About - Summit Academy

What is Summit Academy?

About Summit

Summit Academy is an independent, non-profit school that provides a place where each student’s learning challenges are understood and met using a whole child approach; a place where we celebrate and develop a child’s strengths, as well as addressing their area of difficulty. It’s a safe place where each young learner is treated and educated as an individual – in an atmosphere of caring and respect that allows our students to succeed.

Our Mission

Summit Academy provides a transformative educational experience for students who learn differently by cultivating each student’s academic, social, and emotional success in a vibrant and compassionate environment.

Our Goals

Help every student view school as a positive, challenging and successful experience.
Narrow the gap between a student's academic achievement and potential as measured by standardized testing.
Create a supportive community that includes families, staff and teachers working together.
Establish a scholarship endowment, so that every family that needs financial aid will receive it.
Continue to be a dynamic entity; improving, changing and growing in response to the needs of our students and latest knowledge gained through educational research.

Our Philosophy

We Believe

Every student
has value

We maintain a high level of expectations so each student may reach their greatest potential.

We provide a high school program committed to the teaching of life and career readiness skills.

Each student is unique and has a different combination of strengths and challenges

We provide a complete curriculum that includes reading, writing, math, science, social studies, art, music, technology, and P.E.

We develop formal Student Service Plans in order to track, analyze, and reflect upon student learning goals, accommodations, and modifications.

Students need focused attention from educators

We collect and utilize timely data to drive interventions and instruction.

We are committed to maintaining a low student/teacher ratio.

Students deserve to be taught in a way that allows them to be successful

We adapt our interventions and instructional strategies to meet the needs of our students

Students need a school that addresses their social, emotional, physical and academic needs

We integrate the teaching and modeling of organizational, compensatory, and social skills into the daily curriculum.

We provide extra-curricular activities that correspond to current students’ interests.

Students need a
joint cooperative commitment between family and school in order to be successful

We maintain regular and open communication with parents about school events and student progress.

We provide opportunities for families to engage and actively participate in their student’s educational journey.

Students benefit
from a multi-faceted approach to instruction

We use technology as part of the instructional process.

We use multi-sensory methods to engage the brain and sensory systems for better learning retention.

We provide hands-on, experiential instruction to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.

We regularly provide relevant professional development for faculty.

Students need an emotionally safe environment in which to learn

We create an atmosphere of mutual respect and a structured, secure environment for our students.

History

Summit Academy has been educating children with learning differences since it was incorporated as an independent, non-profit school in February 1992. Margaret Thornton and Rosemary Middleton, co-founders of Summit Academy, believe that a conventional school setting may not meet the needs of every child. With this in mind, they opened Summit Academy in August of 1992 with 21 students and a staff of five.

Equal Opportunity

Summit Academy does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, nationality or ethnic origin in administration of its policies and programs.