History

Founded in 1983 during a time of growing concern about our nation’s educational climate, Chartwell School was the vision of two educators seeking new and innovative ways of teaching children with learning differences. Judy Lewis, an experienced educator and private tutor, and Nicki McMahan, an independent school administrator with a masters degree in elementary education, had long observed engaged and determined children struggling in school.

For these students, reading was extremely difficult, despite adequate teaching and support. Nicki’s daughter, Michel, fit that description. At the time, Nicki remembers, “dyslexia was an unfamiliar word and concept, and remediation was unheard of.” She and Judy, who tutored Michel, began searching for better educational solutions.

In 1982, Judy attended a conference on highly structured teaching to address dyslexia and followed that with three weeks of intensive training at the Charles Armstrong School in Belmont, a school specializing in education to help students with learning differences. Judy and Nicki recruited one of the Charles Armstrong master teachers, Jeff Allyn, to offer a summer program for six students in Carmel Valley. Seeing its success, they decided to open an independent, nonprofit school for the Central Coast. With a small board, eight students, and two teachers, they started as the Thomas Allyn School in Seaside (named in memory of Jeff’s brother). From there, the school continued to grow and evolve as learning disabilities became more readily diagnosed and families sought specialized education for their children.

From humble beginnings in Carmel Valley to today’s Platinum LEED-certified campus on 65-acres in Seaside, Chartwell’s mission has remained true to its founders’ vision - to provide targeted and direct instruction to empower students with the skills, strategies, tools and social-emotional mindset they need to thrive in college and beyond.

Today, with enrollment at 140 students, Chartwell stands as one of the most respected learning institutions of its kind. It has helped – and in many cases, saved—hundreds of children. Chartwell students have rediscovered their strengths, their confidence, and themselves.