Growth and Change
Our history began when the Hillbrow School was founded in 1896 in Newton, Massachusetts, and retained that name until the early 1920’s when the eminent child psychiatrist Franklin Haskins Perkins, M.D. became the school’s administrator in 1922. Dr. Perkins moved the school from Newton to a spacious campus in Lancaster, Massachusetts, in 1924. Over the past two decades, Perkins has experienced phenomenal expansion, change and diversification.
Since 1988, Perkins has added 12 buildings both on and off its main campus in Lancaster. Those buildings include campus residences, school buildings, a pool and fitness center, an indoor riding arena, a child development center, community-based housing, and an assisted-living facility. Explore the Perkins timeline below to learn more about our growth in recent years.
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1990
- The South Campus Building
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1990
The South Campus building at 380 High Street Extension in Lancaster is purchased. Today it is home to the Business Office, Operations Department, and Human Resources Department.
The South Campus Building was renamed for Perkins Trustee Russell E. O'Connell upon his retirement from the Board. Trustee Emeritus served on the Perkins Board for over 30 years.
Friends Hall, a residence, is constructed on the campus. The Barlow Center, a 40,000 sq. ft. building is donated to Perkins. After significant renovation the building provides space for the dental clinic at Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center; the Clinton Senior Center; the office of the local state representative; four community-based apartments for developmentally disabled adults; and a state-of-the-art training center for staff and community use.
- Clinton Community Program
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1990Perkins operated in rented space that was later purchased and subsequently resold; this program became the basis for the Adult Services relation to Clinton at the Barlow Center in 2001.
1992
- Perkins is Honored by Chamber
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1992Perkins is honored by the Clinton Area (Wachusett) Chamber of Commerce as Business of the Year as it became one of the largest employers in the area.
1993
- Perkins is Accredited by AISNE
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1993
Perkins is accredited for the first time by the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE).
The Hymes Swimming Pool is completed. The facility includes a three-lane, 50 foot long pool, locker rooms, showers, lavatories, and pool office.
1994
- Pappas Home
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1994
Construction of Pappas Home, a 12-bed residence for young children, came as a result of a generous bequest from the late Anna Pappas.
1995
- Community-Based Apartments
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1995Perkins opens two community-based, staffed apartments in the Oxford Court complex in Clinton. These apartments later transitioned to the Barlow Apartment program in 2001.
1998
- The Hymes Fitness Center
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1998
The Hymes Fitness Center is built completing an athletic complex which already included the Prentiss Gymnasium and the Hymes Swimming Pool.
2000
- Davis Manor opens
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2000
Perkins opens Davis Manor, an assisted living program for aging individuals with developmental disabilities and cognitive decline related to dementia.
2002
- The Janeway Education Center opens
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2002
The crowning jewel of the Lancaster Campus, the Janeway Education Center, opens. The facility contains 15 classrooms, a modern library, beautifully appointed dining room and acoustically-superior auditorium.
2008
- Child Development Center opens
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2008
Perkins opens a Child Development Center on Creamery Road in Lancaster. This new day care center serves infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from the region.
In recognition of its tremendous expansion of services to the surrounding community, Perkins is honored by the Wachusett Chamber of Commerce as the recipient of the 2008 Community Focus Award.
2013
- Perkins Accredited by NEASC
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2013As a reflection of Perkins's metamorphosis into a specialized middle/high school, the program at the school was be accredited by the accrediting body for secondary schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Perkins is one of a few private special needs school in Massachusetts that grants state-approved diplomas to graduates who pass the state-required MCAS exams and who successfully complete the Perkins academic program.
- Russell E. O'Connell Administrative Center
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2013The South Campus Building was renamed for Perkins Trustee Russell E. O'Connell upon his retirement from the Board. Trustee Emeritus served on the Perkins Board for over 30 years.
The construction of an indoor riding arena for the agency’s 
