What Hillside School does

Hillside School & Center for Dyslexia is a private nonprofit (501(c)(3)) specialized education institution founded in 2005 in Boulder, Colorado, and operating as Boulder County's first Center for Dyslexia. It serves students in grades 1-12 diagnosed with dyslexia or other language-based learning disabilities through a half-day specialized instruction program ($25,720 tuition for 2026-27) with an optional full-day add-on ($16,500) and a half-day summer program. Instruction is delivered using the research-based Orton-Gillingham structured literacy methodology and Marilyn Zecher's Multisensory Math approach, in deliberately small classes capped at four students per teacher to enable individualized, mastery-tracked remediation. Beyond the school, the Center for Dyslexia umbrella extends Hillside's offering to comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations (via the Zarlengo Foundation's Learning Evaluation Center, priced at $1,600-$1,800), professional development and teacher training workshops, a HillTOPICS community speaker series, and free one-on-one family consultations ('Kathy's Office Hours').

The business model combines subscription tuition as the primary revenue stream with one-time assessment fees, unit-priced professional evaluations, and B2B teacher training workshops, supplemented by donations, a scholarship fund, and community fundraising (Zarlengo Foundation, Colorado Gives Day, annual BBQ and comedy fundraisers). Go-to-market is community-led: prospective families enter through the HillTOPICS series, monthly information sessions hosted by co-founder Kathy Sherman, and the BVKID parent support group that meets on campus, with admissions handled through direct inquiry and skills assessment. The operating model is human-intensive and geographically concentrated in the Colorado Front Range, with 51-100 employees and a single 6620 Gunpark Drive campus. Strategic emphasis is on building an integrated dyslexia ecosystem — co-locating Untapped Learning for executive function coaching and LEC for evaluations on the Hillside campus — rather than on geographic expansion or technology-led scaling.

Name

Hillside School

Legal name

Hillside School & Center for Dyslexia

Website

https://hillsidelearning.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hillside School & Center for Dyslexia is a Boulder, Colorado nonprofit founded in 2005 that provides Orton-Gillingham-based specialized instruction for students in grades 1-12 with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, alongside psychoeducational evaluations, teacher training, and community programming for Front Range families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Longmont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition - Half-Day Program: Primary revenue stream from tuition for the half-day specialized instruction program serving students with dyslexia. Tuition for 2026-27 school year is $25,720.
2. Full-Day Add-On Program: Additional fee of $16,500 for families opting into full-day programming beyond the standard half-day program.
3. Learning Evaluations: Comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations including cognitive, reading, written language, and math assessments conducted by licensed psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists. Pricing: Full Evaluation $1,800, Specific dyslexia evaluation $1,600, Individual achievement areas $400 per area.
4. Professional Development Training: Teacher training programs for educators including workshops on multisensory math, dyslexia in the classroom, and evidence-based strategies for students with learning differences.
5. Assessment Fee: One-time assessment fee of $250 for new students to determine skill levels in reading, written language, and math.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hillside School provides specialized half-day and full-day educational instruction for students in grades 1-12 diagnosed with dyslexia or other language-based learning disabilities, using Orton-Gillingham based multi-sensory teaching methods with class sizes of four students. The Center for Dyslexia umbrella extends services to include psychoeducational evaluations, teacher training, summer programs, family consultations, and community programming for families and educators.

Product overview

Hillside School & Center for Dyslexia is a specialized educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of services for students with dyslexia and learning differences. The core offering is the Hillside School program (grades 1-12), providing individualized half-day and full-day instruction in reading, written language, and math using multi-sensory methods with four students per class. The Center for Dyslexia serves as the umbrella for expanded services including Learning Evaluations (through the Zarlengo Foundation Learning Evaluation Center partnership), Professional Development and Teacher Training, HillTOPICS community speaker series, Kathy’s Office Hours (free family consultations), Untapped at Hillside (executive function coaching), Summer Programs, and BVKID parent support groups. Together, these offerings create a complete ecosystem supporting students, families, and educators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hillside School Program A specialized half-day and full-day educational program for students in grades 1-12 diagnosed with dyslexia or other language-based learning disabilities. Provides individualized instruction in reading, written language, and math using multi-sensory teaching methods with class sizes of four students per class.
• Summer Program A half-day summer school program offered during summer months, providing continuing specialized instruction for students with dyslexia and learning differences.
• Learning Evaluations Comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations conducted by a multidisciplinary team including licensed psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists, assessing cognitive, reading, written language, and math areas for children and young adults.
• Teacher Training Professional development training for educators, including workshops on multisensory math, dyslexia in the classroom, and evidence-based strategies for teaching students with learning differences.
• HillTOPICS Speaker Series A community speaker series bringing together experts, advocates, and thought leaders in dyslexia education, offering insights and practical strategies for parents and educators.
• Kathy's Office Hours Free one-on-one consultations with Co-Founder Kathy Sherman, offering families guidance on dyslexia, learning concerns, evaluations, and available resources.
• Untapped at Hillside Executive function coaching and tutoring services offered on-site through partnership with Untapped Learning, supporting students with organization, time management, planning, and self-regulation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Small class sizes of 4 students enable individualized attention and faster skill development

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Untapped LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Untapped Learning offers executive function coaching and tutoring services on-site at Hillside's Dyslexia Center in Gunbarrel. This collaboration involves cross-training where Hillside educators and Untapped coaches work alongside each other to better understand shared students, strengthening their respective expertise while each organization focuses on its specialized work.
• Learning Evaluation Center (LEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Zarlengo Foundation's Learning Evaluation Center is expanding to Boulder with a new location at Hillside School. LEC provides comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations through a collaborative team including licensed psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists. Findings are integrated into one cohesive report for families.
• Boulder Valley Kids Identified with Dyslexia (BVKID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBVKID is a parent-driven organization dedicated to educating and supporting families navigating dyslexia. Founded in 2017, BVKID hosts monthly community meetings at Hillside School that are open to all families wanting to learn about dyslexia, connect with others, and share resources. The organization is committed to evidence-based practices and strengthening the support network for children who learn differently.
• Zarlengo FoundationkeyGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Zarlengo Foundation supports the learning disabled community in Colorado through annual fundraiser events. Executive Director Katie Zarlengo moderates expert panels and the foundation has given away over $1.4 million to schools and programs for learning disabled children. The foundation sponsors Hillside's HillTOPICS seminars with grants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Landmark School: Massachusetts-based private school exclusively for students with language-based learning disabilities including dyslexia. Comparable in serving grades 1-12 with structured literacy and small group instruction.
• AIM Academy: Pennsylvania independent school for students with language-based learning differences. Comparable in multisensory structured literacy approach and professional development offerings.
• The Schenck School: Atlanta-based independent school serving students with dyslexia through Orton-Gillingham methodology with small class sizes. Closely mirrors Hillside's curriculum foundation and small-group instructional model.
• The Windward School: Independent school in New York with multiple campuses serving students with language-based learning disabilities (dyslexia) using research-based multisensory instruction. Most direct comparable in mission, methodology, and student profile.
• The Craig School: New Jersey private school for students with language-based learning disabilities in grades 3-12. Comparable in Orton-Gillingham-based curriculum and executive function support.
• The Kildonan School: New York state school serving dyslexic students through Orton-Gillingham and individualized instruction. Comparable in remedial literacy focus and teacher training programs.
• The Lab School of Washington: Washington DC school serving students with learning disabilities including dyslexia using research-based approaches. Comparable in combining school program with professional development and family services.
• Woodlynde School: Pennsylvania private school serving K-12 students with language-based learning disabilities including dyslexia. Comparable in individualized programs and small class sizes.
• Churchill School and Center: NYC-based K-12 school for students with language-based learning disabilities. Comparable in offering individualized instruction with small class sizes and teacher training components.

Emerging players

• Neuhaus Education Center: Houston-based nonprofit providing literacy professional development and structured literacy training to educators. Comparable to Hillside's teacher training arm rather than direct school operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hillside School