Academics

At Greenwood, academics are an engaging and empowering experience. Our programming focuses on the whole student. Your student will learn important life skills, such as organization, time management, and self-advocacy. He will also receive specialized academic remediation in areas such as reading, writing, spelling, and math. In every way, the Greenwood curriculum will support your student’s unique intelligence.

Small class sizes and individualized instruction allow us to tailor our program to the specific needs of each student. With a 2:1 student-to-faculty ratio, each student receives all the attention he needs. Our goal is to help our students rediscover the joy of learning, build their confidence, and prepare them for the next stage of their lives.

Download our Program of Studies

Learn more about Academics at Greenwood:

Greenwood student reading the Gary Paulsen paperback "Hatchet" while hugging a cat
Greenwood teacher smiling and pointing to 3D model on computer monitor as seated student looks on
Greenwood teacher standing in front of world map and U.S. map as two students with laptops look on
Greenwood teacher looking happy and surprised as student builds with LEGO bricks, second student watches, and third student grasps head in amazement
Greenwood student works with clay pot on wheel
Greenwood student in woodshop wearing ear protection and glasses and using tool
Greenwood student uses remote to control LEGO vehicle as teacher looks on
Greenwood student paddling kayak

“Some boys can’t read for good reason. They have dyslexia. Teachers read to them. Students start with the alphabet and make friends with those sounds that they missed somewhere along the way. Some boys can’t add. No judgment. If you have to do your math stepping from chair to chair, so that you encode the times-tables kinesthetically, we’re cool with that. Whatever works. We are here for them.”

—Mark Donahue, LICSW, Director of Counseling Services

Academic Services & Supports

At Greenwood, we specialize in providing tailored support to boys facing complex learning challenges. Our academic program is designed for students in grades 6 through 12 who have been diagnosed with various learning differences, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, ADHD, processing speed challenges, working memory issues, and autism. Our students benefit from targeted instruction in reading, writing, spelling, and other areas such as executive functioning and social pragmatics.

We find great joy in guiding students who have been deemed “unmotivated” or “not trying hard enough” in other settings—when in fact it’s quite the opposite—as well as students who have quietly “flown under the radar” for years, working extraordinarily hard and putting in extra effort to keep up with their neurotypical peers.

Our support services take a comprehensive approach to addressing the unique needs of our students:

  • Intensive Language and Literacy therapy is built into our curriculum. Students with dyslexia and related language-based learning differences work closely with our Language & Literacy Specialists to gain a high level of accuracy, fluency, understanding, and independence in written language skills.

  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) fosters a sense of self-awareness, empathy for others, and the ability to navigate social interactions. Through twice-weekly SEL classes at each grade level, Greenwood students explore the nature and importance of social thinking, self-expression, and human interaction.

  • Optional additional support services include Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Therapy, Counseling, and one-on-one intensive SEL coaching.

  • Our College & Career Counseling department offers individual counseling, Transitions Classes for 11th and 12th graders, job shadows, internships, and the creation of a senior portfolio.

Learn more about our unparalleled services and supports:

Greenwood student reading book as smiling teacher makes note with pen
Greenwood student and teacher smiling at each other at table with text on bulletin board reading WANTED: GOOD FRIENDS
Greenwood teacher pointing paper that student is holding
Greenwood teacher showing student something on laptop

Assistive Technology

At Greenwood, we strive to offer and support all students with the assistive technology they need in order to fully engage in the curriculum, most effectively demonstrate their learning, and best prepare for life after Greenwood. Our mission is to provide opportunities for each student to try, gain competence, and ultimately select the assistive technology that works best for them.

Download a list of the assistive tech available to Greenwood students

Questions? Contact Jean Nolan , our Director of Special Education, Director of Support Services, and Coordinator of Assistive Technology.

"All the teachers are really nice—it’s amazing. If I ever need help with anything, they’re always there for me."

—Greenwood student

Academic Advising

The advising system at Greenwood pairs each student with a Greenwood adult who serves as the student’s advisor. The advisor is a primary point of support for the student and his family. The advisor formally meets with the student three times a week and has many opportunities for informal interaction.

  • The advisor has the following roles:

    ●Develop and maintain a close relationship with the student and support him in all areas of the program

    ●Through an ADHD/Executive Functioning Coaching Model, help the student identify challenges, define areas of need, and develop personal goals and effective strategies to improve performance in every domain of the program (academic, residential, social, and extracurricular)

    ●Develop a partnership with the student’s family and keep the family informed of progress, challenges, goals, and strategies through weekly communication

    ●Serve as the student’s advocate and help the student develop and practice self-advocacy skills

    ●Keep current with the student’s progress in academic classes and facilitate communication between teachers

    ●Keep current with the student’s progress in the residential program and facilitate communication between staff

    ●Work in concert with the Academic Dean and the Administrative Advisor or Dean of Students to coordinate individualized support and service plans

  • You will hear every three weeks from the advisor, and the advisor will give you an overview of your student’s progress and growth, noting accomplishments, struggles, goals and strategies, including highlights and challenges from the past few weeks.

  • Communicate with the advisor. You know your child best, and we value your insights.

    Let us know when things are going on outside of school that might be affecting your child’s mood or behavior (e.g., news about family members or friends from home).

    If you have questions or concerns, please share them with the advisor. Our goal is to solve issues both effectively and collaboratively, which at times necessitates the advisor bringing questions or concerns back to the faculty or administrative team, and they may not be able to address the issue immediately. Many of our advisors also teach full-time, so if there is an emergency, please don’t hesitate to contact the school directly.

A Signature Greenwood Program:
The Gettysburg Address

For decades, Greenwood boys have undertaken the incredible task of learning and memorizing the Gettysburg Address and then delivering the speech before an audience of faculty, family, and judges from around the world. Documented by Ken Burns in his 2014 film The Address, the recitation of the Gettsyburg Address is an annual Greenwood tradition and a milestone for students and their families. Participation in this incredible challenge brings out the best in students.

Greenwood student at podium on stage delivering Gettsyburg Address

"The first time I was asked to be a judge, I just wept. And I said, 'This should be a film.' I think there's something about these kids that's so moving and so inspirational—that they do something that's really unbelievably tough, which is to memorize some of the best words ever spoken."

—Ken Burns, speaking about his film The Address

Our Middle School & High School

The Greenwood School serves students in grades 6 through 12. Our intentionally small population of students is organized into a middle school and a high school.

Learn more about the two schools that make up the Greenwood School:

  • The middle school curriculum at The Greenwood School is designed to build confidence and enhance proficiencies. All students are enrolled into a variety of classes that provide a balance between academic rigor and exploration of creativity.

    Each student attends a targeted reading class based on a variety of assessments. These classes range from Wilson Language to Orton-Gillingham to general comprehension programs based on the individual needs of each student. In addition to targeted reading instruction, each middle school student is enrolled into an English Language Arts class that focuses on writing proficiencies. Five levels of math are also offered to middle school students; again, placement is based on individual need. Our middle school science and social studies programs are designed to introduce students to the basic concepts they will need to succeed in high school science and history classes.

    All of our middle school students also rotate through our “creative” classes: music, art, woodshop, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Additionally, every middle school student is enrolled into a direct-instruction social-emotional learning class. Some students have additional services in their weekly schedule that may include 1:1 or small-group social coaching, 1:1 counseling, speech and language instruction, and/or occupational therapy.

    All students meet with their advisor three to four times a week. The focus of every academic interaction is to build confidence, resilience, and tenacity in our students so that they can approach any future academic challenge with a solid sense of risk-taking and curiosity. Our faculty incorporate joy and the love of learning into daily academic interactions to foster the unique rapport between our students and faculty on which the success of our program relies.

    Middle School Classes:

    ● Humanities Block: ELA and Social Studies

    ● STEM Block: Integrated Math and Science

    ● Creatives: Rotation of Robotics, Art, Music, Woodshop

    ● Reading Tutorial: Wilson, Orton-Gillingham, or Directed Reading Strategies

    ● Social-Emotional Learning

    ● Support Services as needed: Occupational Therapy, Speech, additional 1:1 or small-group Social-Emotional Learning, Counseling, Equine Therapy, 1:1 music lessons

  • The high school academic program at The Greenwood School builds upon the success and confidence gained in the middle school program. We honor the whole child and create a balanced academic program that addresses college readiness with social-emotional well-being as well as the arts. We incorporate Executive Function strategies into every class in a systematic and unified manner, so that students develop and explore many approaches to getting and staying on track with their academics. We provide structured study skill instruction throughout the day as well as in the evening.

    Our College and Career curriculum starts in the 11th grade and continues until graduation. Just as in middle school, students are placed into core classes according to their proficiency levels. Our goal is to challenge and engage every student to the highest degree while addressing any gaps or problems along the way. Students are required to take 5 academic subjects every year. Students are also required to take Social-Emotional Learning class each year; in the senior year this is focused on the steps necessary to matriculate into a post-secondary program. A full array of support services is offered and integrated directly into the student’s daily program. Those services are counseling, speech, occupational therapy, and 1:1/small-group SEL support.

    Our English classes focus on the writing process. Our math and science classes are integrated to promote application of mathematical concepts in the field. Our history electives focus on high-interest topics such as economics, civics, and art history in addition to our required history classes of World History and U.S. History. Our creative classes such as woodshop, studio art, and music allow students to explore and enhance their ability to create art and solve problems. We also offer Spanish 1 and 2. We do not have a school-based foreign language requirement, but many of our students prepare to matriculate to colleges that do. We want to be sure that all of the doors are open to our students when they leave us. In the senior year, all students are required to participate in at least 1 off-campus internship or several job shadows. Many students create and complete many more than the requirement.

CONNECT Travel Program

Science faculty member Jesse Wampler directs our CONNECT travel program, which currently features trips to Rwanda and Iceland. A naturalist and bird watcher, Wampler aims to offer educational travel experiences that incorporate local culture and adventure.

Jesse Wampler with Greenwood students in wooden canoe in tropical location

Our Mission

The Greenwood School empowers neurodivergent learners in grades 6-12 by fostering resilience, confidence, and friendship. Greenwood prioritizes research-based programs emphasizing academics and social-emotional skills integrated with experiential learning, instilling a love of learning and preparing students for fulfilling futures.

Got questions?

Get in touch with Justin McCallister, our Dean of Academics.