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Best Special Needs Schools in Lake In The Hills, Illinois (2026)

Compare 2 special needs schools in Lake In The Hills. Explore the ranked list and find a program that feels right for your child.

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School listings in Lake In The Hills

1

Chesak Elementary School

Listed
Lake in the Hills, ILGrades PreK-5Tuition-free

Chesak Elementary opened in the fall of 2000 and now houses more than 700 students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Our school is named for May Chesak, who spent 51 years as a teacher and administrator in McHenry County before retiring in 1984. Since fall 2015, our building has also been home to the district's Early Childhood Center, which moved here from Martin Elementary, so preschool children and our youngest elementary students share one campus. We are part of Huntley Community School District 158, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through age 22 in Huntley, western Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, and nearby communities. The district provides 504 plans, special education resources for families, and a multilingual parent advisory committee.

  • Public primary school (PreK-2)
  • Public school
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2

Parkland Prep

Listed
Lake in the Hills, ILGrades K-12 & up to 22

Parkland Preparatory Academy in Lake in the Hills is one of six Parkland therapeutic day school campuses in northern Illinois, a group founded in 2010 for students ages 5 to 21 with special education eligibility who have not found success in a traditional public school. Students come to us through a referral from their public school district, which also arranges transportation. A student without an IEP can be placed with us diagnostically for up to 60 days while the evaluation is completed. Elementary and middle school classes hold two 30-minute group sessions in the classroom, high school students have two 45-minute sessions, and licensed social workers, counselors and school psychologists also see students individually as each IEP specifies. Groups cover anger management, coping and social skills, and staff train in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention and trauma-informed practice through the Circle of Courage model. Academics use HMH Into Reading and Into Math with Chromebooks. Older students join vocational prep and daily living skills groups and an annual college and career fair, and finish by graduation, a certificate of completion or a return to a less restrictive setting.

  • Private therapeutic day school (ages 5-21)
  • Emotional/behavioral support
  • Students with IEPs
  • Trauma-informed approach
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Nearby school options

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Planning guides

Plan your next school conversation in Lake In The Hills

Use these guides before you contact programs, schedule tours, or ask your IEP team how a proposed setting will support your child's goals.

How to choose a special needs school

Prepare school-tour questions, compare supports and family communication, and record what each program can show you.

IEP process guide

Bring your IEP, progress evidence, and focused questions to conversations about evaluations, services, or placement.

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Comparing school options in Lake In The Hills

Lake in the Hills is split among four public school districts: Community Unit School District 300, Crystal Lake District 47, Community High School District 155 and Huntley Community School District 158, whose Chesak Elementary sits on Reed Road. Parkland Preparatory Academy runs a private therapeutic day school campus on Acorn Lane.

Chesak Elementary enrolled 665 students at about 13.3 per teacher in 2023-24, and 2021-22 federal civil rights data counted 61 students with IEPs and 15 with 504 plans out of 706.

Local resources checked .

Frequently Asked Questions About Special Needs Schools in Lake In The Hills

Is Parkland Prep in Lake in the Hills a charter school for ADHD?
No. Parkland Preparatory Academy is a private therapeutic day school for students ages 5 to 21 with special education eligibility, serving students who have not had success in traditional public schools. It is not a charter school. A child with ADHD usually gets help first from the home district: federal rules list ADHD under other health impairment and dyslexia under specific learning disability, and either can support an IEP or a 504 plan.
How does a student start at Parkland Preparatory Academy?
Your public school district makes the referral. A district representative sends Parkland the parent-signed records release and the student's records, then Parkland's Director of Admissions contacts the family to set up a campus tour. If the district and parent agree Parkland can meet the student's needs, the parent completes registration and the district arranges transportation. Besides Lake in the Hills, Parkland runs campuses in Bartlett, Oak Lawn, Plainfield, Morton Grove and Rockford.
Which school district serves my Lake in the Hills address?
Check first, because the village sits in four districts. D300 runs LITH Elementary, Lincoln Prairie, Westfield Community School and Jacobs High School; D47 runs schools including Glacier Ridge, Indian Prairie and Woods Creek; D155 serves high schoolers at Crystal Lake South; and D158 runs Chesak and Conley elementaries plus its Early Childhood Center. The village advises calling the district office to confirm which school your child attends.
Are there autism programs for Lake in the Hills students?
Huntley District 158 runs the Special Needs Autism Program (SNAP), a calm, predictable, visually supported classroom for students who need intensive teaching in academics and functional skills. SNAP stresses functional communication, daily living skills and community-based instruction, and it now serves other learners who benefit from that structure. D158 also runs Strategy Ed, centered on life skills, and keeps programs campus based so students move up with same-age peers. D300 and D47 families should ask their district about comparable classrooms.
How do private and public school costs compare in Lake in the Hills?
District schools, Chesak included, charge no tuition and carry out the IEP. A district-referred placement at Parkland also costs parents nothing, since federal rules require private placements made through an IEP to be free to families, and the district arranges the bus. A private school you choose on your own sets its own tuition and does not have to write an IEP, so ask what learning support it offers before you enroll.
Does Illinois offer private school scholarships or tax credits?
Illinois's Invest in Kids tax-credit scholarship ended on December 31, 2023, and donations after that date earn no credit. What remains for families is the education expense credit on the state income tax return. It equals 25 percent of tuition, book fees and lab fees above $250 per K-12 student, capped at $750 per family, and it is closed to joint filers above $500,000 or other filers above $250,000 in adjusted gross income.
How do I request an evaluation in Lake in the Hills, and who helps toddlers?
Write to the principal of your child's district school and keep a dated copy; in D158, programs run through the Special Services department. Illinois rules give the district 14 school days to decide whether to evaluate, then 60 school days after your consent to decide eligibility and hold the IEP meeting. For children under 3, Child and Family Connections #25, run by Options & Advocacy for McHenry County in Crystal Lake (815-477-4720), takes Early Intervention referrals.
What should I ask Parkland or a district program before placement?
Ask what the daily schedule looks like, how therapy and counseling fit into it, and how the school measures progress toward program completion. Parkland trains staff in Crisis Prevention Institute Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, which emphasizes early, nonphysical ways to prevent or manage behavior, so ask how that shows up day to day. At Chesak or another district school, ask whether your child would join SNAP, Strategy Ed or resource support, and how time with general education peers works.

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