Academics

We believe that getting an education is a teenager's primary job, and that at-risk teens should not have to sacrifice educational quality in order to receive the long-term supportive services they need. Therefore academic excellence is central to The Family Foundation School, a boarding school structured as traditionally as possible given the needs of our students. We offer not only the typical courses required for a high school diploma, but advanced courses, some for college credit. We also offer a variety of academic and artistic electives and many co-curricular activities. A complete listing of current courses can be found on our website. 

We believe that teacher expectations and a spirit of excellence (a tenet of the school since its inception) are the main components of student achievement and our grading policies reflect this. Our minimum passing grade is 75%. Given that many of our students have come to us because of academic difficulties caused by emotional and/or substance abuse issues, it may seem counter-intuitive to raise the bar, but our experience indicates otherwise. Meeting this higher standard gives students a burst of self-confidence that carries over into other parts of their life. Getting good grades is considered a good thing here, and new students quickly embrace that ethic. 

Our key academic advantages

Small classes with built-in homework time. Classes average 8 to 12  students each. Teachers organize class time so that 25-30 minutes of each class period involves presentation or demonstration of new concepts or skills, with the remainder devoted to working with students to ensure they understand and can apply the material.

Teachers available evenings and weekends.  All staff members work at least one evening or week-end shift each week, enabling them to assist students as needed outside the classroom. 

Individual academic coordinators. Each house has its own academic coordinator who is intimately familiar with each student's academic plan and monitors their academic progress on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis. The academic coordinator reports regularly on the student's grades, homework and classroom participation to the head of the house and the house therapist, and provides positive support and feedback to the students, particularly those struggling academically. All students receive monthly report cards. 

Two graduation classes each year. Graduations in both June and December enable many students who arrived with academic deficiencies to repair their transcript and complete high school only a semester behind their classmates at home. Our ability to design a custom education program helps students make up for failures and delays as quickly as possible. If this involves repeating a course, the final transcript includes only a final course grade, not the fact that a course was repeated. 

Intensive summer session. Our six-week summer session offers students a chance to catch up academically or explore new areas of interest while still enjoying a variety of summer activities on campus. The summer session provides an excellent transition for students coming from wilderness or residential treatment programs. 

Fewer distractions. The school has none of the distractions that many students experience at home which can interfere with academic progress. There are no TVs or cell phones, and only restricted, monitored use of the internet. This means no access to social networking sites such as Facebook, and no video games except those that support physical exercise such as Wii. Prescreened movies and videos are limited to the weekends. 

Our teachers

It takes energy, dedication and commitment to teach at-risk teens, and our teachers have it. Faculty turnover here is low - the average tenure is more than eight years -and credentials include five doctorate degrees and several masters degrees. Many of our teachers have professional distinctions as well. Our roster currently includes a sitting New York county legislator, an internationally acclaimed iconographer, a former molecular pathologist, and a widely published author of young adult novels. 

Many of our faculty members possess not only the teaching credentials but also the recovery history that uniquely qualifies them to teach at-risk teens, reaching and relating to them where others might fail.  All of our teachers are knowledgeable of the 12 Steps of recovery, ever mindful of the backgrounds and unique emotional needs of their students and always ready to inject program and life principles into their curriculum when needed or appropriate. A complete listing of current faculty members and their credentials can be found on our website. 

Student placement 

After the decision to admit a student, academic and guidance personnel review his or her academic, psycho-social, and testing history to develop an initial academic plan, individualized for the student. Upon arrival, the student is given skill tests and, if needed, will be issued a schedule that includes tutoring in a given area. Students who arrive with pre-determined deficiencies will be given appropriate academic support including professional tutoring and one-on-one instruction. We monitor academic performance closely throughout a student's stay with us and will adjust the level of support whenever necessary to maximize academic success while strengthening the student's ability to learn independently. 

SAT and ACT preparation

SAT/ACT preparation is an optional semester-long course that focuses on the test-taking skills, strategies and content for these highly competitive national examinations that are critical to college placement and scholarship awards. 

College counseling and placement

The Family Foundation School offers a range of college-level courses for students who are academically advanced in certain areas but still working toward their diploma. Seven faculty members, five with Ph.D's, are qualified to teach college courses. We also have a designated college counselor to assist students and their parents in the college selection process. The school's record of college placement is exceptional. For the past several years, virtually 100 percent of our graduates have been accepted to post-secondary institutions, including schools like Brandeis University, Carnegie-Mellon, University of Rochester, Virginia Tech, University of Scranton and Binghamton University, as well as professional schools like the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Culinary Institute of America. A complete listing of schools that have accepted FFS graduates can be found on our website.  

Our emphasis on academics is evident in the halls and classrooms of The Family Foundation School. Despite a casual dress code and the energetic chatter in the hallways as students change classes, our standards for class attendance, classroom conduct and punctuality are strict. When necessary, counselors and heads of houses are quickly enlisted to help those students whose behavior is disruptive or defiant. Our emphasis on building character, integrity and respect for others is also evident here. By being conscious of and responsive to the dignity, welfare and worth of our students, the problems that afflict public schools such as cliques and bullying are nipped in the bud at FFS. Our constant priority is to maintain an atmosphere conducive to pleasant, purposeful activity where all students feel physically and emotionally safe.

New York State  Regents diplomas

Students may pursue a New York State Regents diploma in graduating from FFS. New York residents who wish their child to remain on the Regents track should let us know at the time of enrollment.

We are registered by The New York State Board of Regents and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Over the last four years, virtually 100 percent of our graduates have been accepted to post-secondary institutions---an impressive statistic considering the many students who come to us with little hope of graduating from high school.