About Our School

 

Cherry Gulch is a small, relational, private owner-operated, award-winning, ranch-style residential setting. Our accredited school is designed specifically for 5th through 9th grade boys. Our goal is to provide early intervention and prevention to help these boys reach their full potential and become well-rounded prosocial young men. We build strong relationships and provide outstanding academic and therapeutic services to boys and their families. Cherry Gulch offers the wide-open space of country living and the benefit of a metropolitan area. We are located near Boise, Idaho, on 220 acres of pristine ranch land with beautiful views of mountains, valleys, Black Canyon Reservoir, and the Payette River. Students have easy access to natural wonders but are also close to many museums and the cosmopolitan activities of Boise.

We provide a unique opportunity where every experience is educational and therapeutic in a fun and purposeful environment. We are dedicated to providing outstanding services to students and their families in the context of a safe and supportive environment. Our talented Master’s level therapists work with our students, using research-supported approaches to provide world class treatment for the individuals we serve. Our talented professionals bring the needed learning tools to the young men and families with whom we work. We develop the educational scaffolding essential to produce thoughtful, prepared, and confident young men.

Our program provides individualized educational and treatment plans for each boy and varied real-life experiences to help them overcome their challenges.

Interventions for each boy include:

Highly compassionate 1:4 staff-to-student ratio
Family Involvement and a Strong Parenting Program
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Wide Variety of Activities and Learning Experiences
Individual, Group, and Family Psychotherapy with Experienced Doctorate & Master’s-Level Therapists
Fully Accredited Educational Program, All Credits Earned are Fully Transferable
Medication Monitoring by a Licensed Psychiatrist
Involvement in Clubs, Leadership and Ranch Activities
Benefits of a Large School Within a Small School Atmosphere
Character Development with a Focus on Growth, Success and Happiness
Individual Academic Plans (IAP) that Assist in Making and Obtaining Goals

Boarding School Benefits

It is clear that if a student is suffering from emotional or behavioral problems, then they should attend a therapeutic boarding school. Therapeutic boarding schools clearly offer something more (a strong therapeutic component) than a traditional boarding school. However, it is also clear that there are advantages to a boarding school education. The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) reports that boarding school students are more satisfied with their academic experience than their peers who attended a public school or a private day school. Students who attend boarding school find their coursework more challenging and have more confidence in the quality of their teachers than students who attend school from eight to three o’clock. Students at boarding schools show noticeable increases in maturity, self-discipline, independence, and critical-thinking life skills.

Dynamic Learning

The skills that students learn at boarding school help them in college and beyond. The overwhelming majority of graduates from boarding schools report that if they were given the choice to attend boarding school or to attend a day school, they would gladly repeat their boarding school experience because of the superb and dynamic learning experience they encountered. Students who attend boarding school study longer, report being around more motivated peers, state that they are very well prepared for college, and say that their school offers opportunities for leadership, and achieve positions in top management by mid-career more often than their day schooled counterparts. Boarding schools offer a 24/7 learning experience where learning never stops. Interactions in the dorm or at the barn, or on outings and activities are every bit as valuable as lessons learned in the classroom. The entire boarding school community is a learning laboratory.

Lifelong Success

Boarding school alumni often report that the years they spent in boarding school are the central reference point in their life. Alumni tend to consider their years at boarding school as more formative and critical to their personal development than the time that they spent in college or graduate school. Boarding school students explore athletic, creative, and leadership-building activities every day. They learn a strong work ethic and develop the focus that they need for lifelong success. Boarding school students learn to take care of themselves (independence), as well as to take care of others (community). They also learn the importance of service. In short, they learn lessons that will resonate throughout their lives.

Cherry Gulch Certifications and Awards

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