Philips Academy caters to middle and high school students who have learning and cognitive disabilities. Founded in 2005, the academy is a private, non-profit school that serves students with average to borderline cognitive abilities; the student to teacher ratio is 5:1. The school encourages strong family involvement in students' education. In addition to middle and high school programs, the academy also offers Bridges, a post-secondary program for young adults with learning and social challenges, where they can continue to learn career skills and how to live independently in the community. Bridges involves a 2-year core curriculum with 30 hours of classes per week and a work placement. Students can then move on to a full-time career or transition to the Bridges residential program.
Founded in 1978, Dore Academy is a college preparatory college for K-12 students with mild to moderate learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or ADHD. Students with emotional or behavioral challenges are not accepted. The school offers an individualized approach to education with a student to teacher ratio of 10:1. Dore Academy makes use of the Orton-Gillingham based reading approach, which involves the use of structured phonics. The average stay for students at Dore Academy is three years; the goal of the academy is to prepare students to enter the regular education system.
The Fletcher School was founded in 1982. This institution is an independent and non-profit school for students in kindergarten to grade 12 with learning disabilities and ADHD. All academic programs are based on the Orton-Gillingham method of instruction, using phonetics. The Fletcher School offers three programs: The School Year Program for students in kindergarten to grade 12; The Summer Program where Fletcher and non-Fletcher students can improve academics; and the After School Tutoring Program, a one-on-one tutoring program. There are before and after school programs in addition to many extracurricular programs such as art, fencing and karate.
The Epiphany School of Charlotte, as part of the Regents school system, was established for the 2010 to 2011 school year. The school accepts children 8 to 14 years of age, or those in grades 3 to 8, with difficulties in social and communication skills that impede learning. Students who attend this school are typically of average to above-average intelligence, and they are often diagnosed with either Apserger's Syndrome, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, or learning disabilities. The Epiphany School offers individualized education, in addition to a summer camp program that focuses on communication and social skills.