The Richard H. Hungerford School provides a safe, nurturing environment exclusively for special needs students to develop and thrive. Designed by DRG Architects in cooperation with the NYC School Construction Authority, the school is designed specifically to support the diversity of physical, emotional, and cognitive needs of its students. The school accommodates 456 students, aged 14-21, throughout Staten Island. The primary goal of the Hungerford School is to prepare students for life after graduation. Programming focuses on curriculum, vocational studies, and developing skills such as food preparation, laundry, cleaning, socialization, and physical activity. The school is designed with specialized learning and support spaces, including a teaching kitchen, physical therapy rooms, a gymnatorium, and a large communal cafeteria. One major consideration in the school’s design was ample circulation space, as many students use wheelchairs or other mobility aids. To address this, the school design is anchored by three high-capacity, double-doored elevators, and wide hallways, which allow students and staff to maneuver around the building. Other accessibility features are non-flickering, indirect lights, non-reflective surfaces, and noise reduction measures that reduce students' stress. The school has lower windowsills for wheelchair users and two covered entrances that expedite pickup and drop-off by accommodating ten buses at once.

"The best model for every special needs school in the country." - Kristin McHugh, Principal at The Richard H. Hungerford School