800 North Road | Hopewell, NJ 08534 | 609-566-6000 | info@laurelschoolprinceton.org
800 North Road | Hopewell, NJ 08534 | 609-566-6000 | info@laurelschoolprinceton.org

About Us

Enriched Educational Experience

Laurel School of Princeton provides an enriched educational experience for students who have dyslexia and related learning differences such as ADHD, dyscalculia and dysgraphia.  Laurel School students bring incredible talents, skills and creativity to our program, while being taught by expertly trained, passionate teachers who understand how they learn best, helping them to build on their strengths and achieve academic success.

Our students have the opportunity to build friendships with their peers and strong connections with their teachers in a warm, caring learning environment. They begin to build self esteem from the first day they arrive at Laurel School, and the transformation is often remarkable.  In this caring educational environment, students are held to high expectations that are achievable. They explore leadership capabilities, develop community and global awareness, and further their creativity and academic prowess. 

Our History

Established in 2012, The Laurel School provides special education to early learners who show clear signs of dyslexia. The school serves students in Hopewell, NJ, and surrounding areas across New Jersey and Pennsylvania and beyond. 

Gordon F. Sherman, Ph.D. and Dee Rosenberg, M.A., LDT/C created a school where students with dyslexia can thrive in an environment that is truly “Designed for the Dyslexic Mind.” Together Dr. Sherman and Ms. Rosenberg have more than 40 years of research, teaching, training, speaking and consulting experience in dyslexia combined.

The Laurel School is the newest component of the Newgrange family of services, which focuses exclusively on developmental dyslexia. Unlike other dyslexia schools, the Laurel School benefits from the expertise of The Newgrange School, a state-approved school for students with disabilities, and from the services offered through the Robinowitz Education Center. The Education Center provides professional development programs for teachers, educational evaluations, tutoring, and educational consulting. The Newgrange organization was founded in 1977.

The Laurel School’s Executive Director Emeritus, Dr. Gordon F. Sherman, is internationally recognized for his contributions to the field of brain research, teaching methodologies, and service to the dyslexia community. Dr. Sherman is a former President and board member of the International Dyslexia Association. Before joining Newgrange in 2000, he was a Harvard-based researcher in neuroscience.

The expert staff of the Laurel School has years of experience providing diagnostic and prescriptive teaching. Our language arts program emphasizes direct, systematic, and cumulative instruction that builds on the foundations of literacy and academic language. Our math and science programs are inquiry-based and structured to meet the standards of excellence of the National Science Resource Center (NSRC) and National Council for Teachers of Mathematics. Additional subjects are taught through interactive lessons, capitalizing on experiences that enhance memory and the generalization of skills.

Our uniquely informed, research-based approach puts us at a distinct advantage to support students with dyslexia. Inquiries are welcomed from reading specialists, parents of children with learning disabilities, and those in the special education community seeking an independent school program offering multisensory language instruction.

The Laurel School of Princeton has a responsibility to clearly and publicly state our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) within the culture of the Laurel Education Group.

As an organization that values language and word choice, we want to be precise when we talk about DEIB. We’re grateful to the University of Washington for its glossary of relevant terminology and have adapted our first three definitions below from the guide.

  • Diversity: Encompassing a wide range of identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexuality, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, veteran status, physical appearance, political ideology, life experiences, etc.
  • Equity: Fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while acknowledging that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations and striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.
  • Inclusion: An environment in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued as a fully participating member; one that embraces differences and respects all people.
  • Belonging: The feeling that an individual is an important member of a group; that one readily identifies as a member of the group and feels a sense of connection, security, and affinity within it.

Expert Staff

Our teachers provide reading instruction in compliance with the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading developed by specialists at the International Dyslexia Association.

We regularly consult with nationally-known literacy and dyslexia experts to ensure that our instructional practices are current and evidence-based.

Our teachers are trained in:

  • Orton-Gillingham and Wilson Reading System® (Certified)
  • Lindamood-Bell®: Visualizing and Verbalizing®
  • Language Circle®/Project Read® Framing your Thoughts Story Form and Report Form
  • Developing Metacognitive Skills (Neuhaus) Fluency and Comprehension
  • Multisensory Math
  • Inquiry-Based Science

Special Subjects are featured to encourage and leverage the unique gifts and talents of our students:

  • NoticeAbility
  • Drama/Theater Arts
  • Visual Arts
  • Music
  • Physical Education

What makes Laurel School Special?

  • Small group instruction
  • State of the art assistive and creative technology
  • Convenient central NJ Location in a beautiful natural setting in Hopewell, NJ
  • Top-notch related services available: Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy

Thank you so much for an amazing year.  We met when we were at our lowest point, but from the beginning you have made us both believe it would only get better.  I am so happy to report that you were right.  Our child loves school for the first time… and this happiness is contagious.  We look forward to next year.

Current Laurel Family