Forman School

About

Forman School is a coed college prep school exclusively dedicated to empowering bright students who learn differently.

Story

Founded in 1930, Forman has always been organized around the notion that some students learn differently. An average class size of six and student-faculty ratio of 3:1 makes it possible to prepare each student for college and beyond. Forman's teachers and learning specialists are guided by the study of attention, memory, language development, and higher order cognition. Forman seeks to provide an optimal learning environment for each individual student and in doing so, utilizes a variety of instructional methods. Resources for Forman students include a universal design for instruction and assistive technology tools such as iPads, Smartboards, and laptops that allow teachers to continually view student work during class.

All students work daily with a learning specialist to receive direct, strategic instruction–as opposed to content tutoring–in reading, writing, study skills and in the upper grades, strategies for transitioning to college. Strategic instruction encompasses sentence, paragraph, and essay structure; vocabulary building, decoding, and reading comprehension; memorization, test taking, and note taking; time management, materials organization, and assignment completion; familiarization with one’s personality traits and career interests, specific learning issues, practice using assistive technology, and strategies for researching and applying to colleges. In addition, content tutoring is available during the evening study hall hours.

Forman students are not spectators. The School offers 18 competitive athletic offerings, extensive visual and performing arts programs, boat building, sign language, rock and jazz band, theater, videography and photography, and the Costa Rican Rain Forest Project. The centerpiece of Forman’s commitment to experiential education is the Winterim, a 20-day program during which all students and faculty participate in over 30 off campus and on campus opportunities. Because students with different learning styles excel as innovators, entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders, Winterim is designed as a time for students to develop their individual talents and interests.

All students are required to take Thinking and Writing, a course that focuses on critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration as components of the writing process. In addition, the required College Transitions courses in 11th and 12th grade empower students to fully understand their individual learning styles, what colleges are appropriate for their needs and ability, what services they will need in college, and how to advocate for themselves after Forman. Each year 100 percent of the graduating class is accepted to a four-year college or university, and 96 percent matriculate. The remaining four percent attend a two-year college or participate in a gap-year program.