Carolyn Nelson, M.Ed.

Educational Consultant

Carolyn brings her extensive experience as an admission professional in the independent day and boarding school world to her role as an educational consultant at McMillan Education. Widely respected for her student-centered guidance and thoughtful admission practices, Carolyn applies McMillan Education’s developmental and best-fit approach to help families identify and navigate the ideal educational environment for their children.

Specializing in working with students who have moderate to significant learning challenges, Carolyn is recognized as one of the top professionals in the learning specialist field. Her expertise also extends to supporting young learners seeking the best school match in the primary and elementary years. Carolyn’s compassionate and highly personalized approach has earned her a stellar reputation among families and colleagues alike.

In addition to her one-on-one work with students and families, Carolyn is dedicated to staying ahead of trends and changes in the evolving landscape of independent school education and admissions, ensuring the best possible outcomes for the students she serves. Known for her unrivaled professionalism and genuine personal warmth, Carolyn is a trusted guide for families navigating the complexities of school planning.

Carolyn comes to McMillan Education after a long tenure as Director of Admission at Landmark School in Beverly, Massachusetts, the internationally renowned school for children and adolescents with language-based learning disabilities. Her distinguished career as a learning specialist began after earning her bachelor’s degree in English Literature at the University of Connecticut. She taught English and remedial reading at Saugus High School in Saugus, Massachusetts before turning to a concentration in special education.  Following the completion of her master’s degree in Special Education at Northeastern University, Carolyn returned to Saugus to teach special education at the elementary level. Carolyn’s gifts were quickly noticed as she moved to Special Education Coordinator at Bagnall Elementary School in the Pentucket Regional District of Massachusetts, where she taught, conducted educational assessments, developed IEPs, oversaw the provision of all aspects of special education services, and developed the first integrated preschool program in the district. She then moved into the director position of special education k-12 of the whole of the Ipswich School District of Massachusetts.

In addition to her work as a teacher, administrator, and admission professional, Carolyn has enjoyed sharing her expertise in learning differences through her work as an adjunct professor of special education in the graduate schools at Simmons College and Lesley University, where she taught educational assessment, identifying learning disabilities, and instruction and assessment methodologies for students with learning differences and disabilities. She has also been a co-author of an article on reading published in the New Mexico Journal of Reading.


Carolyn’s expertise lies in the areas of assessment and identification of learning disabilities and an in-depth understanding of neuropsychological evaluations and the application of their findings to educational interventions, programs, and settings. Her teaching and administrative experience inform her deep understanding of language-based and non-verbal learning disabilities as well as deficits in executive functioning, processing, and attention.


Carolyn, along with her husband, lives outside of Boston and is the mother to two daughters. In her free time, Carolyn loves being in the outdoors. She is an avid hiker, kayaker, gardener and reader. 


Read my article from the Boston Globe Magazine “How to find the right kindergarten for your child

Send a Message

"*" indicates required fields

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.