Students at Bethel Christian Academy have historically lived on campus at Bethel Bible Village, the Hixson residential program for middle and high-school-aged youth struggling with academics, behavioral issues or instability at home.
But the school, a ministry of the nonprofit, has started serving nonresidential students as well, said Jeff Lewis, the Bible Bethel Village director of development and marketing, by phone Thursday.
Touting its small student-teacher ratio, its Christian basis and its experience supporting youth who have gone through severe trauma, the Bethel Christian Academy launched in 2007 as a ministry of the Bethel Bible Village, according to a news release Thursday.
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At its campus, Bethel Bible Village hosts children in what it describes as Christ-centered homes with house parents and provides counseling and other social services. The group's website says a stay at Bethel Bible Village varies in length but typically ranges from nine to 18 months.
That is also the length students have typically attended the school, Lewis said. Some wanted to remain enrolled after returning home to their parents or guardians, which played a role in the school's decision to open its doors to nonresidents beginning around early 2022, Lewis said.
Bethel Christian Academy's new website, which Lewis said launched Thursday, says the school offers students individualized academic, social and emotional support so they can reach their God-given potential. Currently the school has 29 students, nine of whom are nonresidential, Lewis said.
"We want to intentionally stay small," he said, adding that he wants people to know the school is an option if their child is struggling and needs help.
When it opened in 1954, Bethel Bible Village focused on sheltering children of prisoners, according to past Chattanooga Times Free Press reporting. The nonprofit evolved to house children placed in state custody, but this changed in the early 2000s after a settlement on a class action lawsuit targeting group homes eliminated its public funding.
Bethel Bible Village began to seek private funding to serve youth placed directly into its temporary care by parents and legal guardians, and today it reports receiving no government funding. In 2021, Bethel Bible Village received $3.2 million in revenue, mostly from private donations and grants, according to its most recent publicly available tax filing.
Contact Andrew Schwartz at aschwartz@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.