Best Special Needs Schools in Chatsworth, California (2026)

The Academy for Advancement of Children with Autism (AACA) runs California-certified nonpublic, nonsectarian school programs for students ages 5 to 22, and our Chatsworth campus on Devonshire Street is one of three, along with Antelope Valley and Oxnard. Placement is decided by each student's IEP team together with the local education agency. Many arrive after years of behavioral struggles, so our classrooms run on earned rewards and reinforcement rather than punishment. Our K-12 curriculum follows state special education standards in reading, writing, language arts, social studies, science and math, along with social skills, functional life skills and community-based instruction. Older students move into a transition program with transition planning and career preparation. Related services happen on campus: applied behavior analysis supervised by staff with master's degrees or higher, occupational therapy in our therapy gym and classrooms, physical therapy from a California-licensed therapist, speech and language therapy, adapted physical education with multi-sensory equipment, and counseling with licensed psychologists and therapists. We also run parent workshops and an Adaptive Skills Trainer program that teaches self-care, communication and community skills one-to-one at home and in the community.

• Nonpublic special education school (NPS)
• Autism
• Nonpublic school (NPS)
• Positive behavior reinforcement