Porter Academy

Working with each family, Porter Academy strives to create an accepting community that meets each child where they are — academically, developmentally, socially, and emotionally. We challenge each child as much as is appropriate for them, right now, using structured, evidence-based academics alongside integrated therapeutic and social-emotional support. Our goal is simple: help every child leave with a strong foundation and real confidence in their own abilities.

Strong Academics

• Core Knowledge Curriculum emphasizes language development while delivering a broad, rigorous curriculum spanning language arts, math, world and American history, geography, science, visual arts, and music. 
• Zoo Phonics foundational phonics instruction for our youngest learners, building the skills needed to succeed in Wilson and Edmark as they progress
• Wilson Decoding/Encoding an evidence-based reading program that teaches explicit phonics rules to decode any word. 
• Edmark Reading an evidence-based reading curriculum designed for students who struggle with traditional phonics 
• Language & Literacy incorporating Lindamood-Bell, an evidence-based intervention system designed to develop the core sensory-cognitive processing skills required for reading, spelling, math, and comprehension. Unlike programs that teach reading rules or content memory, Lindamood-Bell targets the underlying brain processes that allow people to visualize sounds, letters, and concepts.
• TouchMath an evidence-based multisensory math program that uses numerals themselves as physical manipulatives 
• Multi-sensory instruction throughout, with information layered for retention
• Homerooms capped at 12 students; academic instruction in groups of 8 or fewer

Developmental, Sensory, and Social-Emotional Support

• Occupational Therapy and Physical Education 4 days a week
• Wilson and Language & Literacy classes, 5 days a week, specialist-led and small-group
• Social Skills 
  • Lower School: a distinct, specialist-led, class 5 days a week
  • Upper School: A specialist-led class one day a week, plus an informal daily check-in during snack to build social skills and address any concerns as they come up.
• Art and Music, 2 days a week
• A dedicated sensory gym — foam pit, climbing wall, OT swings, balance and regulation tools
• Social-emotional learning and character education woven throughout every day
• A positive-reinforcement culture built around helping children feel safe, valued, and confident

A Week at Porter Academy

Every student receives all of the above — none of it is optional or add-on. Our youngest learners begin with Zoo Phonics to build foundational phonics skills, preparing them to transition into Wilson Decoding/Encoding as they progress.

What Sets Us Apart

• Small, level-based academic groups — never more than 8 students
• Reading is taught using multiple approaches (phonics, whole-word, and sensory-cognitive) to maximize the likelihood of success
• Teachers differentiate and individualize their approach based on each student’s academic, developmental, and social-emotional level and current state
• Occupational Therapy and Physical Education, four days a week, for every student
• Specialist-led Social Skills classes, five days a week
• A dedicated on-campus sensory gym
• Multi-sensory, evidence-based academics
• Social-emotional learning woven into daily school life
• Triple accreditation (SAIS, Cognia, GACS)

See What’s Possible When Academics and Support Work Together
Complete our inquiry form to learn more about how a structured, rigorous academic program and daily therapeutic support work side by side at Porter Academy.