LifeWise Academy, offering off-campus religious education, reports its highest-ever enrollment for the 2025-26 school year.
In a statement, LifeWise Academy announced that, in the 2025-26 school year, nearly 100,000 students will participate in Bible-based character education during school hours through programs that allow for released time for students to receive off-campus religious instruction.
A fact sheet compiled by LifeWise Academy indicates that 44,438 students were enrolled in the program last year. LifeWise aims to make its program available to all 50 million public school students.
Additional statistics shared by LifeWise Academy show that “LifeWise will serve students in more than 1,100 schools, nearly double the amount from the previous school year,” and that the number of states where LifeWise provides off-campus religious instruction has grown from 27 to 34.
In an interview with Christian Post, LifeWise Academy CEO Joel Penton stated that the organization has experienced growth “thanks to the homegrown support of communities throughout America.”
“When a community collects 50 signatures saying they’d like to start a local LifeWise program, we work with them to bring it to fruition. Our staff will help them work with school districts, develop plans and launch the program,” he said.
“As we’ve grown, so too has funding, ranging from small dollar donors to large nonprofits that see the tremendous impact that LifeWise has on children’s emotional, academic and spiritual growth,” he added.
Penton attributed the surge in enrollment at LifeWise Academy to parents discovering the program through “word of mouth, seeing how it works in neighboring communities and states or hearing about it through the media.”
“Many states are also responding to the demand by passing released time religious instruction laws, which make Bible-based education more accessible to parents,” he explained.
A poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted by RMG Research for LifeWise Academy from Feb. 25-26 showed strong support for religious instruction during the school day, with 78% backing “teaching moral and character education” and only 13% opposed.
67% of those surveyed responded positively when asked if they wanted to see public school students have access to “Bible-based character education available for public school students.”
