In the early 1980s, R. William and Daniel Striar, z"tl, had a vision that there would be an Orthodox Jewish day school in the southeastern Massachusetts area that would connect the Jewish and secular worlds in a meaningful way through an integrated Judaic and general studies program. Their initial grant of land and money made this vision become a reality in 1985, when Striar Hebrew Academy was founded as a preschool on the Ashcroft Road campus.
By the late 1990s, the original program had grown to include Grades 1 and 2. In 2000, Striar Hebrew Academy jointly acquired the 100 Ames Street campus with the Young Israel of Sharon for elementary classrooms and other program facilities. The second building, in addition to escalating enrollment, opened up a long-awaited opportunity to stage the addition of an elementary grade level per year up to Grade 6. In June 2004, this goal was realized with the graduation of Striar Hebrew Academy's first Grade 6 class.
Over the past decade, Striar Hebrew Academy has continually improved its curricula, striving to offer its students the best and most current educational materials available. In an effort to better support our students academically and provide them with expanded social opportunities, SHAS initiated a rotational model in 2015, which combined traditional teaching with independent and small group work as well as blended learning, which used educational technology to support students' growth. The elementary classrooms were redesigned to support this new model.
In 2016, the school expanded its classroom space to unify the early childhood and elementary grades on the Ames Street campus, Nursery through Grade 5. This unification emphasized a one-school culture, enhanced the educational experience for our students and their families, and also furthered our objectives of financial sustainability by reducing the cost of running two campuses and streamlining our operations.