G. Stanley Hall School

We are G. Stanley Hall School, a special education day school in Worcester, Massachusetts operated by the Bridge of Central Massachusetts, a non-profit human service agency. For many students and their families, G. Stanley Hall School provides the best hope for academic, emotional and personal success.

For Younger Students
For students in grades 1-5 who need specialized academic support but who are not in residential care, G. Stanley Hall School offers School House, a school program which is available to day students at our residential site.

The middle and high schools of G. Stanley Hall School offer a comprehensive special education curriculum supported by individualized services for adolescents in grades 6-12 who have experienced depression, withdrawal, low self-esteem, socialization problems, learning disabilities, post traumatic stress disorder, or self-injurious behaviors.

We provide students in academic and personal crises with the skills and support they need to be re-integrated into a traditional classroom or to complete graduation requirements at our school. We are an alternative to residential placement and offer our students and their families the kinds of support services that traditional high schools cannot provide.

We meet the unique needs of our students in a variety of ways, through a carefully constructed academic curriculum which meets all state standards, and a program of therapeutic options designed for each individual.

In conjunction with the day school, G. Stanley Hall School is affiliated with two residential/academic facilities operated through The Bridge. School House, a residential program, has an on-site classroom which is open to day school students, ages 8-12, who need intensive academic and behavioral support. Ives House, an adolescent residential program, operates a self-contained classroom at our Mann Street building which allows students to build skills that prepare them to return to a traditional classroom setting.

GSHS - An Overview

G. Stanley Hall School provides a comprehensive curriculum, September through August, with classes taking place 50 weeks per year.
Co-ed facility with a student/teacher ratio of 8:1.
Each classroom has an experienced teacher and teacher assistant.
Every student meets weekly with an assigned Clinician.
We currently serve 50 students from 14 school districts.
Our daily hours of operation are Monday - Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Thursday is early release day when students are dismissed at 2 p.m.
Our summer program (June - August) includes academics and vocational skills training, as well as supervised, paid work at sites in the community.

History
G. Stanley Hall School was established in 1980 in order to address an unmet community need. At that time, several special education schools existed in Central Massachusetts for youth who had problems with delinquency, but none provided education and treatment for youth with mental health challenges.

Since then, the G. Stanley Hall School has been the leader in providing special education services for emotionally challenged youth from Central Massachusetts. We consistently succeed in offering individualized instruction in small classroom settings, culminating in the student's return to his/her original school district, or achievement of a high school diploma.

Who was G. Stanley Hall?
G. Stanley Hall was a brilliant psychologist and the first President of Clark University. Dr. Hall is best known as the originator of the concept of adolescence. His two volume work, Adolescence, was a best seller in the early years of the 20th century. In 1905, Dr. Hall inspired Sigmund Freud's only visit to the United States that year by inviting Freud to lecture at Clark University. In recognition of G. Stanley Hall's contributions to adolescent psychology, we decided to name our school in his honor.

Philosophy
Today, G. Stanley Hall School is a thriving community of scholars and their families. Our central philosophy is based on academic excellence and personal achievement, as well as collective respect and acceptance.
Students are responsible for their individual actions, and are taught tools to help them manage behavior. Through experiential activities and "full values living," our goal-oriented behavior system gives students training and tools to make good behavior choices, work as a team, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. While achieving “levels” of independence, students are able to reduce truancy, increase classroom productivity and realize individual academic success.