Merit Academy

Merit Academy is a non-profit, therapeutic school providing education and therapy for students age 2-21 who have been diagnosed with social, emotional, and developmental disorders as well as children with rare chromosomal conditions including Autism, Down syndrome, Sensory Integration, ADHD, ADD, NVLD, LD, Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, ED, Tubule sclerosis, SLOS, and more. The school currently serves pre-K-12 students with special needs and their families from 12 cities and 5 counties in the DFW area with an academic school program, summer camps, before/aftercare program, parent night out/respite care events, and extracurricular activities like boy scouts, karate, yoga, and social skills training. The teacher to student ratios range from 5:1 to 10:1. The appropriate ratio is determined by a student’s developmental needs.
We implement multisensory learning techniques, behavior modification, gross/fine motor activities, family support, character building, and social skills training daily. We also emphasize receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language into each school day. Classes take frequent field trips into the community as reinforcement and to supplement our curriculum.
Each student’s academic and behavioral plan is customized and based on pre-existing and on-site evaluations. Learning styles are assessed and addressed with a multi-sensory approach. Students are taught on their own academic level with remedial and/or enrichment curriculum for students who are behind academically or gifted.
Merit Academy also offers before care and after care for families who need it as well as extra-curricular after school activities. A social group meets twice a week after school. Our own Boy Scout troop meets once a week, and Karate is offered once a week. The program offers educational training and support for parents, including home-based behavior modification training for the family.

Scholarships are available for those who qualify financially.

At Merit Academy our curriculum is multi-disciplinary and individualized for each student. It fosters the academic, social and emotional growth of students from Preschool through 12th grade. Merit Academy follows Texas State mandated curriculum, TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) based on each students grade level functioning, not age equivalency, and incorporates the following:
• Individual Education Plans
• Individual Behavioral Plans
• Character Trait Training
• Social Skills Training
• Impulse control
• Organizational skills
• How to become a valid and contributing member of the team
• Multi-sensory teaching
• Math
• Reading/Language Arts
• Science
• Social Studies
• Physical Education
• Fine Arts
• Music
• Drama
• Middle/High School Courses & Electives
• Field trips that supplement curriculum
• ABA Therapy (when prescribed)
• Speech Therapy (when prescribed)
• Occupational Therapy (when prescribed)
• Physical Therapy (when prescribed)
Individual assessments are administered annually to set program goals via VB MAPP, ABLLS-R, AFLS, or the Woodcock-Johnson III.
MERIT ACADEMY DOES NOT ADMINISTER STATE STANDARDIZED TESTING.
Teaching methods and classroom management accommodate each student's individual learning modality.

Students must wear Merit Academy short/long sleeved polos Mondays-Thursdays. and Level 4 t-shirts on Fridays. Khaki pants/shorts/skirts must be worn with Merit Academy polo.

Merit Academy is committed to preparing students and their families to thrive and grow with independence and accountability in life while implementing an individualized, holistic, structured, nurturing approach at school, home, and in the community.

Our vision is to build a school that is a resource to students, their families, and the community for learning, living independently, and growing, despite the challenges they were born with.

Merit Academy was founded in 2009 by Charity Purcell, a former special education teacher and school Director, with a generous capital grant from the Communities Foundation. Since then the school has received numerous grants from Autism Speaks, Kaboom, and many more. In 2014 Merit Academy expanded and implemented a therapy center, Thrive Therapy, which provides ABA, Speech, and OT services and bills insurance for such services.