At Eva Carlston Academy, adolescent girls who have struggled deeply are invited to find their unique place in the world, a passion to inspire and guide them, and a sense of purpose in life.
A combination of sophisticated therapy, mentorship, the arts, and experiential learning help our students heal and grow.
Quick Stats (2025)
- School Type: Alternative School
- Grades: 6-12
- Enrollment: 31 students
- Average class size: 8 students
- Application Deadline: None / Rolling
- Source: Verified school update
School News
- Leadership Styles - 01/26/2020Our girls have been learning about Leadership Styles and the unique traits of each style. Check out this post to learn more.
- Learning How To Be Leaders - 01/23/2020"Time and time again, we have seen the girls step up to the challenge and embrace it. They emerge empowered with leadership skills and, we believe, ready to forge their ...moreplace in our culture and workplace while bringing about constructive changes that will benefit our communities" hide
- Lift Your Spirits: Volunteering - 01/14/2020Volunteering allows one to see how they can make a difference, that is why the students at Eva Carlston Academy help out at Tracy Aviary. In a world full of ...morestress and pressures volunteering is a great way to get out of your own head and lift your spirits by helping others. hide
- Let's Pan A Visit - 01/08/2020"Family visits are a crucial part, not only of the treatment, but also of the well-being of the girls," explains Stephanie Taylor, Eva`s Assistant Program Director.
School Overview
School Type
Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades 6-12
ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Learning Difference Programs
Yes
Year Founded
2010
Summer School Offered
Yes
Summer Program Details
School Calendar
Student Body
Total Students
31 students
Student Body Type
% Students of Color
11%
State avg.: 26%
Students by Grade
Academics and Faculty
Total Classroom Teachers
6 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
5:1
National avg.: 13:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree
3%
Average Class Size
8 students
Average SAT score
1200
(Out of 1600)
Average ACT score
29
(Out of 36)
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Tuition and Acceptance Rate
Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Tuition Notes
Please talk to admissions.
Summer Program Cost Notes
Please talk to admissions.
Application URL
School Notes
- School Motto: Find your place. Find your passion. Find your life.
- Urban location-While many treatment programs are located in remote areas or on large, rural properties, Eva Carlston is intentionally located in an urban residential neighborhood. In this vibrant urban setting, we are able to expose girls to a wide range of activities, from theater performances to culinary classes to mountain sports. Salt Lake City provides the ideal blend of urban sophistication and outdoor access-the perfect place for girls to try new things and discover a sustainable passion that will translate to her home life. As founder, Kristi Ragsdale, puts it, "whether it`s a camera, a sketchpad, or a pair of running shoes, we want girls to have interests they can take with them anywhere."
- Elegant setting-It`s hard enough to be away from home without having to live in a place that feels "clinical." In fact, sometimes the best therapy occurs when girls feel comfortable enough to drop their guard and forget for a moment that they are even in treatment. Our comfortable, elegantly appointed homes not only teach a positive lifestyle aesthetic, they also communicate to our girls that they are valuable and valued. Each room has a unique and tasteful dcor theme that includes original art, fine linens, and beautiful wall and window treatments. Common areas are designed to provide the cozy feel of home. A sense of order and care in their surroundings is itself a powerful therapeutic aid for our students.
- Family Style Living-Each of our houses is designed to function as an intimate, self-contained home for between sixteen girls, each with its own art-therapy room, school rooms, kitchen, dining room, and common living areas. Girls participate in all aspects of running the house, collectively making recreation decisions, governance decisions, meal plans, and household budgetary decisions. In addition to teaching functional life skills, this family-style approach helps girls develop a strong sense of personal identity, a clear vision for their own life goals and aspirations, and the confidence to speak with their own voice. The dinner table is a place for spirited discussion, sharing, and laughter, while common areas provide quiet places to connect, deepen relationships, and share with Youth Mentors and therapeutic staff.
- Our milieu provides the ideal setting for natural, but highly instructive interactions between staff members and students. Throughout the day, our clinically trained house staff, or "Youth Mentors," model and coach individualized treatment skills in the context of trusting relationships. Girls work with their therapist to identify treatment goals and skills, skills that can be practiced in the supportive context of our houses. In the context of daily life, our Youth Mentors are trained to support each girls` practice of therapeutic skills, which might include: Problem solving, Emotional regulation, Assertiveness versus aggression, CommunicationAnger management, Coping with stress and anxiety, Accepting and implementing feedback, Demonstrating leadership, and Disagreeing with others appropriately.
- Therapy
- Students come to Eva Carlston with a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues. Our students may have experienced devastating trauma, clinical depression, loss, anxiety, or personality disorders. Many "act in" by retreating, avoiding, and isolating, while others may "act out" through defiance, promiscuity, or substance abuse. But regardless of her struggles, every Eva Carlston student is capable of healing and thriving with the right support.
- We offer that support in the form of a robust program of individual, group, and family therapy led by seasoned, licensed therapists. Our treatment approach is gender-specific, using the best, research-validated approaches for supporting women`s mental health. To support and accelerate this work, we incorporate therapeutic elements into every aspect of our student`s lives. Our urban location, art therapy, recreation therapy, family meetings, andLifestyle-Therapyapproach, all give girls a living environment that supports progress made in treatment. Our goal for each girl is that her healing process leads to the discovery of her place, her passion, and her purpose in life. These are the things that will sustain healing and growth for a lifetime.
- Academics
- Academics should prepare students for a life of thoughtful and energetic contribution. At Eva Carlston, we help girls discover the unique set of intellectual strengths that will fuel those contributions. Our strengths-based approach to education helps girls discover and cultivate intellectual passions that will motivate future efforts, inform career choices, and optimize lifelong learning and success.
- At the same time, our accredited academic program helps students develop a foundation of basic competence in all academic subjects and skills. Those skills include written and spoken communication, reading comprehension, mathematics, critical thinking, and-increasingly-the ability to function effectively as part of a team.Whether academically gifted or academically challenged, we know that all of our students can become capable learners and contributors. We customize our education plan and approach to meet each student`s needs and to produce confident, capable learners. Credits earned at Eva Carlston are fully accredited and transferable, and are appropriate for college admissions.
- College Preparation
- Most Eva Carlston Academy students are college-bound. We provide opportunities for ACT and SAT preparation classes and all eleventh graders are encouraged to take both exams. In addition, our academic team assists with college entrance essays and applications.
- Experiential Learning
- Many of our students are, at heart, experiential learners, so we routinely take learning beyond the walls of the classroom and out into the real world. This includes monthly visits to Salt Lake art museums, operas, ballets, and cultural events.In addition, they participate in educational and adventure activities throughout the year.
- Therapeutic Learning
- The classroom provides an excellent therapeutic milieu for our girls. For some, the traditional classroom is a place full of triggers, where difficult social dynamics, unwelcome performance demands, or frustration has been the rule. For others, the classroom is a welcome opportunity to succeed in the midst of a life that may otherwise seem painful. Regardless of a student`s past academic experiences, Eva Carlston has designed its school as a potent therapeutic milieu. It`s a place where girls can overcome past fears, develop new areas of confidence, and practice skills learned in treatment. Our teachers and therapists work as a team to ensure that each girl`s academic program supports her therapeutic goals and vice-versa.
- Art Education and Electives
- Eva Carlston Academy offers a wide variety of elective courses and a very strong fine-arts program. Art courses include drawing, sculpture, poetry, drama, photography, painting, and graphic design. In addition, students create a portfolio that represents their growth and transformation both creatively and therapeutically. These portfolios can be used for application to art programs or can simply serve as a powerful reminder of their experience while in treatment.
- Art for exploration, expression, and healing.
- Eva Carlston is equipped to satisfy the educational and studio requirements of virtually any artist-from a reluctant beginner to an expert. But the purpose of art at Eva Carlston is not just to develop artistic talent. Artistic expression-whether painting, dancing, music, or writing-can also be a potent therapeutic tool, providing an outlet for emotions and feelings that are too painful to express verbally.It is not unusual for traumatic events that have been buried deep in the subconscious to surface through the art, dance, or recreational activities. Once the emotions have been released, a therapist can work more effectively with the student and healing is accelerated.
- We provide students with the instruction, studio space, time, and equipment to engage in a number of artistic pursuits, including dance, painting and drawing, music, drama, poetry, photography, poetry, and writing. Each artistic medium has its own special therapeutic properties and we encourage our students to explore them all-even as they hone in on the one that might become a passion.
- Our students participate in art therapy once per week (though they can elect to do more as schedules permit), which includes instruction, practice, and a therapeutic debrief with our therapists. Students who wish to pursue a specific art form in a more in-depth manner may request extra studio time and instruction.
Source: Verified school update
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy often compared to?
Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy is often viewed alongside schools like Carmen B Pingree Center by visitors of our site.
Does Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy offer a summer program?
Yes, Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy offers a summer program. Visit their summer school page for more information.
When is the application deadline for Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy?
The application deadline for Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).
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Popular comparisons: Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy vs. Carmen B Pingree Center
People that viewed Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy also viewed these schools: Applied Scholastics Academy of Salt Lake City.
The nearest high school to Mount Olympus Preparatory/Eva Carlston Academy is Intermountain Christian School (2.0 miles away)
The nearest elementary school is Buttons N Bows (1.9 miles away)
The nearest preschool is Challenger School - Holladay (1.3 miles away)
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School
Location
Miles
Grades
Students
Grades: PK-12 | 46 students 5.6 miles 547 W. 3900 So. Suite E
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
(801) 253-0365
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
(801) 253-0365
5.6
PK-12
46
School Reviews
5 4/8/2022
The experience of having my daughter in treatment was very difficult because we are divorced and don't agree on many things. Our therapist was always an advocate for my child, and she wasn't afraid of saying hard things to me or my ex. Even though I would get frustrated with the complicated relationship, I knew I could trust that my daughter was in a place that was looking out for her best interests all the time. Everyone at Eva was professional and they always let me know what was going on with my daughter. As soon as you set foot into the program you know that it is a good and safe place, I could tell this by the changes in my daughter and also when I met the other girls in her home. Eva is an exceptional program and I am grateful to them for helping my daughter be happy again.
5 10/13/2021
I loved my teachers at ECA. The work was really hard, but I got the best grades of my life. I really liked that they gave me the accommodations that I needed and made sure I understood. Paul is the best!
5 9/10/2020
I've been working with Kristi and her team for a decade now. One of the most satisfying parts of this hybrid school, which also provides intensive residential therapy, is the live school experience and how that molds to the individual needs of a student. I am always impressed to see how the Eva Carlston teachers adapt to the accommodations and special needs of the students. It is challenging to teach special needs kids in any setting, let alone residential care. But these teachers are rock stars and I am proud to work with them.
5 8/6/2019
Sending our daughter to Eva Carlston Academy was one of the best things we could have done for her and for our family. The staff nurtures and teaches students using an old-fashioned method of earning privileges or consequences, depending on how they respond to daily routines. Over time, the changes in our daughter were remarkable. The staff used empathy and patience in working with her. The therapists were outstanding, with the ability to get to the truth and uncover the source of the problem. My daughter loved the classes at ECA, especially the art classes, and learned to love reading. The art teacher brought out aspects of my daughter that we never knew existed. We are grateful for ECA, Kristi and her team for what they have done for us. Definitely a five-star experience.
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