The New Community School

Riverside School stands as a beacon of hope and empowerment for students in kindergarten through eighth grade who face the challenges of dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. Since its establishment in 1974, the school has dedicated itself to transforming the educational experience for these bright children by employing tailored teaching methods that align with their unique learning styles. Central to Riverside's approach is the Orton-Gillingham methodology, a structured, multisensory strategy that not only addresses the specific needs of students with dyslexia but also fosters a love for learning. The school prides itself on maintaining a low student-teacher ratio, ensuring personalized attention and support that nurtures each child's potential. Additionally, Riverside emphasizes strong partnerships with families, recognizing their vital role in the educational journey. With specialized facilities designed to enhance learning and a commitment to creating an inclusive community, Riverside School distinguishes itself as Virginia's most trusted institution for students with dyslexia, dedicated to helping them achieve their highest academic potential.

At Amelia Street School, we build opportunities for students to develop the communication, functional, behavioral, and social-emotional skills they need in daily life. We work closely with parents and community partners to connect students with services and resources that support learning and participation in inclusive environments. Our educational programs help students strengthen practical skills and prepare for a successful return to their comprehensive schools. Our kindergarten-through-fifth-grade community includes 51 students and maintains a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. As part of Richmond Public Schools, our Eagles community brings students, families, and staff together around each learner’s growth, daily experience, and next steps.

The Steward School is an independent, college-preparatory day school in Richmond, Virginia, enrolling students from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12 across a Lower, Middle and Upper School. It is a mainstream private school, not a special education placement. Academic support is delivered through the Center for the Advancement of Learning (CAL), a named in-house program that pairs students with tutors, offers Orton-Gillingham based literacy instruction in the Lower School, and builds study, organization, time-management and self-advocacy skills in the Middle and Upper School. CAL coordinates annual screenings tied to speech, language and motor development and can connect families with outside speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists. Tutoring is billed hourly, with a scholarship fund available for qualifying families. Steward describes itself as a school that values neurodiversity and enrolls students with identified learning differences, while stating directly that it is not a school for students with identified learning differences. It offers accommodations such as extended time and small-group testing. It does not provide individualized education plans and does not customize its curriculum to target specific skill or processing challenges.