William R. Laurie, M.Ed., is the CEO and Founder of American Academy, a K-12, nationally recognized college preparatory school for students with mild learning differences located in South Florida.

 

Mr. Laurie is a consummate educator with more than 65 years of experience and has been consistently named one of South Florida Business Journal’s “Power Leaders in Private Education.” As a child he experienced a difficult time in school and did not understand why he did so poorly until, as an adult, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and hyperactivity. This served as his inspiration to build a school for children with minor learning difficulties such as dyslexia, ADHD, and auditory processing. 

 

The American Academy has been educating students with mild learning differences throughout South Florida for over 50 years. American Academy students thrive in the well-rounded program that integrates academics, fine arts, and athletics and focuses on the whole child. All graduates of the American Academy are accepted into four-year colleges and universities and become successful in their careers and leaders in their chosen fields.

 

Mr. Laurie was born on November 4, 1930 in Central Florida, and he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee with a major in economics and a minor in political science. He is married, the father of five children, and grandfather of seven children. His family has resided in Plantation since 1958, and when he is not working at his schools, he enjoys playing tennis and studying the genealogy of the Laurie family.