The Jefferson School and Residential Treatment Center

The Jefferson School, located on a 30-acre wooded campus 15 minutes from Frederick, Maryland, is a nonpublic special education day school and residential treatment center providing year-round educational, vocational, and related services to day students ages 12 to 21 and residents ages 13 to 21 with emotional and behavioral disabilities needing a specialized educational environment, complete with a residential milieu and community activities.

The Jefferson School is a unique environment designed to meet the needs of our diverse population.  Residential and day students work side by side within a collaborative learning environment that maximizes our resources while also ensuring that each student can best meet their educational and behavioral goals. Our staff is always ready to help our students overcome any challenges they face.

Our experienced, compassionate team of administrators, certified teachers, psychiatrists, behavioral specialists, curriculum specialists, therapists, and trained assistants understand that every child deserves individualized instruction and support. Through our robust curriculum, we help students meet their 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:   

• 12 months of instruction
• Small class sizes 
• Maryland State College Career and Readiness Curriculum
• Individual and group psychotherapy
• Family therapy
• Vocational and life skills training
• Psychiatric assessment and medication management
• Behavior management, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) 
• Occupational therapy
• Speech and language therapy 
• Counseling services
• Equine-assisted psychotherapy services
• Full-time school health and nursing services
• Transition services
• Therapeutic recreation services 

These services and activities are just a small part of the diverse programming offered at The Jefferson School. As part of the nationally-renowned Sheppard Pratt Health System, we have access to innovative training, technology, and therapies, and integrate all of these offerings into our school.

Admissions

Given our unique, comprehensive offerings, we have students travel to our school from all over Maryland, but most of our students are from Frederick and Montgomery County, and Washington, D.C. We currently have capacity for 53 residential students and 30 day students. We would love to tell you more about our school or have you visit. Contact us to learn more about our program. To learn more about the special education referral process, click here.

The Jefferson School is a Type I School, approved by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).