Top 10 Best Special Needs Schools in Denver, Colorado (2026)

Keshet of the Rockies is a dedicated non-profit organization focused on ensuring that children with special needs receive a meaningful Jewish education. Founded over two decades ago by a group of passionate parents, Keshet now serves more than one hundred students across five Denver Jewish day schools, including Hillel Academy and Denver Academy of Torah. The organization provides essential support for children with various diagnoses, such as language-based learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and more. Keshet's mission emphasizes the integration of these students into Jewish Day Schools, fostering an inclusive environment where every child can thrive academically and socially. To achieve its goals, Keshet employs specialized programs and therapeutic methodologies tailored to the unique needs of each student. A dedicated special educator with advanced qualifications collaborates closely with school staff and parents to enhance existing educational frameworks. This partnership ensures that students receive individualized attention through small group instruction and targeted interventions. Baseline assessments in literacy, math, Hebrew, and Judaics are conducted at the beginning and end of each academic year to measure student growth effectively. What sets Keshet apart is its commitment to collaboration among families, educators, and the broader community. By maintaining strong communication channels and actively engaging in fundraising efforts for Jewish Day Schools, Keshet fosters a supportive ecosystem that prioritizes the educational success of all students. With a focus on personalized support and community integration, Keshet of the Rockies stands as a beacon of hope for families seeking quality education for their children with special needs.

The Laradon School has supported students ages 5 to 21 with intellectual and developmental disabilities for over 75 years. As an approved facility school, we currently serve over 60 students from 24 different school districts across Colorado on our secured 10-acre campus in Denver's Globeville neighborhood. By combining a therapeutic environment with our highly trained, licensed staff, we are equipped to meet the individual learning and behavioral needs of every student. We work closely with families and caregivers so they feel heard and connected to their child's school experience. Our mission is to empower children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live their best lives. The Laradon School is committed to ensuring our students are positioned to live healthy, independent lives now and in the future, and it sits alongside our youth center, adult day, employment, and community living programs.

Morgridge Academy is a K-8 school designed for children whose medical needs have led to school absences and interrupted learning. As part of National Jewish Health, a leader in pediatric allergy, immunology, and pulmonary care, we nurture the medical, educational, emotional, and physical needs of each student through rigorous, authentic learning experiences. We are the only school of our kind on a hospital campus in the United States. Tuition is free, all teachers hold master's degrees with special education certification, and our staff includes full-time registered nurses, a school social worker, a child advocate, and physical education and fine arts teachers. Small class sizes allow for individual attention in a nut-free, medically safe environment. Students at Morgridge Academy learn strong academics aligned with grade-level standards while gaining the skills and confidence to manage their own health. Children miss less school, learn to self-advocate for their medical needs, and receive free allergy-safe breakfast and lunch monitored by a registered dietitian.

Mount Saint Vincent, part of Intermountain Health, is at 4159 Lowell Boulevard in Denver. Our campus offers pediatric behavioral health care, a community preschool, and foster care services. Our Day Treatment and Education program serves children ages 5 through 13, until their 14th birthday, whose trauma, neglect, or behavioral health needs affect school. Children enroll in the Sister Daniel Stefani School on our campus, a Colorado Department of Education approved facility school licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services. Licensed special education teachers lead our classes, and school social workers provide clinical support. We involve each child in developing an IEP with academic, behavioral, and treatment goals. Students who qualify for extended school year can attend with us through the summer. Our treatment is trauma-focused and includes art, animal-assisted, movement, and music therapy. After discharge, we may continue with intensive in-home or outpatient therapy when appropriate.

Place Bridge Academy is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and nurturing environment for students with diverse needs, particularly those aged 5 to 21 who may experience language-based learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and other unique challenges. The school's core mission revolves around empowering each student to achieve their fullest potential through personalized educational approaches and therapeutic methodologies tailored to individual learning styles. Key programs at Place Bridge Academy include specialized academic support, social-emotional learning initiatives, and engaging extracurricular activities that promote teamwork and community spirit. What sets Place Bridge Academy apart is its commitment to maintaining a low student-teacher ratio, ensuring that each child receives the attention and guidance they deserve. Additionally, the school emphasizes strong partnerships with families, creating a collaborative environment that fosters growth and understanding. With specialized facilities designed to support various learning needs and vibrant community events that celebrate diversity and inclusion, Place Bridge Academy stands as a beacon of hope and opportunity for families seeking a supportive educational setting.

Rocky Mountain Deaf School (RMDS) is a public charter school in Denver, established in 2004, providing a bilingual ASL and English education for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students from preschool through 12th grade. With a 5:1 student-teacher ratio and about 150 students, the school emphasizes academic excellence, language fluency, and connection to Deaf community and culture, alongside speech therapy and counseling support.

Catapult Learning is a leading educational service provider dedicated to elevating student success and empowering educators. With a mission to support diverse learning needs, Catapult Learning serves students from Pre-K through 12th grade, focusing on those who face academic, behavioral, and emotional challenges. Key offerings include comprehensive student services such as high-dosage tutoring, literacy and math intervention, and specialized summer programs designed to prevent learning loss. The organization employs evidence-based methodologies, including Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), to provide tailored interventions that address individual student needs. Additional services encompass counseling for students with intensive needs, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and social skills groups, ensuring a holistic approach to education. What sets Catapult Learning apart is its commitment to fostering a supportive and engaging learning environment. With a vast network of over 15,000 dedicated education professionals, the organization maintains low student-teacher ratios to ensure personalized attention. The campus environment is designed to promote resilience and well-being, integrating mental health solutions and life skills training into the curriculum. Furthermore, Catapult Learning offers vocational training and community integration opportunities, preparing students for successful futures beyond the classroom.

Operated by WellPower at the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being, Skyline Academy is an intensive day treatment facility for students in 1st through 8th grades. It serves remarkable young people who have struggled in traditional public school settings as a result of behaviors, strong emotions, peer relationships, trauma, or identified educational disabilities, helping students and families identify what they need to be as successful as possible both in and outside of school. Students learn best when they are understood, accepted, and feel safe. Skyline applies research-based treatment models that emphasize character development, social skills, and functional ways to express strong feelings. Every classroom holds a maximum of eight students with at least one mental health support staff member all day, and the school serves a maximum of 24 students total. Weekly individual and family therapy, daily social-emotional education, occupational and speech language therapy, and animal-assisted interventions are woven throughout the program. Skyline partners closely with families and local school districts, collaborating on each student's Individual Education Plan, records, grades, and progress, with the long-term goal of returning students to their home school district. Enrollment is by referral, either through a school district's special education team based on a student's IEP, or through a Department of Human Services case worker or mental health provider.

Tennyson Center for Children is a national model of a school-based, therapeutic day treatment program for children who have experienced complex trauma. Our K-12 school welcomes kindergarten through 12th-grade students who have struggled in a public school setting and require higher support to meet their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. We are a Cognia-accredited, licensed facility school monitored by the Colorado Department of Education, where students can earn high school credit and graduate. Classrooms are trauma-informed and staffed by licensed special education teachers and Youth Treatment Counselors, with a schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework and the ARC therapeutic model guiding our work. Our specialized ASPEN classrooms serve students who need more concentrated support, including those with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and complex mental health needs. Students and their families receive therapeutic support throughout enrollment, including individual, group, and family therapy, plus occupational and speech-language services. We meet learners where they are, build a safe and consistent routine, and help each student develop the skills to return successfully to their home school and community.

Third Way Center is a Denver nonprofit serving adolescents with complex trauma and mental health needs. Our founder, psychiatrist Hildegard Messenbaugh, MD, started Third Way in 1970, and we grew from one shelter for teens into residential programs at five metro Denver locations, with individual, family, and group therapy. Our students attend Joan Farley Academy, our two state-approved facility schools. The KW Brill Center serves up to 60 youth from our community-based residences, and the Lowry campus serves up to 34. Licensed Master's-level special education teachers, licensed school social workers, and counselors staff both campuses. Our classes are small, and experiential learning includes service-learning trips to Mission: Wolf and vocational programs at Denver Public Schools' CEC Early College. Eighty percent of our eligible students earn a high school diploma or GED during the program. Our treatment follows Dr. Messenbaugh's Six Boxes methodology. Our Encephalopathy Unit addresses the effects of trauma on the brain, combining medication with meditation, sound therapy, yoga, word puzzles, and learning an instrument or a new language.