Well my name is David G. I graduated agape on January 21st 2014. I believe this facility is made to temporarily fix your teenage problems by removing you from society. How does this happen by breaking your will to resist. Knowing that if you didn't do those push ups you were eating like shit and rollin around til you threw up in brown town. Although I was never restrained, the restraints are inhumane. Yes the student may be out of control and dead wrong but 5 big grown men pinning a teenager to the ground, funny part is some staff not ALL but some walked with there heads a little higher after a restraint like they were proud of themselves. The screening on the letter is extra however necessary because if it wasn't there we'd tell our parents anything to come home. I was given the option of stayin til I was 18 which would've been 14 months for my arrival or graduate with 2 years of schoolwork ahead of me before then. Started out rebellious and was not allowed in school for it, isn't that dumb. Kids would rebel to get out of school. Not me I was determined to leave and finished 2 years of school in a 10 months stay with at least a 2 month stay in brown (suspension in the sense you can't go to school) and my reward for getting this school work done was being able to not go to school more often. I'd love to say this school is filled with genuine staff that want to help your children progress but I'd be lying it's all to get your money in the end and that's the sad truth. There are some genuine staff members and I won't lie if they see you struggling they try to help and some can help better then others in certain aspects of life. I listened I took it in I partook in everything and when I reflect although some of the moments were bright the whole school just seemed to be in vain to me. That temporary mold is quickly broken. I'd never let another man belittle, downgrade, or speak to me in the manner these men did. You get out and have so much built up anger when it comes to being told what to do. Not even out of rebellion but something snaps when your asked for more then what's requires. That was built at agape for me where being told what to do when your wrong and being told what to do when there wrong but still being forced to do it because your guardians gave them a right. Why would you sign your son over to someone else. Be a parent, stop trying to make your child into the perfect child. You were blessed with that child so make an effort to support them and get on a friend level. Want to hear where I stand with my parents just 2 short years later. After agape my parents tried to give me a curfew I responded "I haven't been home in 10months now you want me to be home" and slammed the door from then on my parents spoke to me about as much as they did when I was at agape and I NEVER let them live it down. They now live in Texas and I live in New York still on my own and have been for about 9 months now. As a parent when you send your child away and he gets back a year later able to live without you and with a heart full of anger for all the time they missed because of you. They always said they did it so I wouldn't end up in jail. I had a clean record when I went to agape. Ive now been arrested 4 times and have an open case with 8 felonies and 2 misdemeanors. I'm out on 5,000 bail and have been rear rested since then. Also your child's drug use won't stop unless it's something serious aka "heroine, meth or crack addiction" which it wasn't for me. It's a temporary stop where you come out and do the drug you've been waiting however long for. I learned more about hard drugs there then I did on the street due to the large variety of people from various different places where certain drugs are more plentiful. The thing about a drug addiction at a young age is the fact that you don't yet have the wisdom to appreciate being clean. You get out and now everything you were shunned from is right there & all it takes is one bad decision to return to an addiction and when your so young that bad decision doesn't seem as bad. The bible is there and we read it everyday but after watching so many hypocritical men hold that book and tell us how wrong we are for being slightly out of our parents mold for how we should be. A male isn't suppose to be confined to an all male facility that literally what prison is. Don't get me wrong I've done a little time it's heaven compared to prison but it preps you. I cried my first week at agape. I didn't cry my first night in jail. I was so young and couldn't comprehend why my parents would do that to I've long forgiven them but when they make a decision like moving out of state I had to stay and knew I could because of agape, my financial situation was also fitting, thank god. The temporary mold won't last your kids will learn to manipulate and lie to you better then ever. And the chatter amongst the student only educates your child in what you didn't want. It's hell disguised as heaven. read more

First of all, please allow me to apologize on the behalf of several students out there who have bad-mouthed this place; they obviously didn't catch what I so valuably learned there. Agape' is what you make it. Agape' can be good or bad, sweet or sour, lovely or long, it is up to the student that determines his life there. Agape' is not an evil place by an means, if it were, I wouldn't take time out of my night to write this. I am currently in the middle of Afghanistan, I just got off guard duty for 8 hours, it's 1:08 in the morning and I am more than happy to be here instead of sleeping because I know what happened in me there at Agape'. I wasn't a huge trouble maker, but I was an Agape' student at that. Don't let my professional impression give you the wrong idea, may I tell you, I have come a long way. I was in and out of trouble like a sick kid in and out of the bathroom. So, I definitely got to experience what it's like to be in trouble a lot. The difference between me and a lot of other students, is that I took the program to heart and it was a part of me even behind closed doors after I graduated and went home. These kids who wrote their experiences amuse me. They sound like they just got to Agape'. They sound like little kids, who STILL haven't learned, or changed from the person they were when they got sent to Agape'. There is Bible there, a lot of it and quite frankly, if he can't handle it, then he has much bigger problems to worry about. If he can't humble himself to the God of this universe, then God will take care of him real good. Psalms 119:9 says "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." So there you have it, the Bible clearly says that if a young man needs to cleanse his way, he out to go to the Holy Bible. Last I checked, Agape' was upholding this standard. So, you tell me, who's in the wrong, that rebellious kid who disrespected the Word of God who God holds above His own name, or the school. I'll accept that rain check from you at this time. It sickens me, sickens me to the core to see young, immature, spoiled, ignorant little bratts destroy something that changed me, saved me, turned me into a man, helped me grow and correct my negative behavoirs. These students who have trashed Agape', clearly can't see past themselves, I wouldn't listen to them if I were you. Truth is they deserved to go there, in fact, they should have been there longer. They obviously didn't pick up anything while they were there, or they would have written something different, don't you agree? I wish I knew exactly what to say to tell you that Agape' is not bad at all, evil, they do not shove the Bible down your throat, they do not brainwash you or anything like that. It changed me because I allowed it and a couple years later, look at me, I'm defending this place. I just recently created a Facebook page for people who appreciate Agape' and what the staff did for the students there. For the past year or so, I've several long essays about my experience there at Agape'. I've had Agape' bounce around my head for months and I can't stop thinking about what happened in my life there. I think these disgruntled students failed to see anything great because they couldn't see pass themselves. They will never get to experience the freedom of having no bondage to porn, wicked music, wrong friends, cussing, etc. because they held onto it for so long. I gave up on it and I thank the Lord for having gone through Agape' and getting close to God there. I find it so hard to get close to God out in the real world where there are constant distractions, and worldly things everywhere, Agape' was the closest I had ever been to God, this side of Heaven. You were away from your family, tv, refrigerator, room, and all that stuff at Agape' and that was a big one. But what I think these students failed to accept is someone telling them what to do all the time. Granted, the program is not for everyone, and there are going to be incompetent students like these from time to time, but it is easy to succeed there. If you do what you're suppose to when you're suppose to then you'll never go wrong. But these guys just couldn't hack it, not even that small little bit. I have news for you my friend, if you can't hack it at Agape', you won't make it at Mcdonald's. I was in the program for almost 4 years and I definitely made changes in my life. If I could go back, I would have told my mom to keep me there longer or send me earlier, because I would have came out a better person. Agape' in a nutshell, is, trial and error, over and over and over. You will fail, you will get into trouble, you will mess up, but the key is, gettin back up and changing your path, so that you don't do it again.You got these students who harbored their will inside them and grew bitter against the staff and program on a daily basis.They seriously robbed themself of all of the progress they could have made read more

I truly wish I can give this place 0 star. I see they changed their name again probably due to some child maltreatment and abuse discrepancy they might have run into again. This school was once in Washington somewhere, and I heard they were kicked out of the state due to their abuse and exploitation of children. Human rights abuses aside, I am coming to Yelp to write this review mostly because of an annoyance I now have to deal with concerning my academics (all due to Agape). I left Agape sometime in '03 or '04 at the end of my junior year of high school, basically. During the middle of my senior year of high school, my academic counselor called me into her office. She basically told me that the hard work I put in at Agape (finished 3 years worth of "PACES" in one year) was all for nothing. This school is basically unaccredited. They are "accredited" by a Christian "distance-education" academy (whatever the hell that means), but in no way is considered accredited or legitimate in normal academia. I had to bust my butt once again my senior year by inundating myself with online courses on top of a full school load. If you don't take my word for it, just check out their website and under "Academics" click on "Accreditation". Ask any high school or college counselor to look into it for you and they will come to the conclusion that their "accreditation" is not worth the paper it's printed on. Anyway, another point of interest are these stellar Yelp reviews. I would bet my house that many of them are written by one of the hill-billy, right-wing, assbackward staff members (not totally fair, a couple of staff members were cool). This place will do some psychological damage to your child. Your child will not be allowed to speak to other students without a staff member monitoring the conversation. If your child is even suspected of nonverbally communicating with another student unsupervised, it as sometimes even as bad as being put on "the wall". This means you stand facing the wall and stick your nose to it. You sit down for meals and "recreational" time (which is basically playing silent board games or writing letters that will be scoured by staff before being sent). I was never put on the wall. I pretty much kept my head down the entire time I was there, but I did see the outrageous injustice of this sort of thing. I am now about to attend UCSD as a transfer student. Everything is in order except on the "MyApplication" site for UCSD, it still won't clear "Agape Boarding School" under the official transcripts page. Ten years removed from this hell-hole and I am still fighting the repercussions of attending this place. If you want to possibly embitter your child, overcomplicate his academic future, or outright hurt him, by all means send him to Stockton Boys' Ranch which used to by Agape Boarding School which used to be two different schools in a row in Washington allegedly. There is an award-winning novel about places like this and it directly mentions this sham of a child-care facility. Google it. Also, these review responses are so hilarious. A student "was let go" because he didn't want to cooperate? Makes me laugh. If your kid tries to escape, the staff will chase you down with ATV's like some brainless cow. I watched it happen with my own eyes. Then they will take your shoelaces out of your shoes for like the next 3 months which makes walking around in gravel (which you are forced to do for work crews aka child labor) a painful nightmare. I always felt bad for the ones who had this happen to them. They have the more unbreakable spirits so it is harder to watch some of them get broken. I hate reconnecting with old covert Agape friends (covert because open friendships are pretty much not allowed, leads to "stay-away" status which is basically a highly-enforced two-sided restraining order for two students) because the more I find these old friends again, the more I find out that many of them are dead or in prison. It would be unfair to say that those students are dead or in prison purely because of Stockton Boys' Ranch, but any half-wit who lived a week of this place can tell you it won't help your chances one bit. Sure, some kids truly get swept up in the religious fanaticism of this place (deeply fundamental Southern Baptists) and go on to become pastors or preachers. Those are the type of kids this place is referring to when they talk about kids going on to successful lives. They are literally talking about the handful who have decided to pursue religious endeavors. They have not once followed up on how I am doing and this was about 10 years ago. They know zero statistics. They know zero about human rights. Zero about child care or psychology. They know zero about adolescent care and psychology. Your child WILL NOT grow as a human being here. Many come out of here with anxiety issues, issues with socializing properly, anger, resentment, etc. Love your child, don't pass the buck. read more

"Attitudes are usually tied in with self-esteem. People with low self-esteem will often show attitudes that are not based on the way things really are, but rather on their own feelings of inadequacy. An individual attitude might seem to have no direct connection to self-esteem, but the relationship will be there nonetheless. As with nearly all self-esteem problems, attitudes based on low self-esteem start in early childhood. If parents have attitudes based on low self-esteem, those attitudes are indirectly transmitted to their children. If parents treat their children with conditional positive regard, or if children feel rejected by their parents, the result is going to be feelings of low self-esteem carried into adulthood - and overall poor attitudes. Teachers, coaches, other family members, and classmates during childhood can cause the same damaging effects to self-esteem even when parents do treat their children with unconditional positive regard." McGraw-Hill "Human Relations strategies for success by Lowell H. Lamberton and Leslie Minor" page 82. I went to Agape many years ago, I am agreeing with Timothy and expounding on the statement, ""We invest the most time into the students who have a desire to change." God clearly states that there a certain elect, and there is nothing we can do to argue this," that is my only complaint of the school."" This belief system gives the school the authority to act with favoritism (conditional positive regard) and establishes their authoritarian structure. Agape means unconditional love (God's Love). In the psychology department it means Unconditional positive regard. Agape boarding school does not practice Agape love. Their name is a lie. They practice the exact opposite. Quoted above in their belief system, the use of authoritarian conditional positive regard is the exact opposite of Agape love. Their name is a direct contradiction. This conditional positive regard for both types of students (those that "desire to change" and those that don't) creates low self-esteem in both types of students. I changed but this favoritism (conditional positive regard) made me into a "people pleaser" with low self-esteem. I came from an authoritarian household with conditional positive regard. When I became a teenager all this conditional positive regard manifested itself with rebellion against my parents narrow point of view. My rebellion caused the Authoritarian's to sent me to an Authoritarian boarding school. If they could not change my belief's they were going to have it crushed out of me, by breaking me. This old school belief from the old generations "conform or be broken" has caused many problems in our society more than I am going to go into in this post. Christianity has been given a bad name by those that use the Bible to rule with an iron fist. They do not practice God's love Agape love. Bible story about the prodigal son contradicts these beliefs in Authoritarianism, conditional positive regard, and "God clearly states that there are certain elect, and there is nothing we can do to argue this". God's love extends to all. God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross for all our sin, not just those "elected". The father in this parable did not send his son to Agape boarding school to crush his rebellion. He did not act with conditional positive regard, reject his prodigal son, and "invest his time" into the older son. Luke 15:11-32 20 ..."But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'31 "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'" read more

As a professional Interventionist specializing in teen transitions with over 15 years experience in this field I receive numerous referrals from teen facilities, education consultations, and mental health professionals throughout the country. A few years back a parent was referred to my company United States Intervention Services. They contacted us in hopes that we would be willing to perform an Intervention with her son and then travel and coach him from their hometown to Agape Boarding School. At the time I was not familiar with Agape Boarding School. Though this not out of the norm for our company, we are frequently introduced to new facilities. I immediately recognized that this parent appeared calm, well prepared, strong in their resolve and clear in their goals. This is my favorite type of family to work with. And in most cases this speaks directly to the admissions department at the given facility, some are better at communicating and working with parents than others. More often than not you can grade much about a youth program based on their admissions team. Some examples would be how well they work with parents, listen, communicate their program and philosophy and align their program with the principle of "under promise, over deliver..." Long story short, we agreed to work with the family and as always safely transported and transitioned their son to Agape Boarding School. Upon arrival I had the chance to meet the admissions Staff. I felt welcome and quickly identified the Staff as compassionate and dedicated. They were eager to share more about their program. One piece of information that they wanted to be very clear about is that Agape was not developed for just any teen that is on a downward spiral. They are very specific and transparent with prospective parents about what issues that they specialize in guiding their young men through and they have no interest in promoting a "one size fits all approach" as it relates to their program. I was offered a tour of their facility, which is always a good sign for us. Of course we agreed to stick around for a tour. I cannot highlight enough that this is by far the most clean and robust campus that I have visited to date. I was greatly impressed at the sheer size of the campus, and the fact that there is no shortage of opportunities for the young men to utilize. Whether it be equine programs, building and construction, grounds maintenance, activities in their amphitheatre, visiting around their ponds, the opportunities are bountiful . The amount of detail and care that the young men have for the facility speaks directly to leadership of Agapes Staff. It is safe to assume that any other guests visiting the facility would also realize that the students embrace the program as their own home. It speaks to the fact that these young men have grown much in their own personal life, they take pride in their work and their campus. The culture at Agape Boarding School shows a desire in which to make their environment all that much better on a day to day basis. In closing, I hope that my personal and independent experience has helped. I would like to also offer up, utilizing a private boarding school can feel like a "last resort" to salvage your son's future...though if done right, it will turn out to be a blessing is disguise for you and your family. Agape is that opportunity in my personal and professional experience. It is evident in the fact that the vast majority of their Staff have committed themselves to Agape for several years on end. They have little to no Staff turn over rate. This is because Agape does an amazing job at turning around young men that have been delivered to them dedicated to anger, resistance, defiance, no interest in School, family or faith and are now young thriving powerful leaders and a force for good. The Staff can get behind their results, whether it be in the admissions department or the wives that volunteer in the kitchen or wherever they may be needed, they all feel a sense of purpose, a sense of accomplishment and a calling. These are good people, and good examples for your son's to be influenced by on a daily basis. United States Intervention Service which has been in service to great families for over 15 years, and have helped guide over 1,000 young men and woman to the path of a whole and healthy life. Throughout the perfect track record of United Stated Intervention, Our Staff have had the opportunity to evaluate numerous types of teen program formats, locations, philosophies, etc. though they have the highest appreciation for a program culture of family, respect, active students, authentic Staff and a program history spanning more than 10 years. 911intervention.com 888-337-8747 read more

Our grandson has been at Agape for the past 8 months. He has done really well here. When he started he was a half year behind his sophomore year and now, just 8months later he has made all that up and is close to completing and graduating high school. This week we have a four day visit with him and look forward to seeing how he will handle some freedom. I have been happy with all the people I have had contact with here at Agape, I have been blessed in getting to know some of the people that have direct contact with our grandson. They have allowed me to call them or e mail them whenever I have questions, which has only been a few times. If you are considering enrolling your child here, understand the rules and the goal to save your child from himself. So far our child is doing well. Does he like it, I would guess he would rather be somewhere else, but he has told us he knows why he is at Agape and that he knows he is better off now than he was 8 months ago. He is excited that he will graduate a year early and can go on to college or join the service. After our visit I will re post. It has been several weeks since our visit. Our first day we traveled to Bass Pro Shop for breakfast, yes breakfast. This was a really exciting morning our first time away from Agape unsupervised with a million thoughts of how the day and time would play out. Sitting down to breakfast quickly seemed natural and comfortable with playful exchanges from Jordan to each of us and us back at him. In my head I could see the guy I know or used to know, I tried to tell myself, stay guarded this is only about two hours into this. Later off to Walleye World and my concerns of being in a big store where one could stray. Needing some personal hygiene items to take back to Agape we roamed the store where I could tell this freedom seemed to be just a little overwhelming. We soon moved on to the Mall where we broke into pairs, J an I went looking for shoes from one store to another and again noticed his jitters in that there was so much to look at he was trying to take it all in and find just the right shoes. I asked him if all this was overwhelming to him, he admitted it was. We did some other running around until it was time for our drive back and end to day one. Day two was much calmer except for the long drive to and from our destinations. It seems we had our Jordan back with still room for more growth. Day three had way too much driving time, but to make it to Silver Dollar City and back in the allotted time we had to make tracks. Lucky for us this was only the second day the park was open and the crowds were not bad at all so we got to ride several rides 2 or three times. We had a great day and an excellent visit. Time to talk and share our concerns and begun to verbalize expectations for his future. J talked about his options and kicked those ideas around knowing no decision had to make that day. Talked about graduation and his goal to complete, he assured us he would be done and ready to move on to the next phase in his life. Another really good day. Day four, J had express an interest in visiting the WW 1 museum in K. C. and the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Off to KC. we went. I began to since the feeling of realizing our visit was to be complete at the end of this day and all of us tried to fill the quiet moments. J also was at this visit as, OK I know I have my paces to complete and no big deal he assured us. I believe he has grown comfortable in his surroundings and sees what he has to do to go forward from hear. J has plenty of growing to do in these next several weeks. I am also sure there will be some adjustment when he comes home and has choices and consequences. Our visit came to an end at 1730 Saturday with assurances from him and us that good things are ahead for all of us and he will be a part of it all. Said out good byes and down the road we went as quiet as a mouse for at least a mile when the question was asked, Well,...... what do you think? For the most part we agreed our J is much much better as a person than he was 8 months ago but could see he has some work to do in a few areas and we voice our concerns of him coming home. For those of you that have chosen to take the time to read this I hope you got something out of it, I pray that you and your son(s) have the best possible relationship and that Agape is a blessing to you as it has come to be for our entire family. Thank you for taking the time to read this note. Grandpa J read more

Do yourself a favor and just send your son to a military school, in fact any other boarding schools fine beside this one and the other ones in Missouri if you really love your son. Why? Because the state does hardly anything to regulate what actually goes on in these boarding schools. As a former student at agape boarding school for a complete year in november 2002-november 2003 I can tell you what really goes on in this fundamental christian school. Plus a school that only allows you to contact your son once or twice a month is fishy and often times they are monitored by the staff sitting right next to him so yes he is not going to give you the truth over the phone not because he doesn't want to it is so he can cover himself and avoid punishment. At least they do provide your son an education, food, shelter, a place to worship, clothes,basic necessities. So does every other school. What is consistent in this school is constant physical and mental abuse. I myself was lucky to have stand "the wall" numerous of times and only one incident to where they restrained me and slammed my head continuously on concrete whereas some of my peers was not so lucky. Just google agape boarding school abuse and you will see accounts of physical abuse. I am sorry to tell you but this school is not your average christian believers. They are fundamentalist which is the christian equal of extremist muslims that have bombed the world trade centers. Sure the fundamentalist has not done terrible acts but they believe that every word of the Bible is 100% accurate and true and holds no contradiction. I am sorry to say they are so terribly wrong here is a link that shows verses in the Bible that clearly contradict one another http://nobeliefs.com/DarkBible/darkbible6.htm these are actual verses. If you a Christian that believes in Jesus's good teachings, the golden rule, loving one another and striving for world peace, this link will open your eyes. This school is filled with backward "Christians" that are stuck in the Dark Ages and are hardly any different than those who slaughter millions in the name of their God or Allah!!! Here is some additional proof in this forum to give you more insight as to what really goes on in boarding schools http://forums.bands.org/vb/showthread.php?17371-Boarding-Schools more proof here http://www.nospank.net/n-l88r.htm yes i know they seemed outdated but imagine the agony mountain park students unfortunately had to endure, even if the schools have "changed" which I highly doubt because the state of Missouri does rarely step in to regulate, would you even support these schools? please do not buy into this, it is simply another industry meant to take every hard earned dollar out of your hands, on top of that it is clearly not an investment, your money falls into the hands of the"experts"of these services,you are not guaranteed anything back so it is a gamble. You are better off just flushing your money down the toilet because that is exactly what it will happen. Last thoughts before I close Have you ever thought that despite of what your son did or may have done or might do without intervention, it all comes back on how you raised your son in the first place? I am clearly not a father but something tells me it had to start from somewhere. You the parent/s are ultimately responsible. You as a human being create your own reality. Everything you do directly or indirectly affects everything. Sure your son was the one doing drugs, gangbanged, etc. without your help, he is also a master of his reality. The real question is why did he decide to go on the wrong path? I can almost guarantee it started from the home. The home is where the heart is at! Thank you for your time, I hope my review is helpful read more

Hilarious that suddenly the most recent viewable review for them on Google is from 3 years ago lmao. Agape knows the truth is getting out about them so they are trying their best to censor. same reason when you google them, you get a bunch of their creepy propaganda advertisements and not the thousands of witness testimonies from kids who have been dehumanized here. this place is an abusive cult of a prison compound for kids, doesn't even deserve to be called a school. they don't teach anything besides cartoon packets breaking down 4th grade math and full of biblical dogma and subtle racism anyways. They charge around $40k a year to treat your son like a POW and force the King James bible down his throat, to the tune of 8-12 church services a week and 3-6 hours of bible reading/reciting a day, more if you're on punishment. I was here as a 17 year old who had been abused by my birth parents and sent away when my mom got remarried. I'm 33 now and have no reason to make up stories. It is far too late for me to get anything out of this, all I want is too see the place closed forever. I die a little bit inside every day knowing some other poor kids are still in the same nightmare I once was. go look up Agape Boarding School/Boys Ranch on Youtube. The Hammer Podcast and a few other channels have interviewed hundreds of us "alumni", who were often illegally transported and held here, to share our testimonies about what really goes on in this gulag. kids are beaten, molested, starved, worked like slaves in the summer heat till they faint, or in the freezing winter until their lips are blue. think military school meets labor camp, with forced radical religion and an overall Stanford Prison Experiment vibe. also communication with the outside world is completely shut off, including any privacy between you and your own son. you'll get 1-2 short phone calls a month that are monitered prison style. all incoming and outgoing letters are read- that's why kids being violated in there cant ever warn their parents. I can go on and on with horrific details that I experienced at Agape but Im not writing a book. feel free to reach out to me at fraz703 at hotmail.com and I'd be happy to answer any questions or shed more light on this place. some of us are 30 and 40 now, why would we just make stuff up about a place our parents or foster care dumped us lol. we are trying to warn other parents to not make the same mistake that ours did. oh yeah go look up the former Agape "doctor" David Smock who raped several students/prisoners who he was trusted to care for. that alone should disqualify this place as an option to put your son in if you love him at all lmao. it's a joke that this place is even still open, but when you abuse people and children the way they do, the clock is forever ticking. anyways pick another solution for your off own offspring that you think is so bad and broken. Just wait till you see them after a year or 2 at this nut house. Agape Boys Ranch is horrific and will cause irreparable damage to your son. STAY FAR AWAY read more

For the right kind of behavioral issue, Agape is as good as it gets. My son was undisciplined, spoiled, getting into drugs and alcohol, angry, and counseling wasn't working. He had run away several times at 15 years old, and for days we didn't know where he was. A smart kid, but his grades were failing, and he often left school to go off with a girl or his buddies to drink or smoke pot. We tried a local private Christian school, and that was no better. In fact, the same bad kids he was hanging around with at public school ended up in the Christian school and they were all together again. We tried the behavioral contract thing, and had literally taken away all of his privileges, but he didn't care. We were literally afraid for his life, and with his angry outbursts, we even kept our bedroom locked at night out of fear he would get into a rage and do something to us. We also had to take the door off his room to keep him from locking us us out -- again, afraid he would do something to himself or leave in the night and we wouldn't know it. We were living on pins and needles and knew he needed help that we couldn't give. When he was finally sent to get help, it was like a great burden had been lifted one the one hand, but it was the hardest thing we had ever done, on the other. I cried for two days, but we knew it was the right thing to do. We had to ask my own parents for an early disbursement from my inheritance to cover the cost, but they gladly agreed because they, too, had seen how bad things had become. Getting my boy help was the best thing we ever did. It literally saved his life, and he was able to get an education, though he chose to get a G.E.D. instead of a diploma, nearly acing the G.E.D. without even preparing for it. The education he received prepared him for it, but since he was A.D.D., he simply didn't do well in any school classroom setting, no matter what kind of anti-attention deficit meds we had tried. Today my boy is in technical school, and loving it. He is working to become an airplane mechanic, and getting nearly 100% on all of his tests. He is clean of drugs and alcohol and working toward a great career. We are very proud of him. We couldn't ask for any more and are so thankful for programs like Agape, who help these kind of kids who just need a time of safety, care and discipline to get past their troubles. Some say that teenage boys who have been affected by drugs (even pot) and alcohol stop their mental/emotional growth for as long as the drugs and alcohol are in their system. They are like boys walking around in men's bodies, with adult kinds of desires, but childish and care-free decision-making. We saw that in him. The substances he was using had delayed his maturity, and we had to find a place to keep him safe and totally away from drugs and alcohol until maturity could catch up. If we hadn't, I'm afraid he wouldn't be alive today. read more

Do NOT send your children here. It is a brainwashing camp. Upon arriving I was held down to the ground and 5 adult men put their elbows on my pressure points for an hour and a half, note that 95% of this time I was not resistant at all, sometimes even crying in a hushed voice "I'm not resisting, please stop" to which I was met with a quick slap across the head and a voice telling me to shut up and keep my eyes open. Finally after they let me up my arms and legs were literally black with bruises and I could hardly stand, I still can't feel two of my fingers on my right hand when I wake up in the morning. This is what they call a JCMT restraint. At my time at Agape I saw one boy come out of the "blue room" where they did restraints after 4 hours and he was urinating blood, the staff took him to the hospital and told the doctors he was involved in a rodeo training accident. HOW IS THIS OKAY? I will always have nightmares of that horrible place. Dr. Clemenson comments on every one of these posts and you can read between the lines to see the thirst for money. They are making tons of money to brainwash and use your children as a labor force. Anytime something was needed, the staff had the students do it. I understand and accept that working is a good and fruitful thing and that having character is extremely important, but when the people teaching you character show none in their own lives it's nothing but hypocrisy, which is what Agape is founded on. Their curriculum is a joke, sometimes completely disregarding what society has to say about a subject and basing the entire system on their beliefs. I honestly don't understand how it is legal for them to force their beliefs on people like they do. I also want to give you this perspective, I was one of the staffs favorite students, and I am writing this review. I had a red lanyard which was a position of authority and I was trusted above 98% of the general population. I had it easy. I graduated with a college preparatory diploma and got an award for most helpful student. I'm begging you, please do not subject your child to this environment. If you call up to the school and ask about me they will tell you the same things I said about myself, my name is Elija Montgomery-Smith. I was there from June 2010 to June 2011. I have seen things there you would not believe and you will never hear. They are masters of manipulation. I'm going to get some more of my fellow students to write reviews as well. I think as a possible customer of Agape you should consider the opinion of those who have received the product, because a good majority of us are not happy with the treatment we received. E-Mail me at Kundalini_Serpent@yahoo.com I would be more than happy to talk to you about this. I can also give names of staff members involved in restraints, and names of staff who genuinely helped me through the worst year of my life. Thank you. read more

Child abuse, child labor, scare tactics, cover ups, staff being expelled for using horse tranquilizers, other things I will not mention. This school has been shut down in Washington and California for child abuse and failure to adhere to state laws and has only been successful in Missouri where they stay far away from most people who could potentially report their failure to adhere to child abuse and labor laws and state regulations, and where the laws on child abuse are nice and lax. I spent 4 horrible years here! I was subject to military style PT's or "Physical Training" by X Marines and Army staff when I was just 14 years old. I have PTSD, spinal problems, and all because of this school and I have doctors that will back that up! I would sue but that is spiteful. Besides I care not about gaining anything from them or hurting them. Just take it from an ex student or talk to any other students that have left there (NOT THE ONES THERE BECAUSE THEY MAKE SURE YOU DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE SCHOOL BY CENSORING YOUR LETTERS AND PHONE CALLS AND LISTENING TO YOU EVERYWHERE!) Before I got to this school I didn't know what drugs were, but after talking with students there I did. This school is a TERRIBLE idea for any parent feeling they need help bringing their son closer to them or God. Want proof? Here ya go... "Be sure your sins will find you out." Facts don't lie; this many people don't just "make stuff up": http://sharperiron.org/forum/thread-should-niu-separate-from-bju http://www.nospank.net/n-l88r.htm http://www.rickross.com/reference/mountain_park/mountain_park4.html http://agapeboardingschooltruth.blogspot.com/ http://www.teenliberty.org/mtnpark.htm http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AgapeBoardingSchool/ http://childrenshealthcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/2004-01finallayout.pdf If you feel your intentions are good you really need to work on your methods. Your success rate is TERRIBLE! Over half of my graduating class is dead or in jail. Some success you have there right? You have a lap pool, nice cars, your staff have half a million dollar homes yet you ask for donations "for the kids" and charge as much as you do? Your no better than the televangelists who only want people's money and use religion as a way to get that money! I challenge you all to think about what I have said, read through the material linked, take your time, do your research, and make an informed decision before sending your son or daughter here. Thanks! Sincerely, Brett W. Harper read more

My son was a student at Agape for ten months last in 2012 - While my son was never physically abused I will say that the staff at Agape are not truthful. My son went to Agape for Academic underachievement, anger management and other behavior issues. I was assured that my son was getting weekly counseling and was working through his struggles and doing "nicely" in school. Come to find out in the ten months my son was At Agape he saw a counselor three times. When I went to discuss things with my son's counselor (with my son present) the counselor asked me to please tell my son that he loved him and was praying for him. Obviously the counselor did not recognize my son as he had the freedom to tell my son these things himself. My son left Agape further behind in school then when he got there. Any school work completed was from me issuing consequences for his actions - correct me if I am wrong but this was one of reasons why I sent him there, why was the school doing nothing? well they told me several times he was progressing along nicely - really?? are you looking at this chart? Also most recently found out that the tutors (that parents pay extra for) and teachers help the kids to cheat in order to pass and graduate - my son first told me this I have to be honest, figured he was trying to get a rise out of me and did not believe him, however, seeing a written conversation between him and a staff member confirming the cheating was definitely an opener and explains why my son is not where he should be academically. I basically feel that from this Christian organization my family was lied to, cheated and looked down upon. This breaks my heart as this is not the way true christians treat others but unfortunately for some this christian behavior might be the only Jesus some people see. Please pray that the Lord grabs hold of the hearts at Agape (staff and boys) and helps them all to seek Him first and fulfill His word. Not the word of man. With this being said I would not recommend Agape at all - and please make sure if you are sending your child away do your homework, make sure that there are LICENSED christian counselors at the school AND licensed teachers - there are neither at this facility therefore, while it is an affordable solution - bare in mind you get what you pay for!! Thanks for taking the time to read - and God Bless you all!! anyone care to speak to me feel free to email me at concernedparent2@cox.net read more

Who is this David S replying to all these reviews. All i know for a fact is the damn tornadoe, how u grown men made us teens clean after the disaster, build your new homes, paint your new homes, set gravels for ur new homes. U gave us a 3gulp limit from the hosed water where we have no idea where the water is coming from. U make cleaning bathrooms and toilets the best work crew job out there. Brother Greene was THE worst power tripping man Ive still yet to see in my years. My best friend who attended Agape for 4 yrs, stayed as a blue shirt staff, has died in an overdose from abusing drugs. My other two friends who's attended agape w me are living in prison, sentenced for 15 years each. They make even a 6yr old boy turn into a mighty mouse kid, pumping out an avg of 100 push ups a day. They monitor and screen every letter to ur parents, incoming and outgoing. every phone call. It feels like this is what a christian jail will be like, if it ever existed. Absolutely no socializing whatsoever. U cannot talk to ANY students unless there is a staff monitoring ur conversation, which can only be a question or two at max. "Would u like to play a game of chess later? Yea sure" that'd be it. U cant ask an individual of his background, whats troubled him to get here, where he lived and etc. Not all, but some staffs truly look like they had nothing better going on in the real world and have escaped to Stockton, MO. I know they get paid shit but hey, free housing, free food, free utilities, free maintenance, free education for their kids. Things u learn from Agape will not be used in the real world when u get out of there. The short-term molding can only last so long out here in the real world. Things u learned at agape for 12-24 mo when you're 16yo will not continue on in the real world unless u stay there til u die. Im sure those staffs will not make it out in the real world or they'll probably be on a $30k annual salary somewhere in the suburbs. Overall, this is a temporary fix for a troubled teen to get thru his teen days. Kids will hate it. But hey, the time being hes there, your son will be a changed man. Temporarily. Hey. You get what you pay for. read more

This 75-1/2 year old Minister has known Jim Clemenson and Agape since they opened in Mo. I have spoken there numerous times. Several of their grads have attended Oklahoma Baptist Colllege in OKC which we started in 1977, and several of their grads have gone to Hyles Anderson College in Crown Point, Indiana, where I was when I came here in 1977. And, it seems that one of two of them have gone to Liberty Univ., Lynchburg, Va., where I was with Dr. Jerry Falwell before going to Indiana. It has been my privilege to work with young men and young ladies since 1967, when I started in Cincinnati at the Great Landmark Baptist Temple under Dr. John Rawlings. It has been my privilege here in Oklahoma to work with Bob Macy, our former DA, who by the way put 54 murderers on death row, but in a different way of helping people in trouble with the law. 48 individuals, in trouble with the law, somewhere in a court in Oklahoma, pled guilty to a crime, were sentenced to prison, and then paroled to my care, custody and control. If you care to, you can google up Mr. Macy's book and check those bonafides. During my career in the ministry our church here, Windsor Hills Baptist, 5517 NW 23rd, OKC, supported at the most, 474 missionaries. In the 30 years I pastored we gave over $15,000.000.00 to missions. At one time we were the sending church for 154 missionaries. I have taken one of their graduates to Israel with me a few years ago. Several of their students have attended our Windsor in the Wilds Camp near Loyal, Oklahoma on occasions. One of their graduates married a young lady who had graduated from a Girls School in the South here at OBC. They now are in the Ministry some where in the North West and doing very well. Always in working with people I have known that with all the "successes" you might have, there will be some who "belch sour milk." My wife and I have 4 boys, one of which is in Heaven. We are parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. If we had another male, son, grandson, or greatgrandson, who needed to be put in a HOME, AGAPE WOULD BE OUR FIRST CHOICE. read more

Let me start by stating I was not a student. I was a STAFF CHILD! So this will be from my point of view. A behind the scene view. My childhood before Agape was normal, I did something wrong and I would get in trouble, totally normal. We moved to Agape and I started making friends real fast. I was young didn't really think anything of it, I thought people were just friendly. Not to long after getting there I realized it was a front. Rumors were going around that i had slept with one of the boys in the program. (actually they went around about every staff kid except 2, the rumor starters) Instead of looking in my skirt to see if I was a VIRGIN still, My parents were told to deal with me! I got the normal Baptist beating, I have no idea what happened to the poor boy. After this had happened my parents NEVER gave me the Baptist beating AGAIN! I eventually learned if you were not a Clemonson blood or Cleveland, you were mentally tortured. I remember Brian Clemonson telling me boys would not want me if I didn't wear my hair a certain way because I looked UGLY. I WAS 12/13. i am pretty sure that is the last thing an ADULT MAN should worry ABOUT!! I understand being bullied is part of life, but not when you preach holier the thou!! i remember plenty of night taking bottles of random pills hoping to die. Now onto schooling!! Id raise my flag for help TEACHERS! Not 1 but 3-4 would come over to help NONE!! Could help, so what did they do? They'd get the score key and give me the ANSWER during test also! Needless to say I had to go back and re learn everything! if they can NOT PROPERLY TAKE CARE OF THEIR OWN WHY WOULD YOU TRUST THEM WITH YOURS?!! Now psychologically, let me tell you what this did to me. I graduated at 18 with the social skills of a 9 year old. It has effected my relationship (I am lucky enough to have an amazing man deal with me). I behave like a child. They DO NOT prep ANYONE for dealing with real life.I came away from the school with social issues. Unable to know how to deal with life and overcoming problems. Sadly, nothing more than that. read more

I don't blame all the staff. Some treated us students with kindness in a world that only seemed to show us hate. But the majority of the staff viewed us as lesser beings. This was made worse if you were anything other than a straight white guy like Brian Clemenson himself. Brian Clemenson runs the school, although from a distance. He banned any more than two black students from sitting at the same table, while white people could do as they please. Seth Duncan is another one of the staff there. I have NEVER seen someone who enjoys beating students more than this man. Even when off duty, he would race over whenever he heard there was a chance to participate in a "restraint" (What they called dragging you to the basement and torturing you for hours on end by having multiple 200+ pound men slam you into the floor, and push pressure points at awkward angles). Julio Sandoval is the most detached person I've ever met. He tried to paint himself as the, "Badass Baptist." That's a direct quote. He told us he had the power to detect demons, and that disagreeing with him/showing any trace of being your own person just meant you were possessed, and that he had to "cast" it out of you. In my time there, one gay student was open about it. He got the shit beat out of him just for existing, and Julio Sandoval just let it happen. The education at this place is a joke, each student just sits in a cubicle facing a wall. There is 0 teaching, which makes sense seeing how most of the staff were idiots with anger problems. They force feed you religion in the most criminal way possible. This place contrasts and ignores the constitution (particularly the parts considering humans having rights). It makes me sick to my stomach. Fuck You Agape! I did need help, and you promised it to my parents. All you did was take their money and stick me in a consentration camp. If anyone reading this is considering putting their child in this school, PLEASE message me. Just give me one phone call to explain how much they lie to you. Please read more

I have worked with the team at Agape for several years as a mutual colleague in the treatment field. I have been impressed with the level of commitment they have to their students, parents and guardians, their staff, and their facility. The school has a beautiful rural setting which provides for a very safe and secure location. They are continuously reinvesting into their campus and have some really neat things that set them apart from other schools- exotic animals, outdoor arena, horses and trails, two beautiful gymnasiums, and a lovely chapel right on campus. I was visiting on one occasion when a new student entered the program and was welcomed by staff and students with a prayer. This young man had never been to church and it may have been the first time he prayed. It was a beautiful way to break the ice at such a difficult time. The staff are caring, compassionate, and have a true devotion to ministering to young men who have taken a wrong turn. As with any school who works with at risk teens, you will see some negative reviews which I scrolled through before posting. I urge you to use caution when reading reviews and understand the varied perspectives. No parent wants to send their child away, this is a decision that parents make with great hesitation, much heartbreak, and only after they have exhausted every option available at home. Not only is this a huge emotional commitment but also a large investment financially. This is important to remember this when reading the various perspectives. No program has a perfect success rate and some students do not make the changes one hopes for. I know from personal experience that the staff at Agape do everything they can to touch hearts and help redirect those kids who have lost hope and have gone astray. The staff lead Christ centered lives and their work on campus doesn't end when they leave for the day. This is a lifestyle and a personal mission for those who devote their time and effort to working with these kids. read more

I was a former student here and this place messed my life up forever. At 12-16 yrs old I was abused about ever day along with countless other innocent children. Simple google "AGAPE BOARDING SCHOOL ABUSE " and you'll get miles of post from poor children. The following is a post I added : Yup I survived that shit hole in othello Washington. Matter fact it's me who got the Swots a policy . I was the 1st to be swotted at this school .( found out latter thy did this punishment without parent consent. We couldn't even tell our parents because all mail is read like a prison and in fear of punishment we couldn't talk in phone about it due to monitoring) I would love to cross paths with some of those staff members today, in a dark ally . I could care less if it's elderly abuse (thy got to be older now, I hear that eval bitch Ma'am got what she deserved, DEAD) because it was child abuse in ever fashion that thy did to us!! Remember walking around and n robes, bear foot in the dead winter ? Or that fat ass hole burton would make a comment in a room full of testosterone young men that if he walks out this room and shuts the door , he has no idea what happens and will assume I fell down stairs. May I mention I was 12yrs old when this all went down . Go find a 12 yr old and look at them. Could you treat that person like this or how others where treated . I can go on and on. !! I got wind of a class action I'm trying to get a part of. I actually have photos of some of the abuse including forsed boxing match's like we where there Tijuana fighting chickens . If anyone knows anything about a class action lawsuit I'm untitled to or if you would like to join me in one to close this place down or if a agape staff wants to meet up some time ( anywhere , anytime) call me 56I-635-76o7 Robert Lepido , email Robertlepido@yahoo.com . Honestly I'm poor and could use millions suing them but I really want to stop this from continuing!!!! It's horrible what thy are up too!! read more

I wish I could reply on some (or most) of these comments. Most I have marked as funny. Most are delusional kids that are now adults thinking they were good kids "only a little messed up" and didn't need help. I have no idea what this school is or isn't like and I don't really care to know but from what I have read I hope 95% of what you all claim is true. That is because my step son was sent here recently. He sexually molested his 8 year old sister when he was 11. He came down stairs at 12 masterbating in front of the babysitter. At 13 he punched my wife in the face 3 times before she pinned him to the floor. He had been in 2 or 3 school fights. By this time the police had been called on him 3 times. At 14 he sexually assaulted my own daughter and the police refused to bring charges because of he said she said. Her trauma is real. He admitted to doing it and then tried to slit his wrists. This was his 3rd attempt at suicide and this was the last straw. Yet no action from the police on the latest sexual assault. He was banned from my house for life as I will protect my daughter with my life. His own father does not want him and sending him here has made me happy. I hope he gets his ass beat. I am not a "subpar" parent as I believe was written by Larry H. In fact I am a combat Army veteran with my own PTSD but I am still with good parenting skills and 4 of my kids are great little troopers. And you know what, when he's 18 and can do what he wants, pays for his own apartment, gets a job...or lives on the street homeless, I don't blame myself and in the end don't really care. He will probably end up raping or killing someone. Or maybe this school will stop that path. The kid has had everything his parents and step parents could have possibly provided and has been nothing but a societal problem and a true entitled brat millennial that thinks he rules the world. Not in my house. read more