Gateway Academy for Boys

Message: You get what you put into it teen challenge for me was a godsend I went in February 11th 2001 I was 17 at the time but I know be on a shot of a doubt that if I hadn't gone to teen challenge I'd be in prison for life I was on a very very dangerous path in my life and teen challenge although it's tough love showed me that there was a better way to life and because of the tough love that I received in teen challenge I'm a better man teen challenge will always have my gratitude for helping me get back on the right path again you only get what you put into it if you go there buck the system and not actually trying to see what they have for you then you'll never get the big picture and you probably will end up in prison even after I graduated I went back to volunteer back when Steve Rutledge was there and pastor Cliff was the youth pastor I know the hardships that it takes to be a volunteer to trouble teens not just because I went to the program but the fact that I went and volunteered I know pastor Cliff firsthand the man is a good man so for anyone to talk the trash that they do on this website it's because you booked the system and you didn't want to be the man you could have become I know firsthand that I needed the tough love that they were giving out in teen challenge and if it wasn't for them again I would be in prison there's a doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be anywhere but either prison or dead if it wasn't for teen challenge now gateway academy.

Message: 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.

Message: 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.

Message: 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.

Message: 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.

Message: 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.