The Vision

Darrington Academy strives to provide the best possible academic opportunities for students with behavioral issues sufficient to preclude them from a traditional classroom while providing the experiences necessary to develop new and more effective decision making skills. In the past behavioral schools have been somewhat limited in the number and types of extra curricular activities they could provide due to the nature of their student populations. It was observed that there was a significant gap between the behavior of students attending public schools and those of students found in most behavioral programs. This gap left parents of students whose behavior was not accepted in public school very little choice in the type of private schooling they could provide their students. Their student wouldn’t fit in the public classroom but their behaviors were nowhere near the level of those exhibited by students who were being sent to the typical behavior programs. 

Darrington Academy was created to fill this gap. From the beginning it was decided that rather than create a behavioral program that incorporated just enough academics to get by or provided a GED, Darrington would be a boarding school that offered a true high school diploma in a setting which incorporated the structure and supervision of a behavioral program. This provides parents of students who are beginning to display unwanted behaviors an option for early intervention rather than waiting until the behaviors escalate to the point at which they would warrant enrollment in a strictly behavioral facility. 

In order to account for the behavioral needs of our students the entire school is operated on the same premise as a basic behavioral 504 modification plan which includes individually paced curriculum, one on one interaction between student and teacher, emphasizing organization and note taking skills, highly structured schedule, and clearly defined rules and consequences combined with consistent administration of these consequences. 

Aside from the academics at Darrington we also hope to include as many extracurricular opportunities for our students as possible, in order to give them the best possible opportunities for enrollment in today’s colleges and universities. Prior to starting the school we had observed that although many behavioral facilities were able to initiate changes in student behavior. These students, upon completion, found their academic choices limited by the lack of traditional extracurricular experiences in their student portfolio. We feel that it is important to give our students as many opportunities as possible to participate in these extracurricular activities whether they are academic or athletic. For this reason we have joined the Georgia Independent Schools Association and the Atlanta Area Conference in order to provide a venue for students to enrich their athletic and academic high school experiences.

While the academic and extracurricular experiences available at Darrington are an important part of the students experience their value can only be realized if the student gains the tools necessary to alter prior decision making strategies. It is for this reason that we still must stress the importance of the behavioral aspect of our program. All of the extracurricular opportunities are based on a student’s willingness to participate in the character building and emotional growth aspect of the program. It is only when a student is showing the ability to consistently make good choices as well as display acceptable behavior that they are able to participate in the extracurricular activities provided. While Darrington will never be able to offer the same opportunities to our students as those available in a public school setting, we feel that we can provide a high school experience sufficient to allow students, willing to do the work, access to any college or university and the life skills necessary for success.