The F. M. Kirby Foundation is proud to support Hill Learning Center, a Durham, N.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming students with learning differences into confident, independent learners. Founded in 1977 and named in honor of founder George Watts Hill, Hill Learning Center began as a program of Durham Academy before becoming an independent nonprofit in 1998. Hill supports students, educators, and families with research-based, culturally relevant programs designed to meet the needs of students with learning differences, attention challenges, gaps in foundational academic skills, and difficulties with executive function.
Hill serves students in grades K–12 through school, summer, and tutoring programs at Hill and in local schools, providing individualized, research-based instruction in reading, writing, math, and executive function skills. Each program is designed to help students develop not only academic proficiency, but also the organizational, self-advocacy, and social-emotional skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Hill’s commitment to access and equity ensures that its programs reach students regardless of where they attend school or whether they carry a formal diagnosis, a reflection of its conviction that every child can achieve academic success with the right resources and support.
Beyond its direct student programs, Hill extends its impact through robust educator professional development, offering virtual and in-person opportunities for K–12 teachers and schools, equipping educators with an understanding of learning disabilities and ADHD and the instructional strategies they need to deliver research-based instruction and intervention in reading, writing, math, and executive function skills. Hill also partners with families to help them better understand, support, and advocate for their children, offering counseling services, postsecondary planning, and Hill Connect — a free series for parents and caregivers — ensuring that support extends well beyond the classroom.
The F. M. Kirby Foundation is honored to support Hill Learning Center’s vision of a future in which all students with learning differences and attention challenges receive the instruction and support they need to thrive.
