The Winston School

In the fall of 1981, The Winston School opened its doors to 10 children at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chatham; one year later the school moved to a wing of the Central Presbyterian Church in Summit, across the street from the Public Library. In 1991, The Winston School moved to its present facility at the Christ Church “Education Building” in Short Hills. 

The pioneering founders of Winston were committed to ensuring that children with language-based learning challenges have the opportunity to realize their potential intellectually and emotionally in a warm and nurturing school setting. The founders also saw Winston as providing children throughout the surrounding communities with a learning environment that would enable them to develop essential learning and self-advocacy skills as well as self-respect, confidence and optimism for the future. This vision for Winston continues to be very much a part of the culture and abiding ethos of the school today—a school that has transformed the lives of scores of children and parents over its nearly three decades of existence. 

Indeed, The NJAIS (New Jersey Association of Independent Schools) Visiting Team commended Winston (after a successful accreditation visit in the spring of 2008) by highlighting the extraordinary commitment and dedication toward achieving the school’s mission and related goals on the part of all stakeholder groups—trustees, administrators, faculty and staff, and parents, and the many community supporters of Winston who have remained committed over the years to the ideals and passions of the founders.

Winston students are extraordinary young people with a vast range of abilities, skills and interests. Today, The Winston School enrolls over 60 students in grades 3 through 8 who travel to school from over 30 different communities. The school has 25 staff members with a broad range and breadth of experiences, insights and training—serving to maintain and grow the school’s student-centered and individualized approaches to learning and teaching. Winston School forges a partnership with every family and every student enrolled—a partnership that will culminate with a successful graduation from the school—and the “moving on” to success, confidence and happiness in the future beyond Winston.