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 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.

  • Immersive Learning Screen

    ImmersED Project Bridges Science Learning and Social-Emotional Growth Through Next-Gen Technology

    Lehigh's College of Education is leading a new era of educational research and innovation with ImmersED, a pioneering project harnessing immersive technology and social-emotional learning (SEL) to reimagine how students experience and succeed in science. Built on collaboration between faculty researchers, classroom educators, and Lehigh undergraduate and graduate students, and supported by the Office of Creative Inquiry, ImmersED aims to engage diverse learners through active participation in dynamic, 360-degree science lessons that build both academic and social-emotional skills.