Heartland Boys Academy · Boys ages 12–17

Georgia

A rural campus in Meansville, 50 miles south of Atlanta.

Boys learn responsibility by caring for animals, tending gardens, and living an active outdoor life, with the full Heartland program woven through every day.

Where

Meansville, GA, about 50 miles south of Atlanta

Setting

Rural working campus with animals and gardens

Academics

Accredited, on campus, with PE credit

Family

On-campus Family Days every other month

Campus overview

Responsible for something that depends on you.

The animals are cared for by the boys. The gardens are tended by the boys. The week is built around being outside.

Families are welcome to visit.
Ask about a campus tour during your consultation.

The Georgia campus sits on rural acreage in Meansville, about an hour south of Atlanta. It is a working campus, and the rhythm of the week is built around student participation in activities that build responsibility.

Boys live on campus with round-the-clock staff and attend our accredited academy. Students at every Heartland location follow a structured daily schedule. A close partnership with a local church gives students a church home, with weekly services including a youth group.

Family involvement takes the form of Family Days on campus every other month — dedicated time for parents and sons to rebuild their relationship in a supportive setting, and for parents to connect with staff and other families walking the same road.

Unique to Georgia

Every campus shares the program. This is what Georgia adds.

Academics, mentoring, counseling, team challenges, community meals — the core is the same at every location. These are the experiences that give Georgia its own character.

Physical education, five days a week

Students participate in 2-4 hours of exercise and organized recreation daily. Athletic activities provide our students with the opportunity to build confidence, teamwork, discipline, and a healthy sense of accomplishment. Boys leave healthier than when they arrived.

Indoor/outdoor volleyballPickleballBasketballGolf SimulatorWeight Room

Conferences and outreach events

Every fall the whole campus attends TC Camp, national youth conferences, and regular community outreach serving the underprivileged in the area. Annual mission trip to El Salvador creates an unforgettable experience that transforms the perspective that young men have on privilege and gratitude.

TC campCommunity outreachEl Salvador mission trip

Animal care, husbandry, and gardening

The campus is full of animals, and the boys are responsible for them. Feeding, handling, and daily care teach consistency and follow-through in a way a lecture never could. In the gardens, boys plant, tend, and harvest and see steady work pay off over time. Each boy will have the opportunity to take part in raising egg laying hens, birds for meat, and rabbits.

Daily animal careCampus gardensStewardship of grounds

National Fine Arts Festival

Each year, boys join more than 65,000 students nationwide in district and national Fine Arts Festivals, choosing from 66 categories across art, communication, dance, drama, exhibition, instrumental, vocal, and writing. For many, it is the first time anyone has asked what they can make.

ArtCommunicationDanceDramaMusicWriting

Activities

A full week, on campus and off.

Recreation, worship, the arts, and outings are woven into the schedule so that structure never feels like standing still.

Each spring

Fine Arts Festival

Boys can enter a statewide Christian Fine Arts Festival — woodcarving, writing, photography, music, drama, and speaking — with coaching from staff and community volunteers.

On campus

Off campus & faith

Everything above sits on the full Heartland program.

Accredited academics, group mentoring, one-on-one counseling, team challenges, and community meals are the daily foundation at every campus.

Bryan & Amanda Rule

Directors, Georgia campus since 2016

Meet the directors

Twenty years of walking with young people.

Our greatest desire is to see families restored and young lives transformed through mentorship and the practical application of Biblical principles.

Bryan and Amanda met on a mission trip to Russia and married in 2003. They are parents of two teenagers themselves, and have led the Georgia campus since 2016.

Bryan is an ordained minister trained in counseling for addiction and life-controlling issues, and a certified Trust-Based Relational Intervention caregiver. Amanda, a Southeastern University graduate, spent years as a public school teacher and church administrator — and grew up around Heartland, where her father served more than 25 years on the Southeast regional board.

Ordained ministerTBRI caregiverAddiction counselingFormer public school teacher