King George School (Sutton, Vermont)

King George School
Location
Map
Sutton
,
Caledonia County
,
VT

United States
Coordinates44°39′32″N 72°4′22″W / 44.65889°N 72.07278°W / 44.65889; -72.07278
Information
TypePrivate therapeutic boarding school
MottoIf Knowledge is the amassing of information then Wisdom is the internalization of life's lessons learned through experience.
OpenedSeptember 15, 1998
FounderLinda Houghton[1]
StatusClosed
Closed2011
Head of SchoolGerard Jones
Grades9–12
Student to teacher ratio6:1
Campus size300 acres (120 ha)

The King George School (KGS) was a private year-round coeducational therapeutic boarding high school in a rural location in Sutton, Vermont. Designed for students with alternative learning styles, attention difficulties, or behavioral and emotional problems, the school largely focused on using art as a form a therapy to help students process emotions as well as teaching students to use art as a coping mechanism.[2][3][4]

Initially a member of Brown Schools, the King George School was later operated by UHS of Sutton, a subsidiary of Universal Health Services.[5] It enrolled students in grades 9 through 12; enrollment was approximately 35 students with a maximum of 60–75 students.[6][better source needed] The school closed at the end of the 2010–2011 academic year due to insufficient funding.[7]

History

Founded by educator Linda Houghton, the school opened September 5, 1998.[8] It was threatened with closure in 2005 when its original parent company, Brown Schools, declared bankruptcy, but school officials and parents raised funds to keep the school open.[9] Subsequently, it became part of Universal Health Services.

In May 2011, school head Gerard Jones announced that due to lack of sufficient funding, the school would close on June 4, 2011, after graduating its last class. The King George School had enrolled a total of more than 250 students during its history.[7]

The property was up for sale in 2021.[10]

References

  1. ^ Houghton, Linda (2009-09-16). "A Way of Looking at Things". Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  2. ^ Lefebvre, Paul (March 21, 2007). "Key wind witness kept from testifying". The Chronicle (Barton, Vermont).
  3. ^ "The King George School". Archived from the original on 2006-02-01. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  4. ^ "I Spent Six Bizarre Months in a Boarding School for Troubled Teens". Vice. 2015-03-23. Archived from the original on 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  5. ^ "Universal Health Services, Inc., Form 10-K, Subsidiaries of Registrant". faqs.org. 2010-02-25.
  6. ^ "The King George School - Sutton, Vermont - VT - School overview". GreatSchools.net. Archived from the original on 2009-08-30. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  7. ^ a b Jones, Gerard (2011-05-09). "King George School To Close". The Woodbury Reports. Archived from the original on 2020-01-19. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  8. ^ Houghton, Linda; Plona, Rebecca (August 1998). "King George School". The Woodbury Report | New Perspectives. Archived from the original on 2017-05-03. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  9. ^ "King George School Staying Open". WCAX TV News. 2005-04-05. Archived from the original on 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  10. ^ Picard, Ken (2021-03-16). "In Sutton, the Former King George School Offers Myriad Possibilities to the Right Buyer". Seven Days Vermont. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-02-15.