Specialized Academies

  • A skills-based academy designed for neuro-diverse teens learning to deal with social skills, social anxiety, sensory issues, executive functioning and more.

    12-18
    Ages
    Genders

  • Elevate Academy looks beyond symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and defiance to target the cause – the adverse experiences, traumatic events or complex trauma the student has experienced.

    12-18
    Ages
    Genders

  • A unique transitional program that empowers boys to prepare to move from wilderness or residential programs to traditional schools, secondary or vocational school and more independent living.

    16-18
    Ages
    Genders
What is the Heritage Community?

The Heritage Community is a therapeutic, residential treatment center for adolescents. Our students thrive in our small, home-like setting, receiving intensive, individual attention and participating in specialized, evidence-based programs and activities that help them overcome their personal difficulties.

Our campus is home to several distinctive academies, each designed to deliver powerful, life-changing experiences to a carefully targeted population. In our transformative, multi-dimensional environment, students participate in a wide range of activities, including sports and recreation, work, worship and social and service experiences. Our students learn how to once again become vital, valued members of their community.

Our highly respected, tenured Heritage Community staff provides our students with resources and experiences such as:

  • Therapy
  • Academics
  • Spiritual Enrichment
  • Socialization
  • Performing Arts
  • Sports & athletics
  • Gender-specific programs
  • Horsemanship

Learn More
Gender-Specific Programs

Our students grow and thrive in gender-specific therapeutic environments designed to leverage the traits and behavioral characteristics unique to boys and girls, and men and women. In a gender-specific setting, adolescents feel more empowered to share and work on self-development without the distractions, fears and discomfort that can pervade a co-ed environment. Students develop strong and enduring bonds, helping each other through the process of healing and growth.

Parents have peace of mind knowing that their child is safe, served by staff members trained to work with the population they serve. To provide social balance and growth, our programs incorporate planned community events and highly structured activities that are closely supervised.

Our Heritage

Since 1984, the Heritage Community has provided our students and their families with valuable, research-based services and state-of-the-art therapies. Our founder and CEO, Jerry Spanos, pioneered the revolutionary Heritage School Relationship Model for the residential treatment of at-risk youth. The Spanos model is now used in teen and adolescent residential treatment centers across the United States.

Since our inception, Heritage has focused on evolving and discovering innovative ways to serve our students and their families with excellent, compassionate and highly personalized treatment protocols.

Client Testimonials
Coreen, Parent of a Former Heritage Student
Dear Heritage Staff, Thank you to all the Heritage staff. Each one of you was integral to the success of our daughter at Heritage. Please allow this letter to be shared with future families or anyone interested in your school.Our daughter arrived at Heritage at age 15 with extreme anxiety and major depression. Her situation was debilitating. She was no ...
Melissa
Heritage had a very positive impact on my daughter and our family’s life. My daughter built some beautiful lifelong friendships, is a current 12th grade student, is currently earning five A’s and one B. She will start to working within the next two weeks, and has already registered for college.
Mother of graduating student
Thank you so much for all your hard work and efforts in working with our daughter and our family. Without your efforts we would not be bringing M. home this Saturday, July 23, with a successful completion of the program and with more growth and progress being made in 8 months at Heritage than we have seen in the previous ...
David G.
I am honored to write this letter to Heritage. I was a student at Heritage in 2000-2002 and because of the philosophy of Heritage I am now able to live a successful life. I have recently graduated with my Associates degree and am pursuing my Bachelor’s degree. I am always reflecting on the time I spend at ...
Paul
Our son may never open up fully to anyone, it’s a drag to know how bad things are inside him at times and no one can get in. I have great respect for you, and those who do what you do for John. His happiness and smile are back & you had something to do with it – kudos! They ...
I can’t express enough of my gratitude and amazement of your program. You are changing and saving lives! The love, support and professionalism that I feel when I’m there, and that was from the first day I set foot there, is so powerful and genuine, that I don’t know what to say besides THANK YOU!!! Also extend my gratitude to ...
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