Missions, Beliefs & History

Our Vision

We envision a world where every child is understood, valued for who they are, and empowered to take responsibility for their choices, solve their own problems, and grow into kind, capable citizens who thrive wherever their path leads.

Our Mission

Working with each family, Porter Academy strives to create an accepting community that meets each child where they are academically, developmentally, socially, and emotionally and challenges each child as much as is appropriate for that child at that time. Our goal is to remediate weaknesses and foster strengths, enabling children to leave here with a strong foundation and confidence in their own abilities.

Our Beliefs

• Children can reach untapped potential when provided with
  • appropriate small group instruction
  • social-emotional guidance
  • therapeutic support
• Children are best able to succeed academically and socially when the school
  • utilizes a whole-child approach
  • simultaneously develops academics and foundational abilities (e.g., processing skills, attention, motor skills)
  • promotes development of self-esteem and intrinsic motivation
• Regular assessments are necessary to determine the most effective intervention for each child

Our History

For more than 26 years, Porter Academy has been a place where children with learning and developmental differences feel safe, happy, and open to learning. What began as one teacher’s classroom in a church has grown into a school with its own campus in Roswell, but the belief behind it has never changed: every child can succeed in the right environment.

Where it began

Porter Academy’s story begins with Claudia Porter, a speech-language pathologist who loved helping children with reading and language while building their confidence. For ten years she taught the Focus Class at High Meadows School, helping students fill learning gaps and prepare for the next step.

When that program came to an end, Claudia saw how few schools specialized in children with learning differences, and she wanted the freedom to teach the way she knew children learned best. Encouraged by Muriel Lange, the parent of one of her students and a math teacher who joined her for the school’s first years, Claudia opened The Porter School in fall 2000.

That first year, 16 children in first through third grade gathered in rented space at Christ United Church in Roswell. Claudia never planned for the school to grow beyond that one classroom. But word spread, and families kept coming.

Finding a home

In its second year, the school added fourth grade and moved to the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Marietta. Through word of mouth and recommendations from local psychologists, it was quickly earning a reputation as a school where children thrived.

In 2002, The Porter School bought its own home: two buildings and playgrounds on three acres at 200 Cox Road in Roswell, where the school still stands today. Physical education, music therapy, art, and drama joined the curriculum, and in 2004 the school launched its summer program, Camp Extraordinaire.

The early years on Cox Road brought challenges too. When one of the original buildings had to be torn down in 2004, parents and staff rallied with donations and hard work to keep every class going. In 2007, the school took the name it carries today: Porter Academy.

Growing with our students

As Porter Academy grew, its program grew with the children it served. Occupational therapy and sign language became part of the curriculum in 2005, with therapeutic strategies woven into each school day. In 2007 the school added sixth through eighth grade, along with Morning Energizers and Extended Day for working families. Pre-Kindergarten followed in 2010.

The campus grew as well. In 2010, an addition to the front building brought new classrooms and break-out rooms. In 2012, a second building opened with more homerooms, an art and music room, and a sensory gym. Porter Academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), Cognia, and the Georgia Accrediting Commission, and is a member of the Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools, the Georgia Independent School Association, and Greater Atlanta Private Schools for Exceptional Children.

Over the years the school has also opened doors for families through scholarship programs, beginning with the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship in 2008 and Georgia’s Student Scholarship Organization tax credit program, through GreatSSO, in 2010.

A family legacy

In 2004, Claudia’s daughter, Lynn Schoeneck, joined the school as a lead teacher, and the following year she became its occupational therapist. Over time Lynn took on more of the school’s administrative work so her mother could spend more time with students, becoming Assistant Director in 2010.

Claudia led the school as Head of School until 2016, when she stepped back to focus entirely on the work she loved most: her speech-language groups. After a public search, the Board of Directors named Lynn Head of School. Under her leadership, Porter Academy added the Core Knowledge curriculum and expanded its social-emotional learning, which today includes Social Thinking and Zones of Regulation, and continued to strengthen its approach to small-group, multisensory instruction.

Claudia stayed at Porter Academy for the rest of her career. She passed away on February 7, 2025. In her memory, the school created the Claudia Porter Scholarship Fund, so that her belief in every child can continue to open doors for Porter families.

Looking ahead

Today, Porter Academy’s skilled, dedicated teachers and therapists serve students from Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade on a campus with two buildings, a sensory gym, and two playgrounds. Homerooms are capped at 12 students, and academics are taught in small groups of two to eight, so every child is known and every child’s needs are met. Students also receive occupational and music therapy in small groups.

In July 2027, Dr. Tracye Purchase will become Porter Academy’s next Head of School. Tracye joined Porter Academy as a teacher in 2016, earned her Doctor of Education in Special Education while teaching, and has since served as Curriculum Administrator and Assistant Principal. Lynn Schoeneck will continue at Porter Academy as occupational therapist and Director of Institutional Effectiveness.

More than a quarter century after Claudia Porter opened her one classroom, the school she started still holds to the same promise: to meet every child where they are and help each one find success.

To learn more, visit our program page or contact us at 770-594-1313.