A WASC-accredited private school for students with dyslexia and learning differences in grades 2 through 12. A-G Certified with the College Board.
Full-time, specialized instruction through the Wilson Reading System, Orton-Gillingham methodology, Making Math Real, and the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Small classes with a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Built for students who struggle in traditional learning environments.
Dr. Leah Skinner Ed.D. · Founder & Administrator Dr. Leah’s path to opening a Sacramento school for students with learning differences did not begin with a business plan. It began with her own children.
As the mother of five neurodivergent sons, four with dyslexia, Leah spent years navigating school systems with little awareness and even less support for students with dyslexia. She saw her children struggle to learn in typical classroom environments. She wanted to understand why, and that question became her purpose. From there, she knew she had to do something about it.
Leah went back to school in 2014 to understand how students with dyslexia and other learning differences learn. She sought certification in several structured literacy curricula and methods, became a Certified Special Education Advocate and a Certified Dyslexia Therapist, and in 2018 earned her Master of Education with a specialization in dyslexia.
During this time, she spent eight years teaching, six of which included developing a program and serving as the Administrator at a school for students with dyslexia. As she applied her training in real classrooms, she began to see what was possible.
She understood what students need in a way most people don’t. Not just through training, but through lived experience. She saw a better way to teach these children.
But the school Sacramento families needed did not exist.
So in 2020, she built it. In 2026, while running the school, she earned her Doctor of Education in Reading, Literacy, and Assessment.
READ Academy was created so other families would not have to struggle the way hers did to find the right support. A school that teaches children with dyslexia the way they actually learn. A place where students who learn differently thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.
“We do not ask the child to try harder in a system designed for a different brain. We change the instruction to fit the child.”
Every subject is delivered through multisensory instruction: explicit, systematic, and cumulative. Skills build in sequence so students learn how things work, not how to guess.
Our core reading program is the Wilson Reading System, a research-validated multisensory application of the Orton-Gillingham methodology. Students are taught to decode and encode language step by step through the full structure of English: phonology, morphology, syllable types, and spelling rules. Reading becomes a reliable skill built on logic, not a guessing game.
EBLI is a structured literacy methodology built on Linguistic Phonics. It teaches reading from speech to print rather than print to speech, weaving decoding, spelling, writing, and handwriting into one integrated sequence. Like Wilson, it is grounded in the science of reading and effective for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and a wide range of learning differences.
Writing is broken into clear, structured steps so students can organize their thinking before they're asked to produce a paragraph or essay. Students learn how to build a sentence, develop an idea, and revise their work without getting stuck on the page. Ideas come first. Structure makes the ideas land.
Students build math concepts physically before moving to abstraction. They touch, move, and see the math in front of them, so they understand what they are doing instead of memorizing steps they cannot explain. When the foundation is concrete, the abstract reasoning that follows holds up.
Science and social studies are taught through hands-on, project-based work so students' understanding of history, biology, and civics is not limited by their reading level. Concepts come through experiment, discussion, and building, not just the textbook. Learning expands beyond the page so every student can reach it.
These are the conditions traditional classrooms aren't equipped to teach around. Each affects how a student processes or expresses information, and many overlap.
A language-based learning difference that affects decoding, word recognition, and spelling. Intelligence is not the issue. Instruction is.
A writing disorder that affects handwriting, spelling, and the ability to put thoughts on a page. Not laziness. Not poor effort. A difference in how writing is processed.
A math learning difference that affects number sense, calculation, and math reasoning. A child can understand the concept and still lose the answer in the symbols.
Difficulty with attention, focus, planning, and self-monitoring. In a typical classroom these get treated as behavior problems. Here, they're wiring differences we design around with explicit strategy instruction built into the school day.
READ Academy's Leadership Team is dedicated to advancing specialized education and advocating for students with learning differences.
Entered this work after her own child's dyslexia diagnosis and now runs daily support for students, staff, and families.
Eight-plus years leading reading intervention. Previously directed an RTI team that closed reading gaps for primary and middle school students.
A seasoned teacher with Folsom Cordova Special Education experience, currently completing her Master of Education while leading the writing program.
Psychology and History at UC Davis, Master of Arts in Russian Cultural Studies from the European University at St. Petersburg.
Over a decade of teaching students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other neurodevelopmental differences. Manages science curriculum and supports science teachers.
Builds structured, multisensory math instruction that helps students overcome math challenges and build real confidence at every level.
Coursework in Science, Psychology, and Human Development. Ensures students build deep mathematical understanding, not memorization.
17 years working with children in public and private dyslexia settings. The familiar voice every family knows and the face at drop-off they remember.
Two decades in digital marketing, from bootstrapped startups to Fortune 500 brands. Brings authentic storytelling and growth strategy to amplify READ's mission.
Our teachers are trained in dyslexia-specific instruction, with certifications and ongoing training in programs such as Wilson, Orton-Gillingham, Barton, Making Math Real, and the Institute for Excellence in Writing. They are also trained in Trauma-Informed Teaching, Executive Functioning Skill Development, Restorative Justice, and Behavior Management to ensure that all students are met where they are and supported as needed.
Meet the full teamWe believe children should be taught the way they actually learn. That belief shapes every decision we make, from the curriculum we choose to the teachers we hire to the size of each classroom. Students who come to READ Academy leave with more than grade-level skills.
READ Academy is located in the Natomas area of Sacramento and serves families across the greater region.
2565 Millcreek Drive · Sacramento, CA 95833
Parents considering a specialized school usually ask the same question: does this count? Will colleges recognize it? Is my child still on a legitimate academic path? Yes.
READ Academy is fully accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the same body that accredits public and private schools across California.
That accreditation means your child’s coursework, grades, and transcripts are recognized by other schools, colleges, and universities. Students can transfer between schools, meet California graduation requirements, and apply to college without disruption. Your child is on a fully recognized academic path.
If your question isn’t here, call us at (916) 258-2080 or send us a message. We respond personally to every inquiry.
READ Academy serves students in grades 2 through 12 with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and executive functioning challenges in a full-time private school setting.
READ Academy maintains a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio with small class sizes, which allows for truly individualized instruction and the direct feedback students with learning differences need in order to build reliable skills.
Yes. READ Academy provides comprehensive dyslexia assessments that evaluate for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia using standardized tools and developmental history. You can <a href="https://www.readacademy.com/dyslexia-assessment/">learn more about our assessment process</a> or call to schedule.
We use evidence-based structured literacy programs including the Wilson Reading System, Orton-Gillingham methodology, Making Math Real, the Institute for Excellence in Writing, and Moving Beyond the Page. All instruction is explicit, systematic, cumulative, and multisensory.
Yes. The 4:1 ratio, multisensory instruction, and structured daily schedule with movement breaks support students with ADHD alongside learning differences. Our teachers are trained in executive functioning and positive behavioral approaches, so ADHD is treated as a wiring difference to design around rather than a behavior problem to correct.
READ Academy families travel from across the greater Sacramento region, including Sacramento, Natomas, Roseville, Folsom, Elk Grove, El Dorado Hills, Davis, Granite Bay, Citrus Heights, Rocklin, Lincoln, Orangevale, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, West Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Vacaville, Lodi, and Stockton.
Start with a campus tour or a dyslexia assessment. Visit our <a href="https://www.readacademy.com/admissions/">admissions page</a> for the full enrollment process, or call <a href="tel:+19162582080">(916) 258-2080</a> and we'll walk you through it.
If your child is working twice as hard to get half as far, something needs to change. It is not your child. It is the instruction.
Or call (916) 258-2080
A place where students who learn differently grow, create, and thrive.
A place where students who learn differently
grow, create, and thrive.
A place where students who learn differently grow, create, and thrive.