A new school for neurodivergent adults opens this fall at 55 Shaver St. in San Rafael. The San Rafael Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting for the Helix Adult Academy on Sept. 22.

The academy launches with four program tracks: lifelong learning, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and visual arts and media production. Two more tracks, a leisure and social program and a residential life-skills house, are planned for fall 2027.

Families of neurodivergent young people know the gap the academy addresses. When school district programs end, structured options for adults are scarce. The academy's website describes the transition bluntly, saying families face a cliff when those services stop.

Founder and Executive Director Marjorie McMorris built the academy out of personal experience. McMorris, a former Goldman Sachs vice president and mother of a neurodivergent young adult, founded The Helix School in 2014 as a K-22 program for autistic and neurodivergent students in Marin County. She has said she started that school because she could not find the right setting for her son Kyle, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, NBC Bay Area reported. The adult academy extends that work past age 22.

Classes will be small. The academy lists a maximum class size of seven students and a 2:1 participant-to-staff ratio. Students can attend one to four days per week.

McMorris is joined by Program Director Anya Orton, who brings 18 years in special education focused on autism, and Director of Admissions and Family Services Lilian P. Ansari, who has more than 25 years of experience supporting neurodivergent individuals and families.

The Helix Adult Academy operates as a fiscally sponsored project of The Helix School, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The ribbon cutting runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Sept. 22 at 55 Shaver St. The event is free to Chamber members. Residents can meet the team and learn about enrollment, which is open now. Contact [email protected] for details.