Hello and welcome to Heather Ridge School! We are an alternative school program in Frederick County serving students from the general education setting who have not met with success in their assigned middle or high school. We also serve special education students who need more services for behavioral disorders. The classes we offer are the same classes as students take across the county, but offered in a small, structured setting with more individualized help from teachers, instructional assistants, and special educators. We also offer therapeutic services from our therapists and student support teachers. Our teaching staff is highly qualified in their subject content areas and our therapists hold current licenses in the state of Maryland.
Our middle school students and ninth and tenth graders attend school from 7:50 – 2:00; our eleventh and twelfth graders attend from 3:15 – 6:15 and are encouraged to hold jobs during the day. The evening program is called our Twilight program, and students attend there at the age of 16 or eleventh grade. The Day program and Twilight program work together to provide a transition and bridge to those students moving from one program to another.
Our goal is to transition our students back to their assigned middle or high school and to see them be successful in a school and community setting. To that end, some students are only at our school for one semester, some for a year or longer. The student’s needs dictate how long they remain with us.
We welcome visitors and guests to Heather Ridge to see the work we do and how we structure our program. If you would like to visit, please call our office and ask to be put in touch with an administrator or a program specialist who can arrange your visit. We look forward to meeting you!
Denise Flora, Principal
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