Top 10 Best Special Needs Schools in Lakeville, Minnesota (2026)

10 Acre Wood Nature Preschool, located in Lakeville, Minnesota, is a nurturing and play-based educational environment designed for children aged 33 months through kindergarten. With a core mission centered on fostering a love for nature and environmental stewardship, the preschool offers both full-day and part-time enrollment options within a maximum group size of 12 students, ensuring an intimate learning atmosphere supported by a low student-to-teacher ratio of 6:1. The preschool's unique approach incorporates outdoor exploration across its expansive 10-acre property, which features woodlands, wetlands, and native prairie. This immersive setting allows children to engage in hands-on learning experiences that promote curiosity and discovery. The school's commitment to environmental education is reflected in its use of an environmentally-friendly converted pole barn as the main facility. What sets 10 Acre Wood apart is not only its dedicated focus on nature-based learning but also its emphasis on creating strong connections with families, fostering a community that supports each child's growth and development.

• Preschool
• Private school

All Saints Catholic School in Lakeville, MN, is dedicated to providing a faith-centered education that nurtures the spiritual and academic growth of its students. Serving a diverse population, including children with various learning needs and disabilities, the school emphasizes guiding each child towards Christ through a holistic approach that integrates faith, learning, community, and service. The curriculum is designed to foster both intellectual development and personal growth, utilizing specialized programs and therapeutic methodologies tailored to meet the unique needs of each student. With a low student-teacher ratio, All Saints ensures that every child receives individualized attention, allowing for deeper connections between educators and families. This commitment to partnership with parents enhances the educational experience and creates a supportive community environment. Unique facilities and community events further enrich the school experience, making All Saints Catholic School a distinctive choice for families seeking an inclusive and nurturing educational setting.

• Catholic school
• Private school

Christian Day Child Academy (CDCA) in Lakeville, MN, is dedicated to nurturing the spiritual and academic growth of young children within a Christ-centered environment. Founded in 1971 by JaNette and Lloyd Flogstad, and later becoming a ministry of Minnesota Valley Free Lutheran Church in 1999, CDCA aims to enrich early learning experiences through Biblical truth, laying a strong foundation for future education. The academy serves preschool-aged children, offering classes for 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, and 5-year-olds with a low student-teacher ratio of 5 to 1, ensuring personalized attention for each child. The skilled teaching staff, including experienced educators like Cheryl Ladendorf and DeVon Sadowski, is committed to fostering a love for learning through innovative curricula such as and Unique to CDCA is its emphasis on strong family partnerships and community engagement, creating an inclusive atmosphere where both children and families can thrive together.

• Preschool
• Private school

Lakeville Area Schools is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for students with diverse learning needs, including those with language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional learners. The school’s core mission revolves around empowering each student through tailored educational programs and therapeutic methodologies that address their unique challenges. With a focus on individualized instruction, Lakeville Area Schools employs a low student-teacher ratio, ensuring that every child receives the personalized attention they deserve. The school also emphasizes strong family partnerships, actively engaging parents and guardians in the educational process to create a cohesive support system for students. Unique community events, such as the Ready, Set, ACHIEVE! initiative, provide essential resources like school supplies and immunizations at no cost to enrolled families, further solidifying the school’s commitment to accessibility and community connection. Through these efforts, Lakeville Area Schools stands out as a nurturing space where every child can thrive academically and socially.

• Education center
• Learning differences
• Twice-exceptional
• Private school

Crystal's Cuddle Bugs Child Care Center is dedicated to providing a nurturing and stimulating environment for young children, particularly those who may benefit from specialized care. Serving families in Farmington, Lakeville, and Rosemount, the center focuses on creating a playful curriculum tailored to the developmental needs of each child. With a commitment to safety and cleanliness, Cuddle Bugs ensures that children feel secure while exploring their surroundings. The center prides itself on its qualified and compassionate staff, who are trained to support various learning styles and developmental challenges. What sets Cuddle Bugs apart is its emphasis on family partnerships and community engagement, fostering strong connections that enhance the overall childcare experience. The newly opened Lakeville campus reflects this mission with state-of-the-art facilities designed to accommodate diverse needs while promoting growth and learning in a warm, inclusive atmosphere.

• Preschool
• Private school

East Lake Elementary is a nurturing neighborhood school dedicated to fostering a sense of community and connectedness among its students, particularly those in grades K-5. With a core mission centered on safety and excellent instruction, the school serves a diverse student population, including those with various learning needs. East Lake emphasizes an inclusive environment where every learner matters and every voice counts, ensuring that students with language-based learning disabilities and other unique challenges receive the support they need to thrive. The school implements key programs designed to enhance academic success while promoting social-emotional development. Its approach includes strong family partnerships and resources that keep parents engaged in their child's education. What sets East Lake apart is its commitment to low student-teacher ratios, which allows for personalized attention, as well as its vibrant community events like the annual Laps for the Lake fundraiser and Earth Day clean-up initiatives that strengthen family involvement and foster a sense of responsibility among students. The dedication to creating an enriching educational experience makes East Lake Elementary a unique choice for families seeking a supportive learning environment.

• Elementary school
• Learning differences
• Public school

Lakeville North High School opened in 1993 and now serves about 1,955 students in grades 9 to 12 for Lakeville Area Schools. Every student works on a school-issued iPad, and our Program of Studies covers the full high school curriculum along with Post Secondary Enrollment Options for students ready to take college courses. Our STEM Engineering Innovation program offers three pathways: Engineering and Technology Innovation and Architecture and CAD, both housed in the new North Engineering Innovation Center, plus Manufacturing and Welding in our remodeled metals and welding lab. Level 4 welding students can earn concurrent enrollment credit for Welding 1 at Dakota County Technical College. Students also have access to special education services, peer tutoring, academic lettering, language and cultural supports, and a College and Career Center that handles scholarships, college visits, job shadows and student employment. The Panthers compete in a full athletics and activities program.

• Public high school
• STEM engineering pathways
• Welding and manufacturing
• 1:1 iPads

Lakeville South High School is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for students, particularly those with diverse learning needs. Serving a wide age range, the school focuses on empowering individuals with language-based learning disabilities and those who are twice-exceptional, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive academically and socially. The school employs a range of innovative programs and therapeutic methodologies tailored to meet the unique needs of its students, emphasizing personalized learning plans and collaborative strategies that engage both students and families in the educational process. What sets Lakeville South apart is its commitment to maintaining a low student-teacher ratio, which allows for more individualized attention and support. The school also prioritizes strong partnerships with families, recognizing that collaboration is key to student success. Specialized facilities and community events further enhance the learning experience, creating a nurturing atmosphere where students can explore their interests and develop essential life skills. Lakeville South High School stands as a beacon of hope and opportunity for families seeking a compassionate and effective educational setting for their children.

• High school
• Learning differences
• Twice-exceptional

Orchard Lake Elementary has served Lakeville families since 1969 and today is a K-5 school of about 360 students in Lakeville Area Schools. Our building is home to two instructional models: standard classrooms and Impact Academy. Impact Academy is a community of students in grades 1 to 5 who learn together with five teachers. Students work at their own level in reading and math, and teachers and students plan learning pathways around each child's interests and talents. Content areas come together in a service-learning module that ties lessons to real community problems, and families apply each year and can visit open houses. Across both models, our school focuses on future ready skills, personalized learning, and service learning, and we teach respect, responsibility, safety, and kindness. We are a Title I school with a learning specialist, students receive school-provided iPads, and bus service is provided by Schmitty & Sons. Families join school events such as our fall Trunk or Treat.

• Public elementary school
• Personalized learning model
• Service learning
• Multi-grade classrooms

Our Village School began in 2020, when our founder, a former classroom teacher, started homeschooling and set out to build the outdoor, hands-on school she had imagined for years. Today we are a homeschool enrichment program: families teach core subjects at their own pace at home, and children join us one or two days a week for community and the subjects that are hard to do alone. Students learn in mixed-age cohorts: Explorers (ages 6 to 9), Adventurers (10 to 12) and Trailblazers (13 to 15). Each day they rotate through enrichment classes such as cooking, art, movement and yoga, with plenty of time outside. Families choose Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday to experience every class. Explorers and Adventurers meet at YMCA Day Camp Streefland in Lakeville in spring and fall and at Camp Sacajawea in Apple Valley in winter. Trailblazers meet year-round at the Steve Michaud Park building in Lakeville.

• Homeschool enrichment program
• Homeschool enrichment
• Outdoor learning
• Mixed-age cohorts