Frequently Asked Questions
A: Happy Hill Farm Academy is an accredited, interdenominational Christian boarding, day, and international school for deserving students.
Happy Hill Farm Academy accepts students from all over the world who, for one reason or another, need or desire a place to live and learn away from their home. A variety of staff professionals (including educational, vocational, guidance counseling, nursing, musical, technological, and athletic) work in concert to address the overall needs of each student. Happy Hill Farm Academy can accommodate up to 125 boarding students and 175 day students. Every student attends the fully-accredited (K-12) private academy and has the opportunity to participate in 4-H, horticulture, sports, music, art, and many other clubs, groups, and activities.
Q: How Is a Student Admitted to the Program, and What is Expected?
A: Happy Hill Farm Academy is dedicated to helping underprivileged students with scholarships, as well as highly-motivated domestic and international students. Students from a variety of backgrounds are considered for admission, however, expectations remain high. All aspects of the program are designed to teach specific values. Behavioral expectations for Happy Hill Farm Academy students are based on these, and all students are expected to demonstrate:
- Respect: Students are expected to display respect towards adults and display courtesy for the thoughts and feelings of others.
- Responsibility: Students are expected to take responsibility for their own emotions, behavior, grades, possessions, and choices.
- Integrity: Students are expected to show integrity by honoring their commitments and demonstrating honesty in all aspects of their lives.
- Self-Discipline: Students are expected to set personal goals and strive to achieve these goals.
- Compassion: Students are expected to grow in their ability to demonstrate love and kindness toward others.
Q: Is Happy Hill Farm Academy a Real Farm?
A: Located just south of Granbury, Texas, on State Highway 144, Happy Hill Farm Academy contains a working, 500-acre farm. Livestock include horses, cattle, sheep, donkeys, chickens, and a host of pets. The farm provides much of the food needed by the children and staff, plus a wholesome, healthy, rural lifestyle.
Q: Where Does the Money Come from to Operate the Academy?
A: The program at Happy Hill Farm Academy is operated almost entirely with contributions from interested friends, foundations, corporations, clubs, and organizations. The Academy receives no State, Federal, or local tax funding or United Way grants. Fees and tuition annually account for a small portion of the Academy’s total operating budget. The Academy is not affiliated with any particular church; therefore, it does not receive any denominational funds. Happy Hill Farm Academy is totally dependent on its many friends for financial support.
Q: Is the Academy Accredited?
A: Happy Hill Farm Academy is fully-accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as a private school and is a member of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), the Texas Association of Non-Public Schools (TANS), and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).
Q: How Large Is the Campus?
A: The 500-acre farm-campus includes a fully-accredited (K-12) private school, designed to accommodate up to 300 students in the future. There is an athletic center, dining center, fine arts center, chapel, fifteen boarding residences, staff housing, barns, livestock pens, 4-H center, stables, athletic fields, swimming pool, tennis courts, administrative center, an inn and training center, a welcome center, and more.
Q: Are Gifts to the Academy Tax-Deductible?
A: Happy Hill Farm Academy is a non-profit (501C3), charitable, tax-exempt, Texas corporation, and all gifts of money, stocks, bonds, property, or gifts-in-kind are tax-deductible.
Q: Are Morals and Ethics Taught?
A: The Academy is inter-denominational, and students from any or no religious background are offered enrollment. The highest moral, spiritual, and ethical values are upheld and taught.
