About

Gateway Academy is an owner-operated program that has been dedicated to the healthy development, education, and healing of adolescents since 2002. We serve students ages 14–18 who are navigating challenges such as depression, anxiety, executive functioning and attention difficulties, impulsivity, social and nonverbal learning differences, low self-esteem, relationship struggles, trauma, adoption-related concerns, and identity and developmental issues.

At Gateway, students are supported through five fully integrated program elements: individualized therapy, personalized education, an empowering community, therapeutic experiential engagement, and fitness programming that primes the brain for learning. Highly credentialed clinicians and educators work collaboratively to ensure that academics, therapy, and experiential learning are seamlessly woven together.

Grounded in a relationship-based and brain-based approach, each student receives individualized therapy, family therapy, and specialized group therapy, along with on-site psychiatric services. Parents are an essential part of the therapeutic process and receive weekly parent support, as well as opportunities to participate in quarterly parent workshops.

Gateway offers rigorous and dynamic academic instruction delivered by experienced educators in small classroom settings. In addition to special education services and executive functioning support, Gateway provides honors-level coursework and maintains an active chapter of the National Honor Society. Each student is paired with an academic advisor who supports them in setting and achieving their individualized academic goals.

Purposefully located in an urban community, Gateway ensures students have access to rich community-based activities and resources. Through community-based learning and social engagement, students are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, build confidence, and develop meaningful connections within their community.

Experiential Engagement activities—such as skiing and mountain biking—are intentionally designed to reinforce therapeutic growth and support students’ emotional and social development. These experiences challenge students to build resilience, teamwork, and self-awareness in real-world settings.

In addition to comprehensive fitness programming, students are taught mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), along with learning strategies that strengthen executive functioning and social-emotional competencies.

The final phase of a student’s journey, known as the Gateway Phase, is designed to support a gradual transition to greater independence. During this phase, students experience a less structured environment while continuing to receive therapeutic support and mentorship. Independent living skills are refined as students begin managing their own schedules, increasing personal responsibility and autonomy, and preparing for a successful transition to the next stage of life.

Through staff mentoring, peer relationships, group activities, and direct academic instruction, Gateway students build self-confidence, develop self-advocacy skills, and cultivate empathy—skills that support lasting success well beyond their time at Gateway.