Williams Bridge Academy: Empowering Students with Learning Differences
Williams Bridge Academy (WBA), formerly known as Learning Skills Academy, is a private, non-profit day school located on the New Hampshire seacoast. Serving students in grades 3-12, ages 8 to 21, WBA provides specialized education to students with language and learning differences. Established in 1984, the academy has a rich history of fostering the educational potential of its students.
Mission and Student Profile
WBA's mission is to ignite the educational potential of students with language and learning differences so that they may succeed in school, college, and career. The academy serves students who experience academic and social challenges resulting from language-based or visual-spatial learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, or other health impairments.
A Comprehensive School Experience
WBA offers a comprehensive school experience, providing tutorials in the basic skills of literacy and mathematics, while facilitating higher-order thinking skills through theme-based content area instruction. The academy seeks to meet students’ social and emotional needs by providing pragmatic language instruction within a meaningful social context.
Curriculum and Instruction
WBA provides language-based instruction in the seacoast area. The academy offers tutorials in literacy and mathematics, while facilitating higher order thinking skills through theme-based content area instruction. WBA seeks to meet students’ social and emotional needs by providing pragmatic language instruction within a meaningful social context. With curriculum-based field studies, WBA takes advantage of its location in NH’s beautiful seacoast area.
Upper School and Facilities
WBA has a dedicated Upper School for grades 9-12. The other buildings house grades 3-8, Language and Math Labs, and a gym. The academy has expanded its facilities to accommodate a growing student body and enhanced academic offerings. These expansions have included the renovation of a suite of offices to establish a dedicated Upper School. The school's newest addition is a greenhouse that provides year-round education and enrichment opportunities for students.
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Faculty and Staff
WBA is a small, close-knit community of thirty-six faculty, most with multiple educational certifications, and up to sixty students. The academy has added highly skilled staff members over the years.
Partnerships and Community Engagement
WBA’s partnerships with local universities, including Franklin Pierce University, Granite State College, and the University of New Hampshire, have provided a strong foundation for future educators and speech language professionals.
Admissions Process
The admissions process typically begins with a contact by a parent or a school district, followed by a tour and a conversation with the Executive Director. If WBA seems an appropriate match, the parent or district completes the application and submits information which speak to the child’s strengths and needs; this usually includes the IEP, current evals and a writing sample. The admissions process allows WBA to select students who need and are expected to benefit from the program. The decision for admittance is made within two weeks of the visit. The admission deadline is rolling.
Tuition and Acceptance Rate
The average private school tuition in Rockingham County, NH is $19,359 for elementary schools and $31,113 for high schools. The average acceptance rate in Rockingham County, NH is 67%. The yearly tuition at WBA is $64,301. The rate is set by the state of NH.
A Legacy of Support and Growth
Serving just six students in its first year, today WBA serves approximately 60 students each year from southeast and central New Hampshire, northern Massachusetts, and southern Maine. The school is approved by the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Departments of Education for the provision of special education and related services.
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Anniversary and Dedication
Students, alumni, faculty, local officials, and supporters gathered recently to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Williams Bridge Academy. The anniversary celebration also included the dedication of the school’s newest addition to campus, a greenhouse that was dedicated in memory of four well-loved members of the WBA community: the school’s first student, Billy Carpenter, class of 2015 graduate Nicholas Farago, singer/songwriter Bill Staines, and former Board member Paul Whitcomb.
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