Our Story.
At Oak House, our role as educators is not to measure worth, but to guide each child inward—to help them discover the unique gifts they carry and support them in finding their place in the world through those strengths.
“Oak House cares more about the well-being of their students than the rules.” ”
The Oak House School began with a simple but powerful belief: it’s okay to do things differently. When we first opened our doors in September 2022, we welcomed just 12 students. Since then, our community has grown steadily and joyfully—we now serve 110 students in grades 1 through 9, with even more growth on the horizon for the 2025–2026 school year. As a specialized private school, Oak House was created to meet the needs of a wide range of learners, including dyslexic, autistic, and ADHD students. Our small class sizes, evidence-based instruction, and project-based approach are all rooted in the framework of Universal Design for Learning, which helps us make space for every child to discover their strengths and grow into them.
What sets Oak House apart is the deep respect we hold for everyone in the educational process. We believe parents are the experts on their children, teachers are highly trained professionals, and children deserve to be treated with the full dignity of their humanity. Emotional safety and mental well-being are central to everything we do, which is why we use the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) model—a trauma-responsive, problem-solving approach that emphasizes partnership over punishment and prevention over reaction. Rather than following a rigid curriculum, we invest in ongoing professional development—our teachers are trained in Orton-Gillingham, The Writing Revolution, and multisensory math methods—to ensure that our practices are always grounded in the latest research and best support our students’ diverse needs. Oak House is more than just a school—it’s a community built on care, connection, and the unwavering belief that every child belongs.
When McCalla and Jenifer Shada connected they found they have both worked with kids who do better in small groups. Both cofounders have a passion for supporting students and families where they are with evidence-based best practices in education.