The back-to-school year is upon us. While in the past parents often joked about sending their children back, times have changed. Parents have an increasing fear of violence and threats. Students are plagued with anxiety and depression. Not to mention the teachers and staff who have to adapt to the changes and needs of every student year by year, someone you know and love will be heading back to school, and the greatest gift you can give is prayer. It is free. It won’t cost you anything but time, and you get to choose how much time you give it. Prayer is powerful, dynamic, and effective (James 5:16), and it never returns to us void (Isaiah 55: 11). Let’s bless our children and administrators heading back.

Pray for your fellow intercessor.

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Since I last spoke with Keli Caraveo, founder of Lock The Shields, last year, there has been slow but consistent growth. For six years, the mission has remained the same: to adopt school campuses across America and cover them with prayer. Last year, Keli shared that Lock the Shields partnered with Campus Alliance Ministries, a cohort of over 70 ministries focused on reaching campuses and students nationwide with the gospel. 

“We’ve also partnered with the National Network of Youth Ministries, which reaches mainly middle school and high school. We’ve seen a real coordinated effort to unify by joining forces with the collective goal of praying over schools and reaching schools with the gospel. There has been so much answered prayer, especially in student-led prayer. It has been a blessing to see that.

Last year, Lock the Shields saw 115 new schools adopted and 35 entire districts, and 1,500 campuses were collectively adopted through other ministries. The prayer is for those numbers to increase. 

Praise Reports

Just as Keli shared, the efforts of ministries partnering for prayer and sharing the gospel. More local churches are partnering; we can praise God that wherever there is unity and prayer, revival usually follows. 

One intercessor from Tennessee reached out and said she was grateful to IFA for introducing her and her husband to Lock the Shields. They adopted schools and are regularly praying over them. 

One of Lock the Shield’s prayer partners in another state had a principal reach out to them. Intercessors prayed the Sunday before school began. When the Principal walked into the school, she asked, “What did you guys do? Something has definitely changed.” Whether she knew the language of God or not, she felt the prayers for her school. Thank you, Jesus! Prayers create an atmosphere where anything can happen. When we call on the name of the Lord, He makes the impossible possible. 

Another testimony happened after prayer walking in an elementary school. A teacher said she felt like angels had filled the hallways. She kept sensing God’s protection in the school’s halls. 

In a small prayer gathering at a school, the superintendent came. She had expressed that her number one concern was the safety of the campus and its students. She shared that they were doing the best they could with security and necessary measures. The superintendent received one-on-one prayer, and the Holy Spirit reassured her that he was protecting the campus. She was reminded of a verse about God’s covering under the shadow of His wings. It was a personal word for her, but also the Lord confirming that He was covering the school. 

In one Texas district, it was reported that last school year, there had been 30 fights at one high school; that number had decreased to 3. Suicide attempts have diminished remarkably in another Texas school. In San Antonio, there have been close to a dozen reports that came out from local stations where a gun was brought to school. Investigations revealed writings and intent to do harm, but the plans were exposed and intercepted due to intercession. Last year in Texas alone, 700 schools were prayer-walked for back-to-school, thanks to a partnership with the National Network of Youth Ministries, with a prayer of reaching 1,000. 

These are specific answers to prayer for our children and youth at school, Keli said. “We pray God’s Word and send it out. According to Isaiah 55:11, He will accomplish His word; it never returns void. We have prayed, especially when we show up on campuses, that the enemy’s plans in our schools be uncovered and exposed before anything can be carried out.” 

In one school district, Keli attended an event where ministries partner together. She heard testimonies about what God is doing in a school through student-led prayer and ministry. These high schoolers are hungry for Jesus. Keli was in tears because this school, which is seeing a move of God, has been adopted and prayed over by students, parents, teachers, and intercessors just like us. She was able to see the fruit of her prayers. The answers don’t always come as suddenly as we expect them to, but when they do, it is definitely worth the wait.

Like many Christians, she has wondered if what she does is making a difference. A sweet high school girl came up to Keli after the meeting and said, “Can I give you a hug? I feel like the Lord wants me to thank you for all the prayers.” Hearing the testimonies and this girl who went to her made Keli emotional. It was a timely confirmation. 

On Sunday, August 9th, 2026, Lock The Shields will be holding its sixth annual prayer event. It’s an open invitation to all believers, friends, family, and churches to take some time and pray over a school campus. Maybe there’s one near you, or the campus of a loved one. The beauty of praying on the Sunday before school lies in its simplicity. It can be two moms praying and walking their child’s elementary school. Some churches go as small groups. It doesn’t have to be massive numbers to produce good fruit in the spirit realm. I asked Keli for specifics on how we can be interceding for kids this year, and here are some points. 

• Pray that our children and youth will be set free from fear, anxiety, and depression. 
• Pray that young people will know their identity in the Lord and become rooted and grounded in it. 
• Pray for God’s wisdom over the administration as it handles the challenges that arise.
• Pray for these metro cities with the lowest school adoptions. Salt Lake City, UT; Providence & Warwick, Rhode Island; Boston & Cambridge, Massachusetts; Newton, Ohio. Also, these cities have low adoption rates: New York, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Tampa, Los Angeles, and Miami. 

A New Prayer Strategy for School Boards and Principals

God has commanded us to make intercession for those in authority. While we normally look to governmental and spiritual leaders, we cannot forget those who lead in the field of education. We can pray for wisdom and righteousness, but our number one prayer should be for their salvation. If they do not know the Lord, it will be reflected in how they vote and what values they uphold. Not to mention that these are people created in the image of God, like us. In 1 Timothy 2:1-4, when Paul asks us to intercede for those in authority, he says in verse 4, “that they may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” 

Keli shared that at a recent School Connect Summit, which is a gathering of businesses, non-profits, ministries, community partners, etc. Teachers, superintendents, and pastors were present. A Pastor who went to speak was led by the Holy Spirit and said to the superintendents and board members, “If your first encounter with the church was an angry one. I want to apologize to you. Please forgive us. We will do better.” Keli said that the room went silent, and you could have heard a pin drop. This is not how we are typically seeing Christian’s approach those who hold those positions. This Pastor demonstrated a different approach to these leaders in education. “It’s like a wall of division was broken in the Spirit,” Keli said.

Right now, there are big things happening in our schools that need prayers aside from what Keli shared. We can watch social media and see angry residents and parents at school boards. And the things they are speaking out about are just. We have the justice part down, but what that Pastor demonstrated was the heart of God as well. God is a god of Justice, as he is a god of mercy. But rarely do we see mercy and truth meeting together. We can be so busy fighting for what is right that our heart posture can be wrong. We absolutely should be able to address what is wrong in school boards, but we must also remember that there is a soul behind the title they wear. We should be able to say what needs to be said, but we should lead with God’s love first. 

We are not at war with the person; we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. When we approach with a “war mentality” of us-versus-them, it hinders our ability to make lasting connections, build relationships, and secure a seat at the table for dialogue.

Perhaps, while praying for our children at the beginning of the school year, we can take a few minutes to pray for the superintendents and board members by name. Or at a school board meeting, you could let them know that you are praying for them. To reach people as Jesus did, we must be willing to speak the truth in love.

Father, we stand in the gap for our children as they head back to school. We pray for supernatural blessings over every campus according to your promises in Psalm 91. A hedge of angelic protection from any schemes, traps, or plots of the enemy, and we praise you for how you have frustrated the enemy’s plans, not just literally, but by setting them free emotionally. We praise you for every good report, for the growth in student-led ministry, for young people who are hungry for Jesus. Let every seed planted in intercession produce lasting fruit and spread nationwide.

We pray for those metro areas, those hard-to-reach places, and we know there are Christians in these cities. There is no city You cannot reach, no heart You can’t move. We ask for the gates that have been shut over these regions to be flung wide open, and we pray for a move of God and for student-led prayer movements in these cities. You are God of the impossible, the way maker, and we know that you are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. So, we are asking, in Jesus’ name, amen.

What is your prayer for children as they go back to school? 

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: This And No Internet 25/Pexels.