In 1960, Dr. Milton Brutten, an expert in dyslexia, and Dr. Henry Evans founded The Vanguard School in suburban Philadelphia.

Elinor "Ellie" Carnill-Steinhilber (1924–2018) and her husband William "Bill" Carnill II (d. 1989) and friends founded The Vanguard School in Lake Wales, FL.

One of her children attended the day program at The Vanguard School in Pennsylvania.

A family sued the school for negligence in 2011 and settled out of court two years later.

The settlement included a gag order for both the school and the family.