About Us

Established more than 125 years ago, St. Christopher's is a private, not-for-profit, secular youth services agency with a rich history in serving the needs of vulnernable teens and their families. We are dedicated to providing quality special education and comprehensive, coordinated residential treatment to young men and women who require an educational program outside a mainstream secondary school setting.

Our educational programs are run by the Greenburgh-North Castle (GNC) Union Free School District under the authority of the New York State Department of Education. Dr. Robert Maher, the Superintendent of Schools for the GNC School District, is also Executive Director of St. Christopher's.

St. Christopher's employs staff of more than 200 and serves more than 150 residential youth. Our primary campus, and our home for more than 100 years, is a scenic historic 12-acre site in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., overlooking the Hudson River. The Dobby Ferry campus contains the Dr. Kenneth B. Clark Academy, our beautiful, new state-of-the-art middle school and high school, as well as our main administrative offices and seven residential cottages for our students. St. Christopher’s has a second site in Valhalla, the wooded 35-acre Jennie Clarkson campus next to the Kensico Reservoir, where additional facilities and five residential cottages are located (For a map or directions to our campuses, click here).

St. Christopher's is committed to educating students in four pillars of human and social development: academic studies, social responsibility, character development, and personal accountability. We are equally committed to helping families create and maintain a safe, nurturing home environment for their children. Our comprehensive, coordinated approach to education and treatment supports these efforts.

St. Christopher's staff consists of highly skilled, experienced, and dedicated professionals: educators, instructors, counselors, social workers, and medical and psychological professionals, as well as administrative, operational, maintenance, and other workers need for daily operation.

Parents and students have choices in selecting a residential special education school. By offering a comprehensive, coordinated residential treatment and educational programs, we also make every effort to make St. Christopher's the type of temporary home and the kind of school that both parents and students can choose with assurance.

In recent years, St. Christopher's has transformed itself from primarily serving foster families to focusing on families with adolescent children who require residential supervision and treatment as part of a special education program. Both public and private agencies have recognized and acclaimed our success in these efforts, including the awarding of grants and other financial support.