Opening of School - September of 2003

YESTERDAY

Franklin Academy is the fulfillment of a long-held dream among educators, parents, and consultants who understand that schools across the country are not yet ready to meet the complex, multi-faceted needs of children with NLD who are seeking a comprehensive, college preparatory education.

The school was incorporated in November of 2001. A board of trustees was created, and these visionaries successfully secured the school's start-up funding and hired a founding headmaster. Franklin Academy's administrative team began a year of preliminary work in July of 2002. Approval to operate a boarding school for students with NLD was secured from the Connecticut State Department of Education, $2.5 million was invested in school facilities, and a faculty was hired.

Franklin Academy opened its doors on September 10, 2003 with thirty-three students enrolled. The adventure began. During the year the IRS awarded to Franklin Academy its tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 status. The College Board approved the school as a SAT test center – an important benefit for our students who perform better in a familiar setting where their own teachers can manage any test-taking accommodations for which they qualify. The school graduated its first class of six seniors on June 12, 2004.

We began our second year of operation with 55 students in attendance, and the numbers increased to 69 students during the 2005-06 school  year and then to 75 students during 2006-07.  We now have more than eighty students enrolled, and tuition revenue funds 100% of our operating budget.  This means that Franklin Academy has quickly forged a strong financial base.  

Our Third Graduation - June of 2006

TODAY

What have we learned at Franklin Academy since we began this important work?

First, it really makes sense to focus exclusively on bright adolescents who have a nonverbal learning disability and an auditory learning style preference.  Our students possess similar strengths, share common interests, and face comparable challenges, allowing friendships to blossom naturally across our school population and permitting a more intelligent investment of school resources to achieve important educational objectives. Our highest priority from the very beginning has been to create a school community where every student feels safe, connected, understood, and supported. This positive environment reshapes attitudes about school, improves prospects for success in the classroom, and allows students with NLD to shine. We also realize that a boarding school provides a superior setting for the daily instruction and direct practice of social pragmatics.

Over these first five years we have witnessed dramatic transformations as students regain their self-esteem, rekindle their academic curiosity, and once again embrace the risk-taking necessary for learning.  They engage in student government, manage the school store, and participate in off-campus internships.  As a result of Franklin's extensive travel/study program, our students have journeyed to Alaska, Hawaii, the American Southwest, Washington DC, Brazil, the Yucatan Peninsula, Patagonia, India, Europe, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean.  Now, we are able to point to a growing list of college acceptances for our graduates, and we are confident that the class of 2008 and future classes will have many wonderful opportunities to consider for college and career.

Regarding institutional progress at Franklin Academy, we are reaching capacity in current facilities, and we have forged an ambitious strategic plan that envisions a school of 125 students by 2010.  A post-graduate program has been launched for students who have “grown-up” at Franklin Academy.  We are negotiating the purchase of the seventy-five acre campus that we currently lease.  Our new library opened in the fall of 2005, the student center was ready for use in the fall of 2006, and we recently occupied our new science facility that provides two labs and six additional classrooms.  We are raising more and more donor dollars for future projects.  Finally, the administration and faculty completed a rigorous year-long self-study during the 2006-07 school  year to prepare for accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and Franklin Academy was granted accredited status in June of 2007.  

Class of 2007

TOMORROW

The school's distinctive mission appeals to many families seeking a college preparatory boarding school program specially designed for students with NLD. Thus, we anticipate a growing student population. We foresee the construction of new dormitories and classrooms, and we are mobilizing to secure additional resources to fund an ambitious expansion of our physical plant. As our success grows, we look forward to sharing our expertise with educators, psychologists, consultants, and parents across the country.

For more specific details about the goals, timeline, and progress of Franklin Academy's strategic plan, please go to that section of the Franklin website titled “Headmaster's View.”  There you will find a link to the school's strategic plan.  You might also want to review the latest list of college acceptances for seniors in our first four graduating classes.

College Acceptances 2004 - 2007

Lining up for the Franklin family photograph