The Watson Institute : Friendship Academy

Watson held a Groundbreaking Ceremony on December 16, 2008 for The Watson Institute Friendship Academy, a three story, 50,000 square ft. educational facility in the City's East End at 215 S. Negley Avenue. Construction is expected to be completed by 2010.

Friendship Academy, acquired by Watson in 2001, is currently located at 751 N. Negley Avenue, the former Irene Kaufman East End Center. "That building was never designed as a school" said Watson Institute CEO Raymond White. "We have been searching for a new location where we could build a school more conducive to the needs of our students and staff for several years and are satisfied that this site can meet those needs."

Friendship Academy is designated an Approved Private School (APS) by the PA Department of Education, providing a quality education and partial hospital program for children and teens with serious emotional challenges from any school district in Allegheny and surrounding counties. The N. Negley site educates students in grades 8-12. Students in grades K-7 are educated at the W. Bruce Thomas Education Center in Sharpsburg, PA, also owned by Watson. The new school will serve approximately 145 students and will accommodate all Friendship Academy students in grades K-12.

Parent Testimonials

At Friendship Academy, we consider parents and guardians essential team members in determining positive outcomes for our students. They play an integral role in their students' education and success.

Learn more about the Watson Institute and Friendship Academy! Watch Watson's informational video!

Friendship Academy has been a member of Watson's family of schools since October 26, 2001. As both an approved private school (APS) and a school-based partial hospital component (PHP), Friendship Academy serves 155 students from first to twelfth grade, specializing in meeting their individual educational and mental health challenges.

Friendship Academy provides services to students who are emotionally and behaviorally challenged. Students may be diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD), depressive disorders, conduct disorder, Asperger's Disorder, severe anxiety and many other conditions. Our students have needs that cannot sufficiently be met using traditional educational programs or techniques. Students come from school districts within Allegheny County as well as surrounding counties as an alternative placement.

To address the treatment needs of our students, Friendship Academy is a psychiatric partial day hospital program that is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and Office of Mental Health. Intensive treatment services are provided six hours per day during the school year.

The partial day hospital program provides comprehensive care that is individualized to the goals and needs of each child and their family. Services included in treatment are: psychiatric intervention, medical services, psychological services, social work services and emergency crisis intervention.

To serve educational needs, Friendship Academy runs a private elementary, middle and high school program approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Each student's program includes annual goals, short-term objectives, evaluation procedures and a variety of strategies. The primary focus of the educational program is to offer an individualized instructional program for each child. Our goal is to help students develop skills that will enable them to reach their maximum academic, social and emotional potential, while enabling them develop into life-long learners and contributing members of the adult community.

Directions to Friendship Academy's East End Campus (Middle and High School Program)

Directions to Friendship Academy's Sharpsburg campus (Elementary School Program)

COA Accreditation

Friendship Academy is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), an independent not-for-profit international accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and human service organizations. COA's commitment to maintaining the highest level of standards and quality improvement is designed to identify providers that have set high performance standards for themselves and have made a commitment to their constituents to deliver the highest quality services.