Find Top Programs in California
Discover California schools and centers with individualized instruction, low student-teacher ratios, and integrated social-emotional support. Browse programs across 286 cities with 884 total programs.
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Cities with Schools in California
Explore schools across 286 cities in California. Use search to quickly find schools in your area.
Popular Cities
Cities with the most schoolsAlameda
22Los Angeles
15Cupertino
14Cerritos
13Folsom
13San Jacinto
13Hemet
12San Jose
12All Cities A-Z
286 cities totalCities Starting with A
15 citiesAdelanto
2Agoura Hills
5Alameda
22Alamo
1Alhambra
1Altadena
1Anaheim
2Antelope
1Antioch
2Apple Valley
1Arcadia
4Arroyo Grande
1Arvin
1Atascadero
7Atwater
4Cities Starting with B
14 citiesBaldwin Park
9Banning
1Bassett
1Beaumont
6Bell
3Bellflower
5Belmont
2Benicia
1Berkeley
2Blythe
1Brentwood
5Buellton
1Buena Park
2Burlingame
1Cities Starting with C
36 citiesCalabasas
5Calexico
3Calimesa
1Camarillo
2Cameron Park
2Campbell
10Carlsbad
1Carmichael
1Carson
2Castaic
2Castro Valley
3Cathedral City
2Cerritos
13Chatsworth
1Chino
1Chino Hills
1Chowchilla
1Chula Vista
1Citrus Heights
1City of Industry
1Claremont
3Clovis
1Coachella
1Colton
1Commerce
1Compton
4Concord
4Corcoran
3Corona
3Coronado
5Costa Mesa
1Cotati
1Cudahy
3Culver City
3Cupertino
14Cypress
1Cities Starting with D
9 citiesDanville
9Delano
1Desert Hot Springs
1Diamond Bar
7Dinuba
3Discovery Bay
1Downey
2Duarte
1Dublin
4Cities Starting with E
8 citiesEastvale
3El Cajon
1El Dorado Hills
2Elk Grove
1Emeryville
1Encinitas
2Encino
1Escondido
3Cities Starting with F
10 citiesFair Oaks
2Fairfield
1Fallbrook
4Fillmore
1Folsom
13Fontana
5Foster City
7Fountain Valley
1Fremont
2Fresno
1Cities Starting with G
6 citiesCities Starting with H
8 citiesHacienda Heights
1Hanford
1Hayward
2Hemet
12Hesperia
1Hillsborough
1Huntington Beach
1Huntington Park
1Cities Starting with I
5 citiesCities Starting with J
1 cityCities Starting with K
1 cityCities Starting with L
24 citiesLa Habra
1La Jolla
1La Mesa
4La Mirada
1La Palma
1La Puente
9La Quinta
5Lafayette
7Laguna Hills
2Lake Elsinore
7Lake Forest
1Lakewood
3Lancaster
2Lathrop
8Lemon Grove
1Lincoln
8Live Oak
2Lomita
2Lompoc
4Los Altos
7Los Angeles
15Los Banos
1Los Gatos
6Los Osos
1Cities Starting with M
24 citiesMalibu
1Manteca
9Martinez
4Mather
1Maywood
1McKinleyville
1Menifee
3Menlo Park
1Mill Valley
1Milpitas
8Mira Loma
1Mission Viejo
1Modesto
3Monrovia
5Montclair
3Monte Sereno
1Monterey
3Moorpark
5Moraga
4Moreno Valley
8Morgan Hill
1Mountain House
2Mountain View
3Murrieta
2Cities Starting with N
8 citiesNational City
4Newark
4Nipomo
5North Hollywood
3North Tustin
1Northridge
1Norwalk
2Novato
2Cities Starting with O
11 citiesOakdale
6Oakland
3Oceanside
1Ojai
1Olivehurst
2Olympic Valley
1Ontario
4Orangevale
3Orcutt
1Orinda
5Oxnard
1Cities Starting with P
18 citiesPalm Desert
4Palm Springs
1Palmdale
1Palo Alto
7Paramount
3Pasadena
2Paso Robles
8Patterson
7Perris
4Phelan
6Pico Rivera
2Pine Valley
1Pinole
1Placentia
1Placerville
1Pleasant Hill
1Porterville
1Poway
6Cities Starting with R
16 citiesRamona
3Rancho Cordova
1Rancho Cucamonga
2Rancho Palos Verdes
1Rancho Santa Margarita
1Redding
1Redlands
9Redwood City
1Reedley
2Reseda
2Ripon
1Riverbank
3Riverside
3Rocklin
1Rohnert Park
3Rowland Heights
3Cities Starting with S
41 citiesSacramento
4Salinas
2San Bruno
1San Carlos
1San Diego
6San Francisco
7San Gabriel
1San Jacinto
13San Jose
12San Juan Capistrano
8San Lorenzo
4San Luis Obispo
11San Mateo
12San Rafael
2San Ramon
3Sanger
3Santa Ana
1Santa Barbara
11Santa Clarita
1Santa Cruz
1Santa Paula
3Santa Rosa
3Saratoga
2Seaside
1Sebastopol
2Selma
2Shafter
1Sherman Oaks
1Shingle Springs
2Simi Valley
9Soledad
3South Gate
4South Lake Tahoe
6South San Francisco
4Spring Valley
3Stevenson Ranch
1Stockton
4Studio City
2Summerland
1Sunnyvale
2Sutter Creek
1Cities Starting with T
10 citiesTemecula
6Temple City
5Thermal
3Thousand Oaks
1Torrance
4Tracy
1Truckee
6Turlock
1Tustin
3Twentynine Palms
1Cities Starting with U
1 cityCities Starting with V
4 citiesCities Starting with W
13 citiesWalnut
4Walnut Creek
2Walnut Park
2Wasco
1West Hollywood
5West Sacramento
1Whittier
2Wildomar
4Wilmington
1Winchester
2Windsor
1Woodland
1Woodland Hills
2Cities Starting with Y
3 citiesSpecial Education in California: What Parents Need to Know
California runs the largest special education system in the country, and two things about it surprise families moving from other states. First, California has no voucher or education savings account program: there is no state check families can direct toward private school tuition on their own. Second, the private schools that do serve students under an IEP are almost always operating inside the public system, not outside it. A California private school that enrolls IEP students has to be certified by the California Department of Education as a Nonpublic School (NPS), and it is the school district, not the parent, that places a student there and pays the tuition through the IEP process. Understanding the NPS model changes how you should read every listing on this page.
We currently list 884 specialized schools and programs across 286 communities in California.
Evaluation and IEP timelines in California
California moves faster than the federal minimum at the front end of the process. Once you refer your child for assessment, the district has 15 calendar days to draft and send you a proposed assessment plan, not counting days that fall between school sessions or during a vacation longer than five school days. You then have at least 15 calendar days to review that plan before deciding whether to consent. The clock that determines eligibility starts when you sign consent: the district has 60 calendar days from that date to complete the assessment and hold the IEP team meeting that determines eligibility and areas of need, and that window is also tolled for school breaks longer than five days. If the team finds your child eligible, a separate 30-day window applies to developing the actual IEP.
- Assessment plan due within 15 calendar days of your referral, not counting school breaks longer than 5 school days (Cal. Educ. Code § 56043(a), § 56321(a))
- You have at least 15 calendar days after receiving the assessment plan to consent (Cal. Educ. Code § 56043(b))
- Eligibility determination and the IEP team meeting are due within 60 calendar days of your signed consent, tolled for school breaks over 5 days (Cal. Educ. Code § 56043(c), § 56302.1)
- If your child is found eligible, the IEP itself is developed within 30 days of that determination (Cal. Educ. Code § 56043(f)(2), § 56344(a))
- The IEP is implemented as soon as possible after you consent to it, and the district must reassess every 3 years unless you and the district agree in writing to skip it (Cal. Educ. Code § 56043(i), § 56043(k))
How California families pay for a specialized placement
California does not have a private school choice program of any kind: no voucher, no education savings account, no tax-credit scholarship that a parent can apply for directly. That single fact reroutes most of what families use to pay for a specialized placement. The main public route is a district-funded Nonpublic School placement made through the IEP: if the IEP team decides the district cannot provide an appropriate education in a public setting, the district refers the student to a CDE-certified NPS, contracts with it through the local SELPA, and pays the tuition, not the parent. Outside the IEP, Regional Centers, established under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, serve people with qualifying developmental disabilities of any age, but state law blocks them from paying for anything a school district is already legally responsible for, so they do not fund NPS tuition or general classroom instruction. What Regional Centers do fund for school-age children sits alongside school: respite care, social-skills and behavioral services, specialized child care, camp and social-recreation programs, and family support. Families who want a private placement the district will not fund, or who choose an ordinary private school that is not CDE-certified, pay privately or through the school’s own financial aid.
- No statewide voucher or education savings account program exists in California as of 2026
- District-funded Nonpublic School (NPS) placement through the IEP is the main route into a specialized private school
- Regional Centers (Lanterman Act) cannot pay for services a school district already owes your child, including tuition, so they fund non-educational supports like respite, behavior services, and camp instead
- Ordinary private schools that are not CDE-certified as an NPS are a private-pay option; the district has no obligation to fund them
- For children birth to age 3, contact your local Regional Center about Early Start rather than the school district
Types of Special Needs Schools in California
Not every placement type exists in every state. These are the settings families actually find in California.
Certified Nonpublic Schools (NPS)
Private, nonsectarian schools certified by the California Department of Education specifically to enroll students under an IEP. A school district places a student here through the IEP team, contracts with the school through the local SELPA, and pays the tuition. This is the placement type built for students the district itself has decided it cannot serve appropriately in a public classroom.
Best for: Students whose IEP team has documented that public school settings, even with added supports, are not meeting their needs
Private schools without NPS certification
Independent schools that serve students with learning differences, ADHD, or other needs but are not certified by the CDE to enroll IEP students on a district-funded basis. Families pay privately or through the school’s own aid, and the district has no funding obligation here even if your child has an IEP.
Best for: Families who want a specific program or environment and are prepared to pay privately, or whose child does not need the level of restriction an NPS placement implies
Autism and ABA-integrated programs
Programs, some CDE-certified as an NPS and others operating as a Nonpublic Agency (NPA) partnered with a school, built around structured teaching and on-site behavior support, often with a BCBA on staff. Concentrated in the Bay Area, Los Angeles Basin, and Sacramento Valley metros.
Best for: Students on the autism spectrum who need communication support and consistent behavior programming woven into the school day
Therapeutic and behavioral day programs
Placements that combine academics with counseling and behavior intervention for students whose emotional or behavioral needs have made a traditional campus unworkable. Most operate as certified NPS programs so a district can place and fund a student there through the IEP.
Best for: Students with emotional disabilities or a pattern of school refusal, suspension, or repeated crisis in a general education setting
California Special Needs School Questions
How long does an IEP evaluation take in California?
The district has 15 calendar days from your referral to send a proposed assessment plan, then at least 15 more calendar days for you to review it before consenting. Once you sign, the district has 60 calendar days to complete the assessment and hold the eligibility meeting, and that 60-day window pauses for school breaks longer than five school days. Plan for roughly three months from your written referral to an eligibility decision, longer if the referral lands right before winter or summer break.
What is a Nonpublic School, and who pays for it?
A Nonpublic School (NPS) is a private, nonsectarian school certified by the California Department of Education to enroll students under an IEP. Placement happens through the IEP team, not by a parent applying directly, and once the team places a student there, the school district pays the tuition through a contract managed by the local SELPA. This is different from an ordinary private school: if a school is not CDE-certified as an NPS, the district has no obligation to fund a placement there even if your child has an IEP.
Does California have a voucher or education savings account for special education?
No. California does not have any private school choice program, including a voucher or education savings account, as of 2026. State lawmakers have considered tax-credit scholarships and ESA proposals in the past, and ballot initiatives have been proposed for future election cycles, but none is currently in effect. The funding routes that actually exist are a district-funded NPS placement through the IEP, Regional Center services for qualifying developmental disabilities, and private pay.
Where are California’s specialized schools concentrated?
Our directory lists 889 published school listings across 288 California cities, the largest footprint of any state we cover. The heaviest concentrations are in Alameda, Los Angeles, Cupertino, Cerritos, Folsom, and Hemet, with additional strength across the Bay Area, the Los Angeles Basin, and the Sacramento Valley. California also has 122 therapy-center listings, so it is worth checking both a school placement and a standalone ABA or speech therapy provider, especially if your child’s needs are more clinical than academic.
My child is under 3. Do I start with the school district?
No. Children from birth to age 3 are served by California’s Early Start program through your local Regional Center, not the school district. Early Start is California’s implementation of federal Part C early intervention, and it operates under the Lanterman Act and the California Early Intervention Services Act. The school district takes over responsibility at age 3, so the transition to an IEP should be in motion well before your child’s third birthday to avoid a gap in services.
California Guides & Resources
Next steps for families comparing schools, requesting an evaluation, or working out how to pay for a placement.
How to request a special education evaluation
The written referral that starts California’s 15-day assessment-plan clock, with wording you can adapt.
Read more →Complete IEP guide
What goes in an IEP, how the meeting works, and the documentation an IEP team needs before considering an NPS placement.
Read more →504 plan vs IEP
Which one applies in California, and why only an IEP can lead to a district-funded Nonpublic School placement.
Read more →Choosing a special needs school
The questions to ask on a tour, including whether a California program is actually CDE-certified as an NPS.
Read more →Early intervention guide
For children under 3, including how California’s Early Start program works before the district takes over at age 3.
Read more →Choosing an autism therapy center
How to evaluate an ABA or autism therapy provider in California, including centers that partner with NPS programs.
Read more →ABA and autism therapy centers in California
California’s 122 therapy-center listings, useful alongside or instead of a school placement.
Read more →Autism rates by state
How California compares on autism identification rates, using federal data.
Read more →Sources for this page
- California Education Code § 56043, special education timelines
- Santa Clara Valley SELPA, Special Education Timelines in California
- California Department of Education, Nonpublic Schools and Nonpublic Agencies
- Charter SELPA, Contracting With Nonpublic Schools and Nonpublic Agencies
- California Department of Developmental Services, Regional Center Eligibility & Services
- California Department of Developmental Services, Regional Center Services and Descriptions
- California Department of Developmental Services, Early Start
State rules change. This page was last reviewed against primary sources on July 28, 2026. Confirm current requirements with your school district or the relevant state agency before making a decision.
Find Your Perfect Match
With 884 schools and centers across 286 cities in California, we'll help you find the right educational environment for your child's unique needs.