There’s no place like Forman.
YOUR GUIDE TO AMERICA’S FIRST COED COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL SPECIALIZING IN ADHD & DYSLEXIA
Where learning differently isn’t what makes you different
Forman is, to put it simply, one of a kind. For almost a century, we’ve transformed the lives of teenagers with ADHD and dyslexia, via a committed, research-driven curriculum and expert teaching adapted to their individual learning needs.
Every Forman student has extraordinary promise. Here, they’ll understand that promise for themselves as they learn to self-advocate, trust in their intelligence and abilities, engage deeply with course material, and develop proven, personalized strategies to thrive in college and beyond— with a cohort whose experiences are just like theirs. Importantly, they’ll also explore who they are outside the classroom on our breathtaking, hightech, 125-acre campus just a couple of hours from New York City.
A century of innovation
From the outset, Forman was radically progressive, inclusive, and evidencebased. In the 1930s, pioneering physician and dyslexia expert Dr. Samuel Orton trained our faculty in techniques for students with dyslexia.
From our rigorous professional development—all teachers are executive function-trained—to weekly, goalsetting advisory meetings with students, an immersive Winterim experience, and our exploratorium Promethean Lab, Forman remains a community driven by innovation. A place where no student is left behind.
In the 1980s, we were the first to introduce computer-assisted writing courses. By 1982, TIME declared Forman the best school for students with learning differences in America.
In the 1940s, we became coeducational, better preparing students for real life. In 1943, Dr. Albert Einstein—who also had reading difficulties—joined our board of directors and consulted on Forman’s curriculum.
Forman’s learning spaces are engineered to accommodate student needs.
A transformative, tranquil campus
Every classroom on our leafy, lightfilled campus is fitted with the latest assistive technology. Specialist facilities—from the 9,000-squarefoot Science Center with its own
My proudest achievement is learning how to advocate for and support myself.
DR. CATHERINE STINES, DEAN OF FACULTY
We
know specific students are intrinsic savants in 21st-century learning skills. We highlight those skills— such as adaptability, communication, and collaboration—within topics of courses that they resonate with. It allows them to become interdisciplinary experts.
Befriending the brain
The Cognition and Learning Department is a flagship Forman offering. Its small, hyper-focused classes—such as executive function coaching, reading principles, and metacognition strategies—are developed in tandem with experts in both education and the neuroscience of adolescence, and built into the timetabled curriculum. They’re designed to help students unpack how their own brains function so they can effectively tackle learning challenges in high school and beyond.
“We want students to truly know themselves as learners.” – Devin Burkhart, Director of the Cognition and Learning Department
FAMILIES DISCOVER FORMAN IN UNIQUE WAYS, BUT THEY TEND TO LOOK FOR THE SAME THING: AN EMPOWERING, WELCOMING COMMUNITY WHERE STUDENTS THRIVE AND REDISCOVER THE THRILLS OF LEARNING. HERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES—FROM A STUDENT AND PARENTS— ON HOW TRANSFORMATIVE FORMAN’S EDUCATION CAN BE.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR LIFE AT FORMAN.
I’m a senior, and I’ve been at Forman for three years. In my free time, I love walking around campus with my friends and conversing with my fellow peers and teachers. We all love going to the MGC Student Center—watching movies and playing fun games. I love going to the gym and playing volleyball and other fun sports with anyone who is willing. Some nights I prefer to get off campus and go into town to talk with everyone and get food together. I also love going to the open Visual Arts and Performing Center, where I can work on fun projects and try new techniques.
DO YOU BOARD AT FORMAN? IF SO, IS IT ANYTHING LIKE YOU’D EXPECTED?
Yes, I’m a boarding student. I’ve also been a prefect for two years, and I love it! Learning how to live with others can be a struggle at times, but at the end of the day, when we hang out in the common room together, we always appreciate one another and the time we spend together.
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’RE INVOLVED IN OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM?
I’m a dorm prefect, a student ambassador, and was captain for three years of junior varsity volleyball. I’m also a chapter leader in the Eye to Eye mentoring program—which is 100% my favorite activity outside of class. Eye to Eye is a mentor-mentee-based leading style for kids with learning differences. We work [as volunteers with kids] to learn the meanings of common words in the learning differences community: accommodation, grit, and more. Being able to share our stories with the kids and each other is so powerful. It doesn’t matter what type of day I’m having; after I walk out of that classroom, I’m smiling, happier than I’ve ever been.
Hearing them make a plan for the next five years of their lives made me so happy. I remember being in middle school and not knowing what I wanted. For kids to have someone with a learning difference to look up to—who is doing well in education and in life— is so important.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE FORMAN’S STUDENT COMMUNITY?
Understanding and loving. I would say that everyone has a home base [of friends], but you end up knowing everyone’s name and face really fast.
The student
ONCE A PIONEER, FOREVER AN INNOVATOR.
The parents
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER FORMAN?
While working at a summer day camp, our son was paired with a young lady who happened to be a Forman student. After learning about the school from her, he came home and talked about Forman with us. Knowing a place like Forman exists engenders a sense of hope. Around every corner and through every door, opportunities that students with learning differences never thought possible are waiting to be discovered.
WHAT LED YOU TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND ENROLL?
For years, we listened to school administrators extol the virtues of “teaching to the individual child.” But we quickly realized that this frequently repeated mantra meant individual students were expected to conform to a one-size-fits-all curriculum, and the school would assist with getting everyone on the exact same page.
Our son needed something different— a school that understands square pegs can fit through round holes if you make the hole big enough. In other words, he needed a place where academic instruction included finding methods that worked best for him. Forman has small classes with intensely focused instruction that meets students where they are, then challenges them to dig deeper into course materials. Our son needed to know how capable he is and how self-reliant he can be, and it’s the ideal place to instill the confidence he needs to really know himself as a learner.
DOES YOUR SON BOARD AT FORMAN?
Yes, and we live 1,000 miles from campus. From discussions with our tour guide and the Admission Office, we developed a very good understanding of a day in the life of a boarding student. The structure of their day encourages the formation of healthy habits and a routine. Boarding provides the framework for how they interact with peers and learn the value of community in a residential setting. We felt a boarding school experience would help our son develop confidence in himself, a sense of responsibility, and prepare him for college life.
HAVE
YOU
NOTICED ANY DIFFERENCES—
EMOTIONALLY, SOCIALLY, ACADEMICALLY— SINCE YOUR CHILD STARTED AT FORMAN?
As parents of a student with learning differences, we face a constant internal struggle of how to support our child—knowing when we should be helping. Watching a third grader develop anxiety in an academic setting (and not knowing how to help) is paralyzing. But Forman doesn’t emphasize the difficulties. They allow students to discover what they can do.
The results are clear. Our son is developing real, sustained academic confidence. Instead of working hard to avoid challenges, he’s embracing them and finding pride in small successes. During one phone call, he announced, “Today I learned that I can read Shakespeare and actually understand it.” And when he doesn’t understand a concept, he takes responsibility for seeking extra help. As parents, we can spend months and years begging our children to master self-advocacy. Forman begins infusing that skill on day one.
The results are clear.
Our son is developing real, sustained academic confidence.
Specialists in STEM
STEM learning revolutionizes our world, from climate change to healthcare delivery, data, and artificial intelligence.
Forman’s STEM program challenges students to be flexible and futureoriented, able to connect ideas and concepts across disciplines. For budding STEM researchers, we offer lab courses—including robotics— where they can program and experiment, and the data collection-focused Rainforest Project.
Where creatives dream bigger
Neurodivergent teens are often creative: original thinkers, experimental, inventive problem-solvers. At Forman, they access dozens of hands-on art courses—photography, video, painting, jewelry-making, ceramics, and more—all taught in fully-equipped studios. We offer weekly classes in dance, drama, music, and music theory, plus music ensembles and three annual theater productions. Many faculty members are working artists, actors, and musicians, infusing their classes with invaluable industry experience.
Forman art students have access to nearinfinite supplies, ensuring they can explore new ideas without limits.
DISCOVER YOUR INNER CHAMPION
A healthy lifestyle looks different for everyone—which is why Forman’s expansive athletics and club program creates infinite opportunities to cultivate it. Our 30 sports and recreational options range from highly competitive to wholly unexpected: soccer, cross country, lacrosse, football, basketball, equestrian, skiing, boatbuilding, rock climbing, meditation and mindfulness, and culinary arts. Our club program is student-conceived, changing each year, with offerings such as archaeology, retro video games, newspaper publishing, and debating.
The Forman Lions compete in a multi-school league, where sportsmanship is as crucial as winning. We value generosity of spirit—and inclusivity—above all else.
GO LIO NS!
A place to find
There’s a natural closeness—and radical, refreshing openness—forged on a campus where everyone has a learning difference. In life, it’s rare to enter spaces where everyone understands you.
Opportunities to meaningfully connect with others are built into daily life at Forman, be it weekend trips into nearby towns, movie nights in dorms, volunteer programs like Eye to Eye mentoring, clubs, or school-wide Green and Gold competitions.
your people
I’m
a day student, but I stay until check-in almost every night because I enjoy the community atmosphere on campus.
Future-ready learners
Forman has a 100% college acceptance rate, every year. All graduating students take post-secondary planning courses, alongside individual college counseling, and can access our College Counseling Office—and its workshops— throughout the summer.
More than college preparation, Forman prepares students for an ambitious, full life of learning differently. When they graduate, it’s with a tailored, emotionally intelligent toolkit to navigate any challenge and a global community ready to champion their journey.
Discover more reasons why there’s no place like Forman. Book a school tour or enroll today.