Best Special Needs Schools in La Palma, California (2026)

Beacon Day School began in 2004, when founder Dr. Mary Jo Lang, a clinical psychologist and autism parent, set out to build the school she had been searching for. Our Orange County campus in La Palma is a California non-public school whose students have autism and related disorders, accredited by the California Department of Education and serving students placed by school districts across Southern California. We enroll students ages 5 to 22 in three programs: the Academy for ages 5 to 14, Beacon Day High School for ages 14 to 18, and a Transition program for ages 18 to 22. Lessons follow Universal Design for Learning, and Applied Behavior Analysis runs across the curriculum along with arts integration, social skills training and community based instruction, such as buying items at a store and learning to ride public transportation. Our staff includes credentialed teachers, BCBAs, behavior interventionists, speech, occupational and physical therapists, an art instructor, a music therapist, an adapted PE instructor and licensed nurses, plus a school counselor. Our own fleet of vans and sedans brings students to campus and on community outings, with a behavior interventionist riding along.

• Private special education day school (non-public school)
• Autism
• Related developmental disorders
• Universal Design for Learning