History
Hamlin Robinson School has been at the forefront of serving students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences for over 40 years. We are the only non-profit school in Washington, and one of the few in the United States, dedicated to this learning community. Founded in 1983 by the Slingerland® Institute and the Robinson family, HRS has operated independently since the fall of 1986. HRS has grown from its first class of eleven children to serving over 400 students annually in first through eighth grade. After occupying four different locations, HRS moved to the North Beacon Hill location in June of 2015. Our campus expanded with the opening of a new Middle School in November 2022.
The HRS Learning Center was launched in 2012 to extend our community reach. In the first year of operation, the Learning Center received the "Best of Washington Innovative Program Award" from the Washington Federation of Independent Schools. The HRS Learning Center now serves thousands of students, families, and educators each year through student services, family resources, community events, and professional development workshops.
The Story of Mary Helen Robinson
Many people ask about the origins of the name “Hamlin Robinson School.” This name carries a rich history, with links to the premiere researchers and developers of both individually-focused and classroom-based multisensory instruction. The story begins, however, with its most pivotal figure, Mary Helen Robinson.
Mary Helen was born in Yakima, WA, and attended the University of Washington in the 1930s, where she developed a life-long passion for helping others learn to read. After moving to New York with her husband Hamlin in 1939, she literally knocked on the door of Dr. Samuel Orton, a pioneer in the study of learning disabilities, to make his acquaintance. This meeting led to a job and the opportunity to learn the Orton method of teaching from its creator. Dr. Orton later teamed with Anna Gillingham to create the Orton-Gillingham method of multisensory learning instruction. This method is still widely used for individual instruction.
In 1949, Mary Helen helped found The Orton Society, now known as the International Dyslexia Association. Both Mary Helen and Hamlin became friends with Beth Slingerland, who worked with Anna Gillingham to develop the classroom-based approach of Orton-Gillingham - aptly named the Slingerland® Approach. Hamlin and Mary Helen became involved with the Slingerland Literacy Institute®, where Hamlin served on the board and Mary Helen continued her work teaching students with dyslexia.
After Hamlin’s death in 1982, the Robinson family received enough donations to spur Mary Helen, along with Beth Slingerland and others, to open a school dedicated to serving children with language learning challenges. While Hamlin Robinson School bears the name of her strongly supportive husband, its founding is Mary Helen’s legacy.
Mary Helen Robinson
Campus history
In 2013, HRS was notified it was losing its lease at the TT Minor school location and needed a new home. With much support, the HRS Board of Trustees acquired property, designed a campus with a focus on our students’ needs, raised money to build our new building, and made it possible for us to move in exactly one year after breaking ground. Capital campaign commitments began in 2013 and raised more than $9 million. A remarkable feat for any organization – and particularly for a school without a significant capital campaign in its then 30+ year history.
The capital campaign not only yielded our amazing campus, but it aided in the acquisition of additional properties to our north and south. The southern property now holds the Joan Beauregard play fields and pavilion. Use of the northern property is being considered in long term strategic plans for the school.
In 2019, HRS announced the purchase of the Oberto property along Rainier Avenue to the east of the school. In June of that year, the HRS Board of Trustees voted to build a new middle school with an expanded learning center on the property. The HRS Middle School building opened in November of 2022.
Our Amazing Campus
The Hamlin Robinson School campus is centrally located in the North Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle just off I-5 and I-90.
Our facilities are specially designed for our programs and for our students. Everything— from the classroom designs, to the natural lighting, to the noise reduction capabilities— helps fulfill the mission of our school.
