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Heartland Boys Academy  ·  Boys ages 12–17

Florida

A structured campus in Bonifay, in the Florida Panhandle.

Boys grow in leadership and accountability through competitive athletics and a rank-and-responsibility system, with the full Heartland program behind every day.

Free Consultation
Call (816) 837-5189

Where

Bonifay, FL, in the Florida Panhandle

Setting

Structured campus with a gym, fields, and dorms.

Academics

Accredited, on campus, with athletics

Advancement

Rank earned through weekly evaluations

  • 60+ Years of Experience
  • Fully Accredited
  • 1,000+ Lives Changed
  • Campus Tours Welcome

Campus overview

Earn it, and it means something.

Rank here is not given. It is earned week by week, in the classroom and on the field, and in the dorm.

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

The Florida campus in Bonifay runs on structure and decorum: clear expectations, a strict daily regimen, and a level system that boys move up through weekly evaluations and academic hours completed. There are no drill sergeants and no forced drills, but much of what makes structured environments work is here, keeping boys focused on personal goals and their future.

Boys live on campus with round-the-clock staff, attend our accredited academy, and follow the same structured daily schedule found at every Heartland location. Household and ranch chores are part of every day, and mastery of the basics is the first step up the ladder.

Family involvement is expected, not optional. Parent visit weekends bring families onto campus, and the program is built to partner with parents on healing the whole family, not just the boy. Every Friday morning, the whole campus applauds each student’s advancements in academics and rank.

Unique to Florida

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

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

01

Campus and athletics

136 acres to run

The campus spans 136 acres with three fishing ponds, a basketball gym, a new weight room, and fields for baseball, soccer, and flag football. Boys compete in house athletics year-round and have room to be outside every day.

136 acresNew weight roomThree fishing pondsIn-house athletics

02

Rank and responsibility

Rank earns freedom

Boys start on the junior-varsity side, where they learn to keep a space squared away and fold military style. At rank four they move to the varsity side and earn the freedom to personalize their own area. Every level after that brings more responsibility and more privileges. Most boys arrive having spent years losing things they cared about; here, everything moves in the other direction.

JV and varsity sidesLevel systemEarned privilegesWeekly evaluations

03

What comes next

A next step, not a discharge date

Boys sit for the ASVAB on campus. Recruiters from the various branches of the military come out to meet them in person and talk through what enlistment actually looks like. We also help families arrange SAT and ACT testing for college placement. By the time a boy finishes, the question is not whether he has a plan;  it is which one will he choose.

Callouts: ASVAB TestingMilitary branch visitsSAT and ACT testingCollege placement

Activities

A full week, on campus and off.

Athletics, chores, rank, and travel are built into the schedule so that structure never feels like standing still.

Every Friday

Advancement day

The whole campus gathers every Friday morning to applaud each student’s progress in academics and rank. Boys see their work recognized, and they see what the next level asks of them.

On campus

  • Varsity & JV sports
  • Maple-floor gym
  • Daily dorm chores
  • Weekly evaluations
  • Vocational training

Off campus & faith

  • Overseas mission trips
  • Incentive reward trips
  • State parks
  • Beach trips
  • Youth group services

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.

Explore the Program
Austin and Cassidy McElroy

Program Directors, Florida campus

Meet the directors

Program Directors & Ordained Pastors

We’re not making robots out of these kids. We’re building up young men with confidence, who thoughtfully consider their options.

Austin and Cassidy McElroy serve together as Program Directors with a shared passion for seeing lives and families transformed through Jesus Christ. Both are adult graduates of the Teen Challenge program, giving them a personal connection to the ministry and its mission.

They met through Teen Challenge and have since built a life, family, and ministry together. They have two children and more than 25 years of combined experience serving in Teen Challenge, working in various roles throughout the ministry. Both Austin and Cassidy are ordained pastors.

After spending many years serving on the adult side of Teen Challenge, God developed in them a special heart for adolescents and their families. Today, they are passionate about helping young people grow in their faith, develop character and responsibility, rebuild family relationships, and discover the purpose God has for their lives.

For Austin and Cassidy, Teen Challenge is more than a ministry they serve, it is part of their own story and a testimony to the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

Callouts: Ordained Minister, Certified CPI Trainer, TBRI Care Giver.

Ordained ministerCertified CPI TrainerTBRI Care Giver