Rockville

From the moment you enter the Sheppard Pratt School, located in Rockville, Md., you can feel connections being made each day between our staff and students as they interact with each other in classes, during therapeutic activities, and all throughout the school day. We are a community, and our students form relationships at Sheppard Pratt School - Rockville allowing them to reach success that they have not been able to achieve elsewhere.  

Our experienced, compassionate team of administrators, certified special educators, behavior specialists, occupational and speech therapists, clinicians, and education assistants understand that every child deserves individualized instruction and support. We offer multiple programs to meet the needs of our diverse population. Through our robust curriculum, each program helps students meet their educational goals and prepare them for life beyond the classroom.

Our students and their families benefit from the structured daily routine that we offer. We distinguish ourselves by providing: 

• Year-round instruction
• Small class sizes
• Differentiated educational instruction adapted to each student’s needs
• Occupational and physical therapy
• Speech and language therapy 
• Vocational and life skills training
• Group, individual, and family therapy
• Psychiatric services
• Nursing services
• Transitional services
• Art, physical education, and foreign language
• Athletic programs and team sports

These services are just a small part of the diverse programming offered at Sheppard Pratt School - Rockville. As part of Shepard Pratt, we have access to innovative training, technology, and therapists, and integrate all of these offerings into our school.

Our Programs

We take pride in connecting our students with everything that they need to thrive. With small class sizes, and a low student-to-staff ratio, personal attention and compassionate care are our top priorities. Following the admissions process, we meet with each new student and their family to evaluate the student’s needs and review their Individualized Education Program (IEP) to determine the best placement for each student. Many students also have a behavior intervention plan; these plans help foster a calm and safe environment for academic learning as well as for gaining independence and life skills. We meet our students at their level, ensuring that they are comfortable and can communicate appropriately so that learning comes more easily and effectively.  

Our students are grouped according to age, social skills, behaviors, and ability, ensuring that they are working alongside peers in a supportive environment. While our programs are run separately, we are one school, and many of our facilities, team members, and services are shared.  

We have four distinct programs:

• Lower and Middle School (grades one through eight): serving students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, high functioning autism spectrum disorder
• Therapeutic Community and Lodge Program (grades nine through 12): serving students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, high functioning autism spectrum disorder
• Oakmont Primary (ages six through 15): serving students with autism spectrum disorder and related diagnoses
• Oakmont Secondary (grades six through 12): serving students with autism spectrum disorder and related diagnoses

Learn more about our programs.

Preparing Students for the Future

We prepare students for their futures, understanding that our students need more than what a traditional school can provide. We ensure that everything we do is educational, functional, and practical, preparing our students with the tools they will need to excel beyond the classroom.

With the student-centric support they receive while at the Sheppard Pratt School, our students reach goals that they may never have been able to achieve before. We work with our students to promote increased social success, independence, and academic remediation/gains. While many of our students stay with us through graduation, we also take pride in preparing our students for a return to a less restrictive setting when students demonstrate readiness. 

We encourage parent participation and we regularly share information with families about our programs, Sheppard Pratt offerings, and resources throughout Montgomery County and surrounding areas. Our parents are involved and often volunteer during special events, and we strive to bring families together for added support through family meetings which provide extra support for our students and their families. We also hold regular IEP meetings to determine if our facility continues to be the appropriate environment for each of our students.

When students are ready to graduate and receive their diploma, we are fully engaged and work closely with each family to connect them with services and resources in an effort to make the transition to adulthood and independence smoother. Prior to graduation, we connect our families with information and agencies providing job placement services, housing options, and more.  

We provide the following related services: 

• Individual, group, and family counseling
• Speech and language therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Psychological services
• Academic remediation 
• Psychiatry
• School nursing

Admissions

We would love to tell you more about our school or have you visit. Contact us to learn more about our programs.  

To learn more about the special education referral process, click here.

Sheppard Pratt School - Rockville is a Type I School, approved by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).