Valley Springs Academy

ACCEL has been educating Arizonans with developmental disabilities since 1980, and our Phoenix Metro campus is where that work happens for students ages 5 to 22. Classes are small and highly structured, with behavior and adaptation teams that help teachers adjust lessons and work systems for each student. Instruction follows a curriculum map linked to Arizona's Academic Standards, using Corrective Reading and Math, Handwriting Without Tears, Unique Learning Systems and TouchPoint Math, and every student's IEP goals set the pace. Work skills start early. Students make dog treats, grow plants in our horticulture program, take creative design workshops, and practice daily living in an on-campus studio apartment and kitchen before moving on to community job experiences. Therapy runs through the school day: physical, speech, occupational and vision therapy, adapted aquatics, and augmentative communication and assistive technology. We are the only Arizona special education school accredited by NCASES, and our Bista program adds ABA, speech and occupational therapy for children from 18 months.

Achieve School for Autism's Maryvale campus is a K-12 school built around autistic students, on West Indian School Road in Phoenix. Each student learns from a customized learning plan, and low student-to-teacher ratios keep the attention personal. The S.M.I.L.E. program, short for Sensory-Motor Interactive Learning Experiences, works structured, research-based sensory-motor activities into the school day. Academics run on the Unique Learning System, a standards-based curriculum written for students with autism and other special needs, with IXL for personalized practice and Generation Genius for science and math lessons through eighth grade. Families can add Applied Behavior Analysis through Lexington ABA Solutions, which works alongside the classroom teacher and other specialists. Engaging activities round out the week beyond academics. Free transportation gets students to campus, and Arizona ESA funds are accepted. We are proud to offer all of this with no out-of-pocket costs for families.

Goodwin Learning Academy is an Arizona ESA-approved private special education microschool for neurodiverse learners in grades K–12 and transition-age young adults (18–22). Every student is taught by certified special education teachers in a 1:1 setting. Instruction is individualized, strengths-based, and aligned to each student’s IEP, so learning is built around who your child is rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum.