About half the students come from Cambridge;the rest are from outlying towns. Althoughstudents could once live on the top floor of thebuilding on the corner of Mount Auburn and HolyokeStreets, those rooms are presently unoccupied.

Because of Hall's interest in dyslexia, ManterHall has required a diagnostic reading test sincethe 1950s, far before the disability was widelyknown. Hall has earned numerous awards andcurrently serves on the boards of several dyslexiaorganizations.

Motivated by teaching methods at the school,Hall also founded Educator's Publishing Services,a firm which publishes and distributes academicworkbooks throughout the country.

Despite its unique approach to secondaryeducation, enrollment has dropped off drasticallyin the past five or six years, from about 60 toonly 19 today.

"It's probably due to the fact that we werehappy with the small number, and don't make aneffort to expand," Hall explained.

Though the school formerly advertised througheducational channels, it relies exclusively onword of mouth today. With the tuition at $7,950,most of the students are the children of alumni.Halbright's daughters attended Manter Hall,profiting from the individualized attention to"study fast and move along fast," Halbright said.

However, Manter Hall administrators say thereare no plans to bolster student enrollment.

"The future? I wouldn't touch it," Sweeneysaid. "For now, the people we graduate aresuccessful, and the parents appreciate theservice."

Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) is also agraduate of Manter Hall.

Hall was also unwilling to forecast theschool's future. "I don't have any predictions,"he said. "It serves a purpose: there's a need andwe're happy with that."

Alumni such as Halbright, however, areconcerned by the school's decreased enrollment. "Ihope [it doesn't die out], because there'scertainly a need for it," she said. "It's a uniqueplace and has a lot to offer."

"It's got my vote to continue," she added