About Timber Ridge School
In the late 1960s, Mr. Al Leary opened the Leary School in Falls Church, Virginia, to serve seriously disturbed adolescent boys. The Leary Educational Foundation was incorporated in 1969 to operate boarding and day schools to help underachieving students of normal potential. Recognizing a need in some students for a more intensive and comprehensive approach, Mr. Leary created the Leary Educational Center in 1971 in Northern Frederick County. With just a handful of students, this residential school became Timber Ridge School in 1977.
Since then, Timber Ridge School has operated continuously serving seriously emotionally disturbed and behaviorally disordered adolescent boys. Our license has expanded from a capacity of 60 students to 96 students. As our population expanded, so did our campus, with the addition of seven new dormitories, two school buildings, a dining hall, an administrative building, and a gymnasium. Our beautiful campus also has football and baseball fields, as well as tennis courts.
We have remained responsive to the changing needs of our students, their families, and local agencies. To learn more about the new services we offer, please take a look at our Programs.
Alumni
We love to hear from our alumni and share their stories. If you have been a student at Timber Ridge and would like to fill us in on how you have been doing, please contact Debbie Vance, Coordinator of Marketing and Public Relations, at vance@trschool.org or 877-877-3010 x.1242 (toll free) or 540-888-3456 x.1242.
Licensure & Accreditation
Timber Ridge School is licensed by:
- Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services
- Virginia Department of Education
We also hold the following accreditations:
- National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES)
- Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS/CASI)
Approved as a special education facility, Timber Ridge School meets the Special Education standards, and our educational staff members are certified to teach special education, as well as their specific subject specialties. In addition, our instructional programs are designed to address the needs of emotionally disturbed and learning disabled students.