Pepin Academies
Tampa, Florida
Pepin Academies transforms the lives of students with learning disabilities by providing a therapeutic, inclusive school environment where academics and essential therapies happen together in real time so every child can thrive.
About
Pepin Academies are tuition-free public charter schools serving students in grades 3–12, with an additional Transition Program for young adults ages 18–22. As Exceptional Student Education Center (ESE) schools, they provide individualized instruction alongside integrated therapeutic support—including speech, occupational therapy, and mental-health services—delivered in real time throughout the school day. Their mission is to prepare students with learning and learning-related disabilities for the academic, social, and emotional challenges of everyday life and to help them transition successfully into high school, post-secondary education, or industry-recognized certifications and employment pathways. With multiple campuses across the Tampa Bay region, Pepin Academies give exceptional learners access to a comprehensive, structured environment designed for long-term success.
Their Story
For more than 25 years, Pepin Academies has offered students with learning disabilities a therapeutic school environment where their needs are met inside the classroom—not after hours. Dr. Jeff Skowronek, a former university professor who spent years researching learning disabilities, now leads the network, inspired by the transformational outcomes he saw in Pepin students and determined to expand this model to more families.
Dr. Jeff Skowronek
Executive Director
“I’ve always rejected the principle that we have to think outside the box for students with disabilities. A truly inclusive society is one that understands how to make the box bigger. For 25 years, Pepin Academies has been doing a therapeutic educational environment, where our students are getting the needs and the therapies that require them to be successful in real time, in the classroom.”
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Why they stand out
Pepin Academies stands out for a therapeutic educational model that fully integrates academic instruction with the supports students with learning disabilities need to succeed. Families choose Pepin because small class sizes, ESE-certified teachers, and onsite specialists—mental health counselors, social workers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, ESE specialists, and registered nurses—ensure their children receive individualized attention throughout the entire school day. Therapists work directly alongside teachers, providing real-time support in classrooms as well as targeted small-group and individual sessions, creating a seamless environment where belonging drives learning. This comprehensive approach fuels extraordinary outcomes, including a 96% graduation rate and a 1% dropout rate, and gives students who once felt overlooked a safe, encouraging place to grow. Even as costs rise, Pepin continues to innovate—most recently shifting to a one-to-one device model that expands access to the accommodations and tools exceptional learners need.
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How they STOP for education
“Recognized for its Sustainable model in Florida’s funding-follows-the-student environment, Pepin Academies has worked with policymakers to increase the ESE guaranteed allocation and secure recognition under Florida Statute 1008.3415, reducing district fees and directing more dollars to classrooms and therapeutic supports.
Pepin Academies is Transformational because its integrated therapeutic model—combining individualized instruction with real-time counseling and onsite services—drives high graduation rates, minimal dropout rates, and strong family demand.
Pepin Academies operates Permissionlessly by using charter flexibility to implement redesigned calendars, student-centered innovations, and model changes based solely on what best serves vulnerable learners rather than bureaucratic requirements.”
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Winning their award
The STOP Award empowers Pepin Academies to serve students earlier, expand their Transition Program, and bring their therapeutic model to more families seeking a school that understands and supports exceptional learners at every stage.
Their Latest
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