Home - Lionheart Academy of the Triad

Our Mission

Lionheart Academy of the Triad provides an educational environment to promote independence by fostering a growth mindset in the areas of academic, social-emotional, and behavioral development for diploma seeking, neurodiverse students with (formerly high-functioning) level 1 or level 2 autism.

How to Apply

We serve students with level one and level two autism who are in grades 4-12th
Facility Tours

We offer school tours for prospective families. Click to schedule…
Summer Camp

Lionheart offers summer camps for rising 4th graders through high school with autism…
C.R.E.W. Program

Our transition program for young adults supports building relationships and more…

Our Core Values

	Promoting Understanding We understand autism, level 1 and level 2, and other neurocognitive differences. We have a strengths-based approach that is autism affirming, ensuring our students see themselves at their best to promote dignity and self-worth. This allows students to move that value forward to capitalize on their strengths, rather than focus on their deficits. We seek to understand our students’ concerns and motivations. We respect their learning differences. Through our socio-academic curriculum, we help our students develop a respectful understanding of different perspectives. The staff at Lionheart ensure our students have equitable access to educational supports that will allow them to thrive. We also understand that discipline issues are often related to autism and deficits in theory of mind and communication. Lionheart Academy’s strong focus on the social environment coupled with applied behavioral analysis (ABA) behavioral intervention programs allow us to be better equipped to handle minor offenses without punitive consequences.
	Respectful Community Everyone has a place of belonging. We support and challenge each other as we grow from our strengths to realize our potential. We surround each student with a community of caring that extends far beyond the doors of our school. You know your child best, we want parents to be part of the Lionheart community. Our daily interactions extend kindness and compassion to each student in our learning community to help build trust.. We model the benefits of positive social interaction by our engagement with staff members, students, families and the larger community, resulting in greater opportunities for our students to explore and develop their passions.
	Independence Fostering We want every student to realize their potential and be as independent as possible. We understand there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the future. Lionheart will be part of your team to help your student find the right path to successfully transition to adulthood. We understand that individuals with autism will require some supports, we teach our students to advocate for their needs. Lionheart wants to see our students succeed. We want to see our students transition to less restrictive settings when they are ready. Lionheart may just be a jumping board to get your student ready for future goals. ……We also offer adult transition services, because we understand the path to independence may be longer for some students. Lionheart will be there beyond graduation.
	Developing Perseverance We persist in our support of students and families, and measure our results over months or years, not days or weeks. We see challenges and failures as an opportunity for growth; not a reflection on the level of intelligence. We challenge students to chart their own progress, step-by-step, and encourage them to value each accomplishment on their educational journey. At Lionheart, we have a mindset that students haven't mastered it "yet". Time, practice, and perseverance will lead to improvement and self-development.
	Embracing Flexibility We are flexible in our use of space, resources, time and talent, although we value consistency and routine. We also know content, schedules, routines and plans are subject to change - daily if need be - in order to best meet the needs of each and every student. Flexibility in our school allows us to be open to new ideas, adapt to changes, and meet the needs of our students. Being flexible teaches important life skills to students. At Lionheart, we believe in educating to uphold academic integrity of the diploma tracks while emphasizing functional skills, growth mindset, and problem solving skills. We offer flexible differentiation, remediating and enriching as needed to meet the current needs of the student.

Lionheart Pride!

The Buckley Report
Guilford parents fight for school dedicated to teaching children
who have autism.

14

Largest Class size

6

Number of classrooms

24

Distinguished Staff

75

Current students enrolled

Learn About Our Courses of Study See Our Academic and Event Calendar

C.R.E.W. / Alumni

CREW was developed to provide adults with support services in the area of executive functioning and social skills, while they embark on life’s next big adventure, ADULTHOOD!

The CREW program is geared towards students enrolled in college or working on career paths. It is our goal to ensure that this transition is both smooth and supported. The program enables our staff to scaffold the student toward a more independent lifestyle and assist students in reaching their personal goals.

Our mission is to ensure that our young adults have the skills, confidence and resources required for effective problem solving and life decisions.

Learn More Here

This school made my son’s success a priority. The teachers there do not give up on your kid. They have plans A-Z and keep at it until they find what clicks for your child. I am so grateful for the time those teachers spend working with my son so he can thrive. There is no school like Lionheart Academy. The individual and child specific plans that Lionheart creates for all their students is amazing. The staff at Lionheart understands how valuable communication and partnering is to a parent with a child with ASD. I know how my son is progressing, where he struggles, and I am able to use those same strategies at home. If we would not have found Lionheart Academy, I am certain my son would not be able to meet this world’s challenges. Lionheart teaches social and life skills in a practical and useful way. Because of the programs at Lionheart, I can now imagine him being independent one day. I only wish we discovered Lionheart sooner. Lionheart treats my son as a priority. No other school comes close to working with my son like Lionheart does. The patience, compassion, creativity and energy that teachers at Lionheart have makes this school so special.

Darren, Parent of a HS Student
Our daughter did very well in the early grades at public school but started to struggle in middle school. We, as parents, tried hard to advocate for her needs and felt like we were getting nowhere. We were always on edge waiting for a phone call from the school and felt very hopeless about our daughter’s school career. We began our search for schools that are specifically for children with autism and found Lionheart and we are so glad that we did. Lionheart Academy gives our daughter a place where she can belong, be herself, be accepted for who she is, have friends, learn, grow and be happy. The extra effort by the teachers, the thoughtful instruction, the patient and caring attitudes, and the compassion that they have for their students makes such a difference. Recently, she told us, “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been right now, I feel like everything is going really good for me.” It’s a huge relief that we can trust Lionheart and can relax knowing that they know how to take care of her and help her through difficult moments and we can go through our day without fear of something going wrong at school. We are extremely thankful we found Lionheart!

Tripp & Jackie Starling
My son graduated last year and we couldn’t be happier with the education that he received at Lionheart. The teachers took the time to really learn who he is and how to meet his needs, while providing the discipline and expectations that will be necessary to succeed. The growth I have seen and the friendships he’s made could never be replaced.

Katy M.
My son attended a good elementary school which provided autism resources, and he was supported in the regular classroom as well. However, we chose to switch to Lionheart because we were familiar with the staff and their unmatched autism expertise. After the first few weeks of school I was very pleasantly surprised at the absence of anxiety in my son compared to prior years. We hadn’t realized the amount of anxiety just “holding it together” in a regular education setting caused him. At Lionheart, he’s comfortable and happy, and has grown more academically this year than any other year. He’s also made some new friends and grown socially.

Julie T.
We have been very happy with the quality of education and the personal care provided by the staff at Lionheart. They go out of their way to not only focus on my son’s academic progress but also progress and growth in all aspects of his personality. They have been very accommodating with my son’s sensory needs. My son absolutely loves school and has made huge strides in math, reading, writing and his social skills since he started Lionheart!

Raji R.
This year our son and entire family have experienced a peaceful and happy school year. Our son is able to meet the academic challenges placed before him because his social needs are so well attended to at Lionheart. The staff support level is unbelievable and he quickly made friends! What a difference to have a school that IS your child’s advocate along with you! We look forward to sending our son to Lionheart next year for a terrific start to Middle School.

Rebecca C.
Our son has come such a long way since starting Lionheart. It has been an amazing experience to watch the transformation take place. Joshua always excelled in school academically. Making mostly A’s and an occasional B, but he always preferred to play by himself and not interact with other children much. Now he not only participates in conversations more frequently, but will initiate his own conversations now. He participates in interactive play with his sister more regularly and will even participate in “craft” play when asked to. All of which did not happen much before starting Lionheart. The teachers and staff at Lionheart are amazing and I can’t thank them enough for creating such a wonderful learning environment.

Janice W.
My daughter has blossomed at Lionheart. She looks forward to going in the morning and when I pick her up in the afternoon she always has a smile on her face. Gone are the days of having to decompress from “holding it together” in public school. Most parents who walk this path will tell you that this, by itself, is reason enough to be at Lionheart, but it is just a benefit. There is great focus on the social skills that elude our children and teaching academics in meaningful ways that encourage instead of discourage. It was been an excellent experience!

Anne C.