Staff involved with the upcoming launch of a Roberts Academy at Elon University traveled to Georgia in December to learn from teachers and program directors about their own experience in a school established for children with dyslexia.
Classroom lessons and technology. Schoolday schedules. Interior design and campus security. Human resources, financial aid, and marketing communications.
It’s a complex effort to run any private school, let alone one exclusive for children with dyslexia, and a recent visit to Roberts Academy at Mercer University by administrators planning the launch of a similar academy at Elon University was defined by a shared desire to help children discover their own “superpowers.”
Led by Ann Bullock, dean of the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at Elon University, and Tait Arend, senior director of development at Elon University, a dozen staff members toured the Mercer academy on Dec. 3, 2025, and conversed with their counterparts in Macon, Georgia, about lessons learned in establishing the program.
“The partnership we are building with Roberts Academy at Mercer University and the entire Mercer University community is invaluable,” Bullock said. “This type of partnership enables two private universities to create synergy around a common purpose and to educate children with dyslexia to an exceptional level, carrying on the Roberts’ legacy and impacting families for generations.”
This type of partnership enables two private universities to create synergy around a common purpose and to educate children with dyslexia to an exceptional level, carrying on the Roberts’ legacy and impacting families for generations.
– Ann Bullock, dean of the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at Elon University
Elon University announced in November the establishment of Roberts Academy at Elon University. The school will initially welcome third and fourth grade students in a temporary space on West Trollinger Avenue in Elon, N.C., before expanding capacity to grades one through six in a facility planned for East Haggard Avenue set to open in Fall 2028.
Made possible by a transformational gift from Hal and Marjorie Roberts of Lakeland, Florida, the school expects between 150 and 200 students each year once fully enrolled with no more than a dozen children per classroom. Teachers will use the Orton-Gillingham method of instruction, considered one of the most effective approaches to helping students develop strategies for overcoming their reading difficulties.
“The sharing of ideas, learning from Mercer’s opening, and the continued open dialogue will allow the Roberts Academy at Elon to open successfully,” Bullock said. “Our future collaboration also will bring more recognition and awareness of dyslexia across the nation through future projects. Elon could not be more thankful for (Head of School) Joy Wood’s leadership and the generosity of her many colleagues at Mercer University as we prepare for our opening.”
Elon’s academy will be the fourth and final established by the Roberts family, joining a network of private schools on the campuses of Mercer, Vanderbilt University, and Florida Southern College.
“Being at Mercer helped bring Hal and Marjorie’s vision to life for Elon’s community,” Arend said. “You could feel hope in the hallways and see the confidence growing in children who finally feel understood. Our team left both moved and motivated, with a deeper sense of purpose and a clearer picture of what is possible for North Carolina families.
“This experience will shape how we prepare to open Elon’s school next summer and how we honor the trust the Roberts family has placed in us.”
The Roberts Academy at Elon University will begin its recruitment of teaching staff and open up applications for admissions in early 2026. Visit www.elon.edu/robertsacademy to learn more.