The Model Secondary School for the Deaf Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 15, 1966 (P.L.

In May 1969, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the President of Gallaudet College signed an agreement authorizing the establishment and operation of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) at the College.

MSSD provides a tuition-free comprehensive day and residential four-year high school program for deaf and hard of hearing students from the United States and its territories.

[3][4] The school is tuition-free and open only to residents of the United States and its territories.

MSSD students are expected to graduate ready for the challenges of adult life.