Best Special Needs Schools in Santa Ana, California (2026)

A group of parents founded The Prentice School in 1986 to give their children with dyslexia the education they needed. Today our 6.6-acre campus in the Orange County foothills has more than 25 classrooms and serves a maximum of 148 students in grades 1 to 8 with language-based learning differences and attentional disorders, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, auditory processing disorder, and ADHD. Homeroom classes hold about 12 students. Each day students spend 60 minutes in Orton-Gillingham structured literacy groups of five or fewer, taught by instructors who complete a 12-month certification. Writing groups have six students and math groups eight or fewer. Our Common Core-aligned program also includes science, PE, art, assistive technology, and a therapist-led social emotional learning class. We provide on-site speech and language therapy and employ a full-time Marriage and Family Therapist. We are WASC accredited, a member of CAIS, and a founding member of the Association of LD Schools. Tuition for 2026-27 is $38,250 for grades 1 to 6 and $39,500 for grades 7 to 8, and we offer needs-based financial aid and monthly payment plans.

• Private special education day school (grades 1-8)
• Dyslexia
• Dysgraphia
• Dyscalculia