McKenzie County Farmer - Latest News

M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer

​Last Tuesday, Laura Feldman, Executive Director of Home On The Range, appeared before the McKenzie County Board of Commissioners to provide a sweeping update on the organization’s booming on-site school, a multi-million dollar expansion project, and a critical state-level policy victory that promises to drastically improve long-term outcomes for vulnerable youth.

​Home On The Range, a nonprofit therapeutic working ranch located near Sentinel Butte, operates the Badlands Learning Center, an on-site educational facility that opened its doors in June 2024. The school was designed to provide tailored, trauma-informed education directly on the property, moving away from sending residents to nearby public school districts.

​According to Feldman, the localized educational model has yielded immediate, staggering results. In 2025, the Badlands Learning Center served 65 students, resulting in 158 passed classes and 79 earned credits. ​“Every kid that came on our campus walked out of there earning credit, which is amazing,” Feldman told commissioners, drawing a sharp contrast to the 2022-2023 academic year in public schools, where less than a third of their residents managed to earn any school credit. Additionally, the facility celebrated six GED graduates and 27 who passed GED tests over the same period.

​The academic environment has shifted perceptions so effectively that students routinely ask to attend classes even during standard vacation windows, such as winter break. ​Driven by this rapid growth, the therapeutic ranch has officially broken ground on a massive $3.2 million expansion project. To date, Home On The Range has raised approximately $3 million through an assortment of grants, individual bequests, and $400,000 tapped directly from their internal organizational savings. A remaining $200,000 is still needed to bridge the final financial gap. ​

The new addition will feature ​two dedicated classrooms, safely separating instructional areas for male and female students to foster focused environments. There will also be an independent living kitchenette, outfitted with standard apartment-sized appliances, where youth participate in cooking and baking groups, learn practical meal planning, and prep dishes for one another. The outdoor learning space features an interactive courtyard space dedicated to gardening and ecotherapy, designed to let students reconnect by working directly in the soil. Additional facilities include new administrative offices, updated bathrooms, and a specialized sensory room.​Construction is currently on track to reach completion by January 2027.

​Beyond the physical bricks and mortar, Feldman revealed a monumental administrative victory occurring at the state level. Effective July 1, 2026, the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to standardize a minimum six-month uninterrupted stay for all youth entering the residential program, replacing a rigid three-month cap that long hindered therapeutic breakthrough. Feldman noted that short-term caps inadvertently create a revolving door. Roughly 22 percent of youth in recent years returned to the facility for a second or third stay. “A kid can do anything for three months and not necessarily do the therapeutic work they need,” Feldman explained. “It takes a while to form new habits and new beliefs. To start believing in yourself doesn’t happen in three months.” 

Clinical research dictates that highly traumatized youth, including victims of child sex trafficking and exploitation, who make up between 80 percent to 100 percent of the girls admitted to the facility, ideally require 18 to 24 months of consistent care. While a full two years remains a legislative stretch in North Dakota, shifting the floor to six months represents a vital intermediate victory. Data highlights the efficacy of extended time frames: for residents able to stay past the 100-day threshold under a previous localized pilot program, 87 percent were clinically categorized as “recovered ‘ upon discharge, while the remaining 13 percent were considered “healthy.”

​The facility currently houses 20 students, a number strictly capped due to regional staffing shortages, though the location is fully licensed to care for 26. While the vast majority of current residents stem from within North Dakota’s borders, the facility maintains out-of-state contracts to take in survivors of human trafficking from major urban hubs, including Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

​Members of the McKenzie County Commission reaffirmed their deep financial and vocal backing of the expansion, acknowledging the unique vulnerability of rural areas. ​“In the fight against human trafficking, in particular in rural areas where it’s actually ,you wouldn’t guess, but proportionately higher occurrences...you need places for people to land,” Commissioner Joel Brown noted during the proceedings. “Home On The Range right now is the spot for our kids who are at risk…we’ve got your back on this.”