5 years ago my parents were in desperation of getting my younger brother help. They had tried a couple different places in Illinois their home state and they were all way to expensive and werent helping. We lived in Chicago where you are surrounded by bad influences. He was out of control doing drugs, ditching school, stealing from my family to buy drugs, and was an angry person we didnt know. It was tearing our family apart and thats when I decided to jump in and found this place. It was hard but it was so affordable and based on the reviews my parents went for it willing to try anything. Of coarse my brother refused to go so we had to have him taken by two guys to bring him down. He hated us when he left but when he came back he loved us and appreciated it.He came back a different person. He had much appreciation for life. He had built relationships with the counselors and was keeping in contact with them even after he left. It was a beautiful place where he could take a break from the mad world back in the city and see life from a different perspective. See how fortunate he was and help people who lived in poverty. Learn that rewards do come out of working and finding pleasure in life while sober. Nothing was forced, it was a stepping program and you had to take the steps on your own and work your way up and out or even extra perks like outings The staff would take them hiking to scenic places with awesome waterfall. I could tell he really valued the trust and bonds he had made over time with the staff.My parents got to go visit him and stay in a lovely little guest house they had. Take a day with him to enjoy life. After every where my parents sent him this was the BEST and this WORKED. Unfortunately he came home when he was 18 and only got 8 months out of it. I think if he had stayed there longer and finished the program which he couldve willing, he wouldve stayed stronger.He came home and stayed sober said he never wanted to do drugs again. He kept in contact with peers and counselors. Time passed and living in the city crept back up on him and he turned back to smoking pot. He never stole again though and he never used pills again. He has faith in God and I hear it from him. He says hes blessed all the time. Yea it might not have been a perfect ending but you know what he values life more than he did, he has pride in working and earning and no longer steals and and has kicked most of the bad and to me thats good.

Do not send your children here. Here’s an excerpt from Newsweek explaining CMA’s connection to Escuela Caribe, the abusive boarding school in the Kidnapped For Christ documentary:“ In 2011, Escuela Caribe and New Horizons closed, transferring the property to another Christian ministry called Crosswinds, which reopened the school under the name Caribbean Mountain Academy. At least five staff members from Escuela Caribe remained employed at the school after the transition, though Mark Terrell, the CEO of Crosswinds, tells Newsweek they have all since moved on to different jobs. He maintains that they were vetted extensively before allowing to remain. I dont really care what anybody thinks. I think theyre good people.”As you can see from Mark Terrell’s attitude, he wants to put abusers first before the actual children. Do not send your children here. They do not try hard enough to mitigate abuse and it shows.

CMA is a school that changes lives! It has a dedicated Christian staff who cares for the physical, spiritual, emotional, and educational needs of the students there. Students participate in service projects on campus and in the local community. They take part in trips to waterfalls, rivers, and even the beach! Students learn that life isnt just about them; theres a much bigger purpose. They learn how to work with others and see first hand just how good it feels to make a positive impact on the lives of other people.

This was the perfect place for my daughter. After looking at multiple therapeutic boarding schools, we decided on CMA because of their overall approach to helping our daughter. From helping her process her emotions to serving in the community to the cross cultural experience, it was a great fit for her. The best thing about CMA are the people. They loved my daughter so well. It is very relational and I believe this is one of their greatest strengths. I would highly recommend them.

I just have recently graduated CMA in July and i would honestly say that this place has changed my life in so many ways and has impacted it too. i’m not saying CMA is perfect. staff are not perfect. students obviously aren’t perfect. but every place is going to have things that aren’t the best. yes, the staff can get irritated, upset, sad, all of it, but the good from CMA outweighs the bad. i was there for a good bit but that’s because i am extremely stubborn. CMA staff never gave up on me during my stay there. i hit the bottom at one point there and felt like i would never be able to graduate but i made it. staff would of course get annoyed with me because i could be a lot... but they never let our relationship end. i never built relationships before i arrived at CMA. i told myself i would never be vulnerable with anyone no matter what but i ended up trying for once (my choice, CMA doesn’t “brainwash” or force anyone to do anything) and it was rough and scary but the staff listened to my story and everything. before i came to CMA i went through a few counselors that lasted for around 2 weeks sometimes so i also thought i would never actually do counseling again. when i first came to CMA my counselor had a rough time having me as her patient. i didn’t say anything. i was no where near nice to her. i was cold to her and the thought of counseling. like i said, CMA doesn’t force anyone to do anything. students typically begin to realize they need help and test out the idea of trying. that’s what i did. CMA has a large group that will support all students as much as they can. they care for all students, AND it shows!! i thought i was helpless and worthless, CMA helped me realize i am worth something and i can achieve so much. i still have struggles after leaving the program but overall i have grown and learned coping skills and have formed relationships that will forever last with staff and some students. no place is perfect but i would recommend Caribbean Mountain Academy for any teenage individual who struggles or even just needs somewhere to go. staff are always open to criticizm so if a student feels something is off they can talk to them and the staff usually try to work on it. trust me i talked to staff about a lot of things i didnt like and they listened and tried their best to do things different in their control. i appreciated this place and my experiences their.

Horrible school absolute abuse I watched the documentary about this school and it was horrible . The reviews are probably from parents who think it’s okay to abuse there child. I never went here but the documentary is so disturbing I really hope this place gets shut down

👎🏾 👎🏾 Nahhh, Too much favoritism