Our History

Founded by David Morgan in 2004 and modeled after the Denver Street School, the Winston-Salem Street School is a private alternative high school serving the at-risk youth of the greater Winston Salem area of North Carolina. It is designed to meet the needs of students who struggled in traditional schools due to academic or behavioral obstacles, many of whom were expelled or dropped out. The WSSS was specifically created to target these students and offers them the chance to earn a diploma recognized by the State of North Carolina.

WSSS is a small, nurturing educational environment where students can develop and grow. Our student teacher ratio is 10:1, which allows us to give students the individualized attention they need. We use a holistic approach to education, strengthening students academically, socially, physically, and spiritually. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to doing everything within their power to help students achieve, providing them with a patient, loving, and positive educational environment. Our students’ next steps include moving on to college, the military, or into the workforce.

While we serve a variety of students, we focus on assisting those students who are the most at risk of not graduating from the public-school setting.  By doing so, WSSS plays a critical role in reducing the over 400 students who drop out of the Forsyth County public school system. Over 300 students have graduated from our program and earned their diplomas in the past 19 years, helping them move out of the oppressive cycles of crime, poverty, and despair.

Under the direction of current Executive Director Mike Foster and governed by community leaders through a board of directors, WSSS is accredited and a member of the National Association of Street Schools.