Summit Academy

Where great minds don't think alike!

I’d like to say a little bit about what Summit Academy means to our family.  My daughter, who has ASD, has always struggled in other school settings due to her unique learning style and social skill differences.  Since becoming a part of the Summit family, my daughter has thrived and grown at an astounding rate! Most importantly though, she feels loved, supported, and accepted at Summit – and these things are priceless. - Upper School Family

We are so thankful for the relationships we have built with her teachers, the staff, and even the families of children who also attend Summit Academy over the past three years.  Our daughter is thriving because her teachers are figuring out creative and innovative ways to work with her.  I firmly believe that she would not be doing this well had we enrolled her elsewhere. Thank you for giving us another year in helping our daughter grow academically and socially.  - Lower School Family

The mission of Summit Academy of Greater Louisville is to provide a transformative educational experience for students who learn differently by cultivating each student’s academic, social, and emotional success in a vibrant and compassionate environment. 

With 20% of children in the U.S. having a learning or attention issue, Summit Academy helps meet a critical need in our community. Founded in 1992 by Margaret Thornton and Rosemary Middleton, Summit is an independent, nonprofit school designed specifically for students with learning differences.

Summit provides a place where each student’s learning challenges are understood and met using a whole child approach; a place where we celebrate and develop a child’s strengths as well as address his or her area of difficulty. It is a safe place where each young learner is treated and educated as an individual in an atmosphere of caring and respect that allows students to succeed.

At Summit Academy, we create a supportive community and strive to help every student view school as a positive, challenging, and successful experience. 

On the first day of school last year I had the chance to overhear the most beautiful exchange between two of our students. One of our new 5th grade students was looking quite nervous. A returning student of the same age was helping to welcome him. Without any prompting or hesitation, the returning student, ‘Hey…you don’t have anything to worry about here. Everyone here is like us, no one will make you feel bad here. We are all different.’ As the new Head of School, it was so powerful to hear a Summit student speak first hand about how safe the community is here for students who learn differently. - Stephanie Cifuentes, Head of School.