Agapé Boarding School
Missouri Christian boarding school closed in 2023 amid investigations and lawsuits by former students.
Missouri · Closed January 2023
Overview
Agapé Boarding School was a Christian boarding school for boys in Stockton, Missouri. For years it operated amid Missouri’s limited oversight of certain faith-based programs. Beginning around 2020, former students publicly alleged longstanding physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.
What happened
Investigative reporting by The Kansas City Star and subsequent AP coverage described allegations of beatings, sexual abuse, restraints, withheld food or water, and failures to report abuse. Former students filed civil lawsuits. State and local authorities scrutinized the school as part of broader attention to Missouri reform schools.
Outcome / status
In January 2023, Agapé announced it would stop providing services effective January 20, citing financial hardship while under investigation and litigation (AP). Later civil suits, including a wrongful-death claim reported by AP in 2023, continued after closure. Individual lawsuit outcomes vary; do not assume a global settlement or criminal conviction from closure alone.