Best Special Needs Schools in Hyattsville, Maryland (2026)

Chelsea School is a private special education school in Hyattsville, Maryland, for students with language-based learning differences. It was founded in May 1976 by Betty Nehemias and Eleanor Worthy, two parents of children with dyslexia, and was the first high school in the Washington, D.C. area built specifically for students who learn differently. Today it serves grades 5 through 12. The school works with students who have average to above-average ability but face challenges such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, or other specific learning disabilities, along with students whose ADHD has a documented impact on their schoolwork. Every applicant needs a professional diagnosis, and the program is not designed for students whose primary needs involve high-support autism, intellectual disability, or significant behavioral or emotional concerns. Instruction is built around small classes and individual attention. Chelsea keeps a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio with only two to eight students per class, and uses multi-sensory teaching with intensive, research-based reading intervention. On-site occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, and counseling are available, along with an extended school year program, tutoring, and ACT and SAT prep. Admissions are rolling, and students who look like a potential fit are invited for a two-day visit to shadow a current student before any decision is made. The curriculum is rigorous and college preparatory. Over the past five years, every Chelsea senior has graduated, earning either a Maryland high school diploma or a Chelsea School diploma. About 85 percent of students are funded by their local public school district, and tuition for families paying privately is set each year by the Maryland State Department of Education, listed at $57,544.25 for the 2025 to 2026 school year. Families stay closely involved throughout, so the support a student gets at school carries over at home.