Christian Boarding Schools in California

Following is a list of Christian Boarding Schools in California that offer options for your young son, daughter, teenager or young adult.

What is a Christian Boarding School?

Christian Boarding Schools (CSBs) offer a unique educational option for your young child, teen or young adult where the student lives away from home, full time at the school.

Most of the CSBs listed below are private schools and are not state funded. However, some do offer reduced tuition because they are funded by donations. Most CSBs provide information for parents to find scholarships and grants, as well as offer payment plans.

Occasionally, CBSs may work with you so that your insurance covers partial costs of medical or mental health care at the school.

CBSs can be similar in structure to a therapeutic boarding school where children or youth with mental health or behavioral issues are able to get the specialized help they need. We’ve provided a link to our guide on therapeutic boarding schools and how to choose the best one for your youth to assist you in your search, and to decide whether a particular school is best suited to your child and family.

The schools in this list are categorized as Christian because they were founded on Biblical principles. All students are free to attend these schools and are not required to be Christian.

If your child specifically requires a life away from home Christian school, the following list gives you varied options.

California Christian Boarding Schools Listing

Below is a short description of the Christian boarding schools in California along with how to contact each of them.

For more options, click here for all therapeutic boarding schools in California.

Listings are for information purposes and do not imply a recommendation.

Advent Group Ministries in San Jose

Advent Group Ministries is a non-profit ministry offering young people a rare second chance in life by providing counseling and addiction recovery services to people of all ages and income levels. As Christians, they strive to extend the love of Christ to all clients while meeting their specific treatment needs.

Advent Group provides counseling as well as an intensive and structured residential program to teach the skills required to live a clean, sober and productive life in the future.

Advent serves young boys, girls, teens and young adults who come from broken homes, or have one or both parents addicted to drugs or alcohol. Students may come from a life of crime, gangs, or situations where they have nowhere else to turn.

Find out more by calling 408-281-0708 or Toll Free: 1-800-98-ADVENT or by checking out their website, Advent Group Ministries.

Christian Encounter Ministries in Grass Valley

Christian Encounter Ministries offers a safe place for hurting people and provides a structured and supervised program that accepts females ages 16-24 and males ages 16-21. Their program is completely voluntary, and a student must be willing to participate in the program. The typical length of stay is a minimum of one year. The average stay is about 14-18 months.

Christian Encounter strives to help people encounter Jesus so they may experience healing, grow in faith, establish spiritual habits and a strong work ethic, and develop healthy relationships. ​ The core curriculum of the program includes Discipleship, Counseling, School and Work Training, and Life Skills.

Christian Encounter is not a drug treatment facility; however, they do accept students who have had substance abuse issues. They ask that students go through a 30-day detox program prior to arrival.

Program cost is based on a sliding scale which starts at $300 per month for families with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) up to $30,000 per year and incrementally increases to $5,000 per month if AGI exceeds $244,000 per year. No student will be turned away because of their inability to pay. In situations of great need, 100% scholarships are available.

Find out more by calling 530-268-0877 or checking out their website, Christian Encounter Ranch.

Christian Life School in Riverside

This school is now closed as of 2023.

Flintridge Sacred Heart in La Canada Flintridge

Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy offers both day and boarding school and is a private, independent, college preparatory all-girls Catholic high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

They welcome students from all religious backgrounds and are committed to guiding every young woman on her faith journey. 

Tuition for both day and boarding school is $30,800. Room and board are an additional $37,000 for a total of $67,800 (plus fees) annually per boarding student. Approximately one-third of the student body receives some financial aid based on needs. There are scholarships.

Find out more by calling 626-685-8300 or checking out their website, Flintridge Sacred Heart.

Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville

Monte Vista Christian (MVC) School is a private, co-ed, day and boarding Christian school for young men and women in grades 6 through 12, offering a college-preparatory education in the Christian tradition. 

MVC offers both a 5-day per week and a 7-day per week boarding option. For local students, the 5-day per week option gives the student the opportunity to live at the school during the week and be able to participate in their family home life on the weekends. This option is not available to International students.

Annual tuition for high school students boarding 5-days per week is $43,875 7 and for students boarding 7-days per week, it is $58,500. MVC offers need-based financial aid. 

Find out more by calling (831) 722-8178 or checking out their website, Mounte Vista Christian School.

Remi Vista, Inc. in Redding

Remi Vista programs offer services for children from birth to young adulthood, as well as families in crises, including those struggling with the challenges of autism and developmental disabilities.

They have four homes in the Redding area, three of which care for boys and girls ages 6-18 dealing with behavioral issues related to developmental disabilities as well as two homes that serve at-risk delinquent or behaviorally challenged males from 13-18 years of age. 

Find out more by calling 530-245-5805 or checking out their website, Remi Vista.

Rio Lindo Adventist Academy in Healdsburg

Rio Lindo Adventist Academy is a private, boarding Christian high school that accepts students in grades 9-12.

Students are encouraged to serve for 25 hours per year in their community, whether locally or by participating in an international mission trip offered during Spring break.

Annual tuition for boarding students is $27,500, ($19,600 after the Adventist church member discount.) For students who commute daily, annual tuition is $14,700 ($11,400 after the Adventist church member discount.) The academy also provides an optional student work program that enables students to contribute between $1500-$4000 per school year to their school bills and build their own work ethic and confidence.

Find out more by calling 707-431-5100 or checking out their website, Rio Lindo Adventist Academy.

Sacramento Crisis Center in Sacramento

As of April, 2023, this school is not yet open.

Teen Challenge Programs of California

There are many Teen Challenge Programs in California for both men and women, teens and adults.

Teen Challenge Residential Program Information

Teen Challenge began in the late 1950s by David Wilkerson, who was called to New York City after seeing news coverage of teenage gang violence and drug use. Since then, Teen Challenge has over 200 centers in the US and over one thousand globally.

Adult & Teen Challenge provides Christian faith-based, residential care to young people and adults who struggle with substance abuse and addictions.

Teen Challenge has been an effective solution to addiction recovery for thousands of people for more than 50 years. They offer a variety of outreach programs and have a one-year residential drug recovery program for men and women over the age of 18, as well as adolescent boys ages 12 – 17. The one-year adult program starts with a student entering one of the Induction Centers for approximately three months, then transferring to one of two long-term centers for an additional nine months.

The programs are typically 12-18 months and consist of individual and group Biblical studies, work projects, education (for adolescents), recreation and more.

Many aspects of the program differ slightly between centers, such as cost, application processes, and day-to-day activities.

Teen Challenge recommends you contact the specific center you are interested in directly to find out more about their admissions requirements and other program specifics.

Alpha Henson Women’s Center in Lincoln

The Alpha Henson Women’s Home, which operates under the name Teen Challenge, is located in Lincoln, California. They also offer a facility, Alpha Henson Center just for men.

Find out more by calling 916-645-3807 or checking out their website, Teen Challenge of Northern California.

Alum Rock Women/Children’s Center in San Jose

Alum Rock Women/Children’s Center offers residential substance abuse treatment for women 18 years and older. They accept women who are on probation, are pregnant and women may attend with children.

Find out more by calling 408-272-4416 or checking out their website, Adult-Teen Challenge of Northern California.

Asbury Family Center in San Jose

Asbury Family Center in San Jose provides residential substance abuse treatment for women 18 years and older. Women may attend with their children and/or their spouse.

Find out more by calling 408-293-2050 or checking out their website, Asbury – San Jose.

Faith Home Teen Ranch in Ceres

Faith Home Teen Ranch in Ceres is part of a Faith Home Teen Challenge network, providing substance abuse treatment to help restore individuals and families within Amador, Calaveras, Madera, Merced, Tuolumne, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Find out more by calling 209-537-0606 or checking out their website, Faith Home Teen Ranch in Ceres.

Greater San Francisco Teen Challenge in San Francisco

The San Francisco Adult & Teen Challenge is a faith-based one year residency program for men who deal with substance abuse and addictions. The centers are supported by churches, donations and community programs.

Find out more by calling 415-285-1353 or checking out their website, San Francisco Teen Challenge.

Kern County Teen Challenge Women’s & Men’s Ranch in Bakersfield & Shafter

Kern County Teen Challenge in Bakersfield, through partnerships with the local community, churches, and supporters, offers a women’s center that houses 45 women and the Shafter Men’s Ranch that houses approximately 80 men.

Find out more about the Bakersfield location by calling 661-399-2273 or checking out their website, Teen Challenge of Kern County-Bakersfield.

Find out more about the Shafter location by calling 661-746-4917 or checking out their website, Kern County Teen Challenge.

Los Angeles County Teen Challenge in Los Angeles

Teen Challenge of Southern California operates a residential induction facility for women in Los Angeles. This location allows women to prepare to enter the 8–9 month Teen Challenge Christian Life Center in Ventura, California, where they will complete their studies and graduate in approximately one year.

Find out more by calling 310-644-3695 or checking out their website, Teen Challenge of Los Angeles County.

Monterey Bay Teen Challenge in Watsonville

Teen Challenge Monterey Bay offers a long-term (a minimum of 13 months) recovery program to help men, women and youth recover from substance abuse and addictions. The salvation of Jesus Christ is the main avenue to create true and lasting change in a person’s life. 

Find out more by calling 831-722-2074 or checking out their website, Monterey Bay Teen Challenge.

Orange County Teen Challenge in Santa Ana

Orange County Teen Challenge has two locations; headquarters in Santa Ana and an outreach center in San Juan Capistrano. The men’s home, afterschool learning center, re-entry home, and Timothy House Adolescent Boys Home are located in Santa Ana.

Find out more by calling 714-835-8822 or checking out their website, Orange County Teen Challenge.

San Diego Teen Challenge in San Diego

San Diego Teen Challenge offers life-changing residential addiction recovery services. This center is an induction facility for male adults who will complete three to four months for the first phase of the program. They will then transfer to Riverside where the remaining part of the one-year program will be spent. 

Find out more by calling 619-265-0337 or checking out their website, San Diego Teen Challenge.

San Joaquin Valley Teen Challenge in Turlock

San Joaquin Valley Teen Challenge in Turlock is part of a Faith Home Teen Challenge network, providing substance abuse treatment for individuals within Amador, Calaveras, Madera, Merced, Tuolumne, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Find out more by calling 209-537-0606 or checking out their website,

Teen Challenge of Eastbay in Oakland Men’s Center

This center provides a 12 to 18-month residential, faith-based recovery program to allow clients to be set free from issues such as drug or alcohol addictions.

Find out more by calling 510-562-1141 or checking out their website, Teen Challenge of Eastbay.

Tri-County Teen Challenge in Ventura

Ventura Teen Challenge serves 25 to 59 women in a safe and peaceful home that fosters an environment conducive to their recovery from addictions.

Find out more by calling 805-648-3295 or checking out their website, Ventura-Tri County Teen Challenge.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email us at [email protected] or leave a comment.

Click here for a free PDF printable checklist of the 7 steps to take when your child needs residential treatment.