Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Jefferson School?

The Jefferson School is a program of Sheppard Pratt Health System, a provider of quality psychiatric, behavioral and mental health services for over a century. The main campus of the school is located in Jefferson, Maryland, on a rural campus of 200+ acres. There are satellite schools in central and western Maryland counties as well. The School offers general and special education programs for students with behavioral and emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, and psychiatric disorders. It also offers a psychiatric Residential Treatment Center option for adolescents in six homes on the main Frederick County campus. The day students are provided a full complement of either Middle/ High School or Vocational Education services. The program operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to care for residential students.

How many students are there?

The school program at the main campus can serve approximately 57 Day students and 53 Residential students, for a total capacity of 110. Both day and residential students attend classes. We serve both boys and girls. The main campus serves students generally from the ages of 12-19.

Why would a child or adolescent come here?

Students attend the Jefferson School for two principle reasons. The first is for a limited time Educational or Special Educational experience in a very caring and compassionate day school program designed for those who have not succeeded in regular or alternative school programs. This highly specialized program addresses a range of behavioral disorders in a therapeutic milieu. These include self-destructive behaviors, affect and mood disorders, and conduct or aggression as well as trauma-based disorders, such as attachment and loss disorders. The second reason a student comes here is to reside at the Residential Treatment Center. Residential students live on the campus as part of a therapeutic community where they can benefit from the structure and support, the ritual and routine of a residential treatment setting. Here they receive specific program elements designed to meet individual psychiatric, psychological and educational needs. They also experience a community setting that is designed to teach the social skills necessary to overcome the deficits that may otherwise put them at risk of more serious long term illness. In this more structured setting students are emotionally safe, and with their parents, have an opportunity to learn communication and coping skills in order to resume living together successfully. The Residential Treatment Center Program can be as long as two years or as short as six months.

Where are they from?

At any given time 60-70% are from Frederick, Washington, Allegany, Carroll and Montgomery Counties in Maryland. The rest of the students come from elsewhere in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia and West Virginia. Typically they are referred to us by county public school systems, mental health agencies, and the Maryland Department of Social Services and Department of Juvenile Justice.

How is payment taken care of?

Children with severe disabilities who need the Residential Treatment program at the Jefferson School generally become eligible for Medical Assistance. This means that public mental health funds cover the expenses of the Residential Treatment Center. For some residential students, their family health insurance pays for a portion of their services at first. The school program is paid for by their home school district and the Maryland State Department of Education regardless of whether they are in residential treatment or day school.

Who do I speak to for more information about Jefferson School?

Please look at our Staff Contact Page. Anyone on our Administrative Team can help you, in particular, our Admissions Coordinator. Call our school during normal business hours at 301- 624-8400. You can also receive information about the Jefferson School Residential Treatment Center and Education and Special Education programs by visiting https://www.sheppardpratt.org.

Why choose Jefferson School over other programs offered in the state or out-of-state?

Sheppard Pratt is the preeminent regional resource in behavioral health. We believe that children should receive treatment in the least restrictive environment possible. If a level of need suggests Residential Treatment care or a therapeutic Educational program, than that environment should provide an “Ecological” model of treatment. In other words, a child’s needs are served at the Jefferson School’s therapeutic milieu. Treatment then continues within the context of family and home -- whenever feasible and within the community.
Parents and family members are always welcome to visit the school during business hours or by making arrangements for after hours and weekend visits.
There are many other reasons that Jefferson School is the best choice for children and adolescents needing specialized services. We would be remiss, however, not to mention our Outdoors Therapeutic Adventures Program and beautiful campus setting, close to the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. We are also close to the City of Frederick, a charming city that provides recreational, as well as vocational opportunities for students.