and assistance in transitioning back into the “real world.”
Teen Challenge focuses on each man as a whole, rather than looking at the dysfunction, whether it’s addiction, depression, criminal activity, or something else.
For more information, please call (605) 693-9753 or check out their website.
Listing of Christian Boarding Schools of Iowa
Check below to find a description and contact information for Christian boarding schools in Iowa.
Cono Christian School in Walker (Day School)
This program was a boarding school in the past, but is now a day school only. July, 2023.
Quakerdale of Manning in Manning (Closed)
Quakerdale closed their residential program in January, 2015.
Promise Academy at Quakerdale
Promise Academy is a faith-based, year-round private residential school for students ages 9-18. They primarily serve children adopted from foster care or from at-risk situations. The school helps provide skills, structure, and guidance to help students be successful, productive citizens.
Students participate in an online curriculum and work at their own pace and level, with nontraditional education opportunities designed to offer a strong foundation for character, leadership, and spiritual growth.
Promise Academy partners with Quakerdale Family Services for equine therapy, therapy, and Behavior Health Intervention Services (BHIS), if needed.
The admissions process begins with an online application followed by a phone call, tour, and interview. Costs will be discussed with each family personally.
The Academy is located in the heart of Iowa’s rich farmland, providing a serene, comfortable environment for students to learn life skills through their farm program, 4-H, gardening, job shadowing, culinary arts, and their unique student-run restaurant, Promise Cafe.
For more information, please call (515) 216-4387 or check out their website.
Quakerdale of Waterloo in Waterloo (Closed)
This program closed in 202o.
Sheepgate (Teen Challenge Of The Midlands)
Adult & Teen Challenge of the Midlands recently rebranded as Sheepgate and is a 12-month program for men 18 years and older and women 19 years and older.
The program works with people struggling with addiction, anger, depression, or other painful issues.
Sheepgate provides a successful, faith-based recovery program. Their highly structured 12-month residential mentoring and Biblically-based teaching program is designed to give students the framework to rebuild their self-worth and overcome serious issues.
The men’s program has a capacity of about 50 students, while the women’s program can house up to 12 women.
During the men’s program, the first seven months are spent in the Training Center in Colfax, Iowa, followed by the five-month re-entry phase in Omaha, Nebraska.
Women aged 19 and older may apply. They spend the entire twelve months in the Beatrice, Nebraska facility.
There is a one-time, non-refundable application fee of $20.00 that must be paid in full before your application will be processed. There is also a one-time non-refundable entry fee of $750.00, which must be paid on the day of entry into the program.
For more information, please call (515) 674-3713 or check out their website.
Listing of Christian Boarding Schools of Wyoming
Check here to find a short description and contact information for Christian boarding schools in Wyoming.
Sonlight Shelter Youth Home in Cody
Sonlight Shelter Youth Home provides two non-profit, residential group homes that give a child between the ages of 10 and 18 the opportunity to live with adults and peers in a Christian family environment with caring and consistent discipline. Both their Boy’s Home and their Girl’s Home are state certified and provide a family atmosphere that is clean, wholesome, and safe.
Sonlight accepts children with problems ranging from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to emotional disturbances, the absence of parent(s), dysfunctional family interaction, difficulties in school, and delinquency.
At the shelter, the child experiences an individualized program, which fosters self-respect, personal responsibility, and self-discipline. Sonlight is dedicated to the preservation of the family and seeks to help and reunite families, while helping the children grow morally and emotionally, helping them to develop educational and social skills.
In addition to the two shelters, Sonlight, in conjunction with the Foster Family Agency, offers the Sonlight Wilderness Experience Program (SWEP), for youth 12 to 17 years old who are in a downward spiral. SWEP offers trips both for girls and for boys that are an appropriate “intervention when the regular process of accountability has not generated a significant change in the student’s attitude.
For more information, please call (307) 587-3167.
R.A.M. Center (formally Teen Challenge) in Sundance
The R.A.M. (Restoration And Mentoring) Center is located in the Black Hills of Northeast Wyoming, approximately 7 miles from Devil’s Tower National Monument. Their mission is to facilitate the transformation of men, ages 18 and up, who suffer from serious addiction problems affecting their daily lives and impacting their family’s lives, by building a personal relationship with Christ through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
R.A.M. provides a faith-based environment to encourage healing and a new life in Christ. Biblical teachings are incorporated into daily routines. They also get the opportunity to practice life skills and work in the vocational shop and want to build them up, so that when they go back into their day to day lives they are quality employees at work.
They have a unique program called “Prepared for Living” which is training in basic construction skills to help support men financially so they can serve their calling wherever God calls them.
R.A.M. Center’s average monthly cost per student is a suggested $600.00 per month room fee with the first payment due at the time of admission. There is an opportunity for every student to receive financial assistance if needed.
For more information, please call (307) 257-3193 or check out their website.
Click here for a free PDF printable checklist of the 7 steps to take when your child needs residential treatment.
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