Camperdown Culture

Celebration, Belonging, and Success
 

Camperdown Academy celebrates bright dyslexic students who learn differently because their brains are wired differently. Other schools have unintentionally taught students what they cannot do; this school intentionally highlights what they can do. Students are able to achieve when strengths are celebrated and weaknesses appropriately addressed. A weekly schoolwide assembly ensures and promotes a family atmosphere, while a growth mindset approach to learning eases anxiety that has often developed from a perception of failure and lack of self-worth.

Grades Structure

Camperdown places students into groups rather than grades. Groups allow student placements to be determined by a student’s academic profile of strengths and weaknesses, while also taking into consideration a child's age and emotional maturity. 

Traditional School	Camperdown Academy
First grade	A Group
Second grade	C Group
Third grade	Am Group
Fourth grade	Star Group
Fifth grade	D Group
Sixth grade	E Group
Seventh grade	M Group
Eighth grade	Y Group

Orton-Gillingham Approach

Camperdown Academy is one of only a handful of institutions nationwide fully accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA) as both a teaching and training site—and the only school in Upstate South Carolina to hold this distinction.

The Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach has always been foundational to how students are taught at Camperdown. Long before the Science of Reading became a national conversation, Camperdown was putting those principles into practice. 100% of Camperdown teachers receive intensive, specialized training in the OG Approach.

Through simultaneous multisensory instruction across all content and enrichment classes, Camperdown creates an immersion program that surrounds students with consistent, evidence-based instruction throughout their school day—yielding results that cannot be replicated through pull-out services or extra tutoring alone.

Homework & Organization

Homework Policies
Students, not parents, have responsibility for completing homework. The parents’ only role is to ensure that students attempt each assignment. An afternoon study hall during 7th period allows time for students to begin homework or to meet with teachers for additional practice. Homework is intended to be review and reinforcement. Students should be able to independently complete any work being sent home. However, if students happen to encounter difficulty, they are taught to advocate for themselves by contacting the teacher directly prior to 9pm for guidance.

Schoolwide Organization System 
Students have a color-coded notebook for each class, and every paper has a heading that indicates its proper location within the notebook. Homeroom period each morning is devoted to organizing materials for the day. A consistent organizational structure helps alleviate stress and confusion while boosting productivity.

Language Support

The role of the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) at Camperdown Academy is to provide professional development and coaching for teachers as they work to support language needs within their classrooms, as well as push-into classrooms for collaborative teaching as needed.

Camperdown Academy also partners with Greenville County Schools by hosting an additional SLP on campus weekly to serve students who qualify for pull-out speech services through the public school system.

Social-Emotional Learning

The School Counselor supports the academic, social, and emotional well-being of Camperdown Academy students through proactive classroom SEL education, individual and small-group support, and crisis intervention. By teaching core skills—such as self-awareness, conflict resolution, healthy peer relationships, and embracing learning uniqueness—the counselor empowers students to thrive.