Upon arrival, most of our children are an average of two years behind grade level. The Eagle Ranch School, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), was formed to help our middle school students ‘catch up’ through an academically intensive program with an extremely low teacher-to-student ratio – one teacher and one para-professional for every 12 children. Currently, our children in elementary school and grades 10-12 attend local public schools. Our Director of Education provides after-school tutorial assistance and skill-specific remediation programs for these children.
The Eagle Ranch School
The Eagle Ranch School for grades 6-9 is focused on preparing students for their future. We incorporate best practices recognized by leaders in education as the most effective methods for helping children learn:
- Pre-testing and post-testing each school year to identify each child’s strengths and weaknesses and measure academic gains
- Individualized and creative instruction geared to the child’s needs
- Low student-teacher ratio
The school is structured to deliberately give our students opportunities to develop key competencies necessary for them to be successful:
- A strong work ethic
- Organizational skills
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Responsibility
- Resourcefulness
Since the start of our on-campus middle school in the fall of 2001, we have consistently documented significant grade level gains each year. However, we go beyond helping our children improve their academic performance. We create a school culture that gives our children a chance for success that they would never have in a larger school setting.
In an analysis of the school, a national education consultant made the following observation:
“Although academic achievement is usually the standard of relevance in educational programs, the Eagle Ranch program seems to provide an even greater benefit in the development of self-confidence, study and social skills, and the instilling of the value of education in the students.”
Partnering with public schools
Eagle Ranch also maintains a close partnership with the neighboring Hall County School System, working with an excellent elementary and high school team of teachers and school counselors to support students from Eagle Ranch with their academic performance and behavioral skills.
Our school’s mission
The underlying premise of all school activities is to help our children become internally motivated to succeed and to build their self-confidence. We want to prepare them for whatever their next step may be after leaving the Ranch: returning to public school, entering college or joining the work force.
