Centennial School Classroom

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Centennial School

Centennial School pursues two principal missions: serving children and youth with challenging behaviors and preparing high quality teachers to enter the special education workforce. Centennial is governed by Lehigh University and the College of Education, with funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

About

Located in Bethlehem, PA, Centennial pursues two principal missions:

  • Serving children and youth with educational disabilities and 
  • Preparing high quality teachers to enter the workforce of special education.

Centennial School is licensed to provide educational services to students ages 6 through 21 with an educational classification of the following:

  • Emotional Disturbance
  • Autism (ages 6-12; upper limit entry age of 12)
Student observing experiment
Centennial School Classroom

As a Laboratory School

Centennial School is affiliated with the Lehigh University College of Education. As a lab school, a goal of Centennial is to prepare high quality special education teachers to enter the workforce in Pennsylvania and other states across the country. We do this by bridging the gap between theory and practice, contributing to the overall training of graduate students in Special Education.

In addition to their coursework, Centennial graduate students receive an additional two hours of on-site training every week on topics specific to the education of children and youth with emotional disturbance and autism. The workshops are usually presented by professional staff who work at the school and on occasion from one of Centennial School's outstanding cadre of professional consultants.

We believe that our training program is one of the best in the country. We prepare some of the best-qualified, most technically proficient teachers in special education.

  • Training Outcomes

    Over the past four years, 100% of our graduate trainees acquired positions related to the field of education, some as far away as Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii and Oregon. 
     

    Visit our website
Group of Centennial School teachers

Centennial Spotlight

  • COE_News_Story_BrookSawyer.png

    Building the Next Generation of Educators, Together

    Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Brook Sawyer shares the challenges facing education and outlines a path forward.

    Every community relies on one essential promise—that our children will be taught by passionate, skilled educators who prepare them for the future. A high-quality teacher doesn’t just cover the curriculum; they change lives. They build confidence, inspire curiosity, and strengthen the communities they serve. Across Pennsylvania, we need more of these extraordinary people.

  • COE News Fall 2025

    Fall Issue of COE News Celebrates Centennial School

    The fall issue of COE News is a celebration of Centennial School's 60th anniversary. Julie Fogt, director of Centennial School and affiliated COE professor, introduces the issue.

    Read the full issue at: https://conta.cc/4nIdaQR.

  • The Roberson Family

    One Spark Leads to Another

    Gillian Rogerson knew from a very young age that she wanted to work with children. What she didn’t know was that when she joined Lehigh’s Centennial School as a teacher intern, she’d be making history.

    Rogerson’s parents met at Centennial School 36 years ago, making Gillian the first legacy teacher in the school’s 60-year history.