Hebron Christian Academy has purchased 13 acres of land in Dacula to build a dedicated facility for its rapidly expanding special needs program, according to the school's head of school. The new campus is planned to house Lions Learning Academy, which has grown from 17 students to 45 in just two years.
The land purchase was reported Friday by Fox 5 Atlanta, which cited the head of school in confirming that Hebron Christian Academy bought the 13-acre site to build a standalone home for its special needs division. Lions Learning Academy launched for the 2024-2025 school year on the school's Old Peachtree Road campus with just three classrooms, according to Hebron Christian Academy. By fall 2026, the program had expanded to six classrooms serving 45 students, the school says.
A Campus Built Around Therapy, Not Just Classrooms
The planned standalone facility on the newly acquired site is designed to accommodate up to 250 students, according to the school. Plans call for therapeutic services woven directly into the school day, including an on-site therapy pool, immersive sensory labs, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and Applied Behavior Analysis, per the same source. Most private Christian schools lack this kind of fully integrated on-site clinical and developmental therapy setup, the school notes.
Lions Learning Academy is the program planned for the new site. The land is now secured, and the project is part of a fundraising effort.
Debt-Free Policy Means Construction Waits on Donors
To move forward, the school set a capital campaign goal of $20 million to $22 million for the 13-acre site, according to the school. Private school expansions of this kind often lean on capital campaigns rather than municipal bond financing or commercial loans, since institutions like Hebron typically cannot issue public debt the way a government-run district can.
The current status of that fundraising campaign, and when groundbreaking might actually happen, remains an open question for now. The school has not indicated a firm construction start date tied to reaching the funding target.
A Pattern of Expansion Under the Current Head of School
Hebron Christian Academy has undertaken a series of capital projects in recent years, according to the school. The academy has launched funded capital improvements, a track record that frames the new special needs campus as the next step in a longer expansion pattern rather than an isolated project.
The school's roots go back further than its current name suggests. Hebron Christian Academy was founded in 1999, according to Gwinnett Magazine. In August, the school honored its founder by naming a newly built campus center after him.
A Covenant School With a Growing Footprint
Today, Hebron Christian Academy operates as a Christian school at its primary 69-acre campus at 775 Dacula Road, according to Gwinnett Magazine. The academy has also reported growth in its overall enrollment.
For families navigating the cost of private special education, state policy offers a potential bridge. Under the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program, public school students with Individualized Education Plans or 504 plans can receive state vouchers to attend participating private schools, with awards averaging $7,767 per student during the 2024-2025 school year, according to the Georgia Department of Education. Official 2024-2025 program data showed 6,631 students enrolled, according to EdChoice, reflecting growing demand for specialized non-public education options across Georgia.
Part of a Broader Push for Adaptive Facilities in Dacula
The land purchase also lands amid a wider local trend toward accessible infrastructure in Dacula. Gwinnett County opened an inclusive sports field tailored for individuals with physical and developmental disabilities at Rabbit Hill Park in September 2025. That public investment, paired with the school's private expansion, points to rising demand for adaptive spaces as the area itself grows — Dacula has also seen rapid residential development, including a 300-unit apartment project that broke ground earlier this year.
For now, the 13 acres sit as a marker of intent rather than an active construction site. Whether Hebron Christian Academy reaches its $20 million to $22 million fundraising target, and how soon, will determine when the therapy pool, sensory labs, and classrooms described in the school's plans actually break ground.
