We make learning possible.

Welcome home.

At Orchard Friends, we offer an entirely different model for education that has worked for students across a diverse spectrum of strengths, challenges, ages, and personal and academic goals. Untethered from state-dictated curriculum, we have the freedom to prioritize what’s truly important for and beneficial to each student and to develop fully individualized learning plans that fit those goals.

We believe that enabling learning and empowering learners means seeing each student as unique—and adjusting our goals, our approach in the classroom, and the resources we provide to meet each student’s specific needs. When others close their doors, we open ours. We let families know they are welcome and wanted. That at Orchard Friends, their child will be seen and treated as a valued person, not a problem.

Ultimately, we strive to make learning possible; to set students up for success; to rebuild self-esteem and a sense of self-efficacy; and to give them the tools to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally—at Orchard Friends, and wherever life takes them next.

Giana’s Story

Twelve-year-old Giana joined Orchard Friends after completing kindergarten and first grade in public school. She came to Orchard Friends almost completely shut down around learning. Frequently pushed beyond what was developmentally appropriate and subjected to near-constant testing, she had begun refusing to even try to complete her schoolwork, and would go entire school days without speaking.

Without the necessary level of support, the school told Giana’s parents that she might never learn to read. Then her mother, Lisa Matos, found Orchard Friends:

One challenge in public schools is that service providers like speech pathologists have to serve the whole district. For a student like Giana where the need goes beyond basic speech therapy, twenty minutes once a week was not going to be enough for her to grow academically.
We visited OFS several times to see whether it would be a good fit for Giana. I immediately liked that the programming was hands-on and individualized to every student: they had access to lots of experts and resources and weren’t locked into one curriculum. If something wasn’t working, they reached out to me, sought input, and switched up their approach. Whatever needs to be done or is required for a student, they are willing and able to make it happen.
Since Giana started at OFS, I’ve seen so much growth. She’s learning to read, making friends, and feels more comfortable taking risks now. Special education students need more time to reach developmental milestones: trying to rush them is both ineffective and damaging. Developmentally-appropriate milestones are much more important.