Specialized Dyslexia Schools
For families whose children are not making adequate progress in conventional school settings, specialized schools designed specifically for students with dyslexia offer an alternative. These schools share a common commitment to evidence-based reading instruction delivered at sufficient intensity, teachers trained in structured literacy, and a culture that genuinely honors and develops the strengths of dyslexic learners. Three examples illustrate different models and approaches.
The Lab School of Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1967 by Katherine Davenport, the Lab School of Washington is one of the most famous and long-established schools for students with learning disabilities in the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade who have average to superior intelligence but significant learning disabilities, including dyslexia.
The Lab School is known for its arts-integrated approach. The curriculum uses the visual and performing arts — painting, ceramics, drama, woodworking, filmmaking — not just as extracurricular activities but as primary vehicles for teaching academic content. Students who are struggling to read historical texts might be building models of ancient civilizations or performing dramatic interpretations of historical events. This approach leverages the creative strengths often associated with dyslexia while academic skills are being built.
Simultaneously, Lab School students receive daily structured literacy instruction targeting their specific phonological and reading skills. The dual approach — rigorous remediation of reading deficits combined with full engagement of strengths through the arts — reflects the sea of strengths philosophy in practice.
Kildonan School, Amenia, New York
Kildonan School is a boarding and day school in the Hudson Valley of New York State, serving students in grades 2–12 who have dyslexia. Founded in 1969, Kildonan is explicitly organized around the Orton-Gillingham method. Every student receives daily one-on-one OG tutoring as part of the school day — not as a pull-out service, but as a required component of every student’s program.
Kildonan’s full immersion in OG methodology means that teachers across all subject areas are trained to support students with reading difficulties, and the academic program is designed to allow students to access content through listening, discussion, and project work while their reading and writing skills are being systematically built. The school culture is one where dyslexia is openly acknowledged and discussed, students support each other, and the narrative is about strengths and growth rather than deficits.
Louisiana Key Academy, New Orleans
Louisiana Key Academy demonstrates that specialized dyslexia education does not have to be private and expensive. It is a public charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana, serving students in kindergarten through 8th grade, at no cost to families. Founded in 2011 by Rhonda Oglesby, it has become a model for what publicly funded dyslexia education can look like.
Louisiana Key Academy implements two critical practices at scale:
Universal screening: Every entering student is screened for reading difficulty using validated instruments. The school does not wait for students to fail before beginning targeted instruction.
90-minute daily structured literacy block: Every student receives at least 90 minutes of structured literacy instruction daily, using the Wilson Reading System and other evidence-based phonics programs. Students who need additional intervention receive it on top of, not instead of, the core program.
The results have been compelling. Students who arrive significantly below grade level in reading make gains that far exceed what they would be expected to achieve in conventional school settings. Louisiana Key Academy serves as a proof of concept that universal access to evidence-based dyslexia instruction is achievable within public education.
What These Schools Share
Despite their differences in location, format, and student age ranges, these schools share the elements that Shaywitz identifies as essential:
- Teachers trained in structured literacy methods
- Intensive, daily phonics-based reading instruction
- Small group or individual instruction formats
- A school culture that understands and affirms dyslexic learners
- Systems for tracking individual progress
These features are the benchmarks any school — specialized or conventional — should be evaluated against.
Based on “Overcoming Dyslexia” by Sally Shaywitz, M.D. (2020 edition)