At Black Mountain Academy, we pride ourselves in creating the optimal environment for neurodiverse boys to thrive. We are located in the vibrant small town of Black Mountain in Western North Carolina, just outside of Asheville. Our Program provides the foundation that neurodiverse boys need during a crucial part of their development.
We use a dynamic, comprehensive, and team-centric approach that focuses on the pursuit of higher education, skill-building, and the development of social pragmatics. Our students build relationships, a sense of community, and a deep understanding of health and wellness. They do all of this while earning their high school diploma from a small, accredited academic program. Black Mountain Academy believes in the power of a strong community and immerses our students into environments that intentionally foster personal growth through diverse experiences within that community.
Each student has a Core Team made up of a therapist, a lead teacher, and a lead residential coach who all communicate daily with the student, helping them stay on track.
Each student’s core team collaborates with each other, the student, and their family to develop goals aimed at their personal growth in each of our Six Core Competencies. These goals are routinely assessed and revised as students progress.
Each student at Black Mountain Academy grows in each of these core competencies as they progress through the Program.
“The school feels like a big family… everyone from their residential coaches to their therapist to their teachers—you know that their passion is working with students. The Mom’s Retreat was life changing for me as a mother.”
“It was the first time in my child’s life that I wasn’t holding my breath expecting the phone call informing me of yet another struggle… Black Mountain rebuilt my child’s self-esteem and gave him the confidence to launch after graduation.”
“The staff at Black Mountain worked to rebuild my child’s self-esteem and create experiences that allowed him to experience success… Today, my son is living independently in college with the skills to navigate whatever comes next.”
“After leaving BMA, our son graduated high school on time, got his driver’s license, and is now in college with a 3.0 GPA… He has enjoyed keeping up with a few friends from BMA, which is really special for him.”
“BMA works to directly improve the whole young man and indirectly his support system… We rest easy at night knowing our son is in the most capable and caring hands.”
“We are so grateful for BMA’s nurturing and transformative program… In a remarkably short time, we’ve seen our son make progress socially, emotionally, and academically.”
“I love Black Mountain because my child is safe, genuinely cared for, and showing amazing growth. I believe as a direct result of the progress he’s shown there, someday he’ll be able to live on his own.”
“The caring, insightful, and patient leadership team deeply understands the needs of our child. Black Mountain Academy gives our family tools to communicate and connect while supporting our son’s journey toward independence.”
“The flexibility of the staff, the positive and empathetic way they show up for my child on a daily basis just blows me away. I am continually impressed by how thoughtful and intentional every staff member has been.”
“Our child’s therapist has been fantastic… I can trust that he has our child’s best interests at heart in a way that I have never been able to do before. Words cannot adequately express what a help that is for me as a parent.”
"The entire BMA team has been amazing from the very beginning. Their continued support for our son and us has been beyond anything we have experienced with any program. Thank you!"
"We are so very grateful. It is remarkable that we found a school so specifically designed for our child’s needs, with such excellent therapists, staff, and teachers. He and we are growing so much!"
"Black Mountain Academy has been a wonderful resource to start the process of our son developing in the way we had always dreamed of. We thank the team for their patience, knowledge, and support."
"Black Mountain Academy has provided an environment and professional support to help both our son and us successfully navigate the neurodiverse mind and all its idiosyncrasies. Our son has thrived at BMA and we, as parents, have learned so much to help support him moving forward."
"Since our first interactions with Black Mountain Academy we have been very impressed and pleased with all aspects of BMA. The leadership, teachers and staff are top notch. You truly care about our boys and what’s best for them."
"The entire staff knows exactly how to help our son engage in academics, residential life and peer relationships. Our son has made great strides and it’s such a joy to see a better version of our son emerge!"
"We were very hesitant about going from Wilderness to a Therapeutic Boarding School. Black Mountain Academy being specifically for boys on the spectrum is the perfect atmosphere for my son to practice social interaction while being very well cared for."
"We couldn’t have possibly imagined how much this place would “fit” and help—the therapists, the structure, the residential staff have all helped him, and us, to grow. And he is a part of a caring community, where he has gained crucial skills and even made friends!"