Mission Statement

Elk Hill provides and facilitates healthy environments where young people, ages 7- 18, and their families can feel safe to make positive changes. Through specialized education, community based services and residential treatment programs these children - supported by their families - are able to discover the academic, vocational, behavioral, and life skills necessary to re-direct their troubled lives.

What is Elk Hill?

Elk Hill seeks to turn troubled young lives around through a continuum of programs designed to help many levels of "at-risk" young men and women whose needs are not acute enough to require hospitalization.  Located halfway between Richmond and Charlottesville on the James River in Goochland County, Elk Hill Farm was founded in 1970 by the late Buford Scott and the late James M. Ball, Jr. on a 300-acre estate donated by Mr. Scott. This program grew from 6 young men to a residential campus with a fully accredited school housing 30 at-risk young men. The campus has an educational and recreational facility, a vocational center, three cottages, a day school, and a historic structure housing the administrative offices. Our chapel was completed in 2002. The success rate index of this program is 85%, one of the highest in the Commonwealth.

As the needs of Virginia's at-risk young men and women increase we have created new programs tailored to the needs of this growing population. We now operate two group homes for young men and one for young women.   We serve young men in Charlottesville and the north side of Richmond, while we serve our young women in Fluvanna County. These programs teach our young men and women independent living skills while they attend school and work within the community. We also operate two-day schools, one located on our Goochland, Va. campus and one in Varina, for young men and women who are having academic, emotional or behavioral problems that prevent them from attending public schools. The purpose of our day schools is to address the academic and behavioral issues so these young men and women can return to the public school system.