Best Special Needs Schools in Keene, New Hampshire (2026)

Our Keene day school, Ashuelot Valley Academy, serves students in grades 5 to 12 who live at home and attend classes on campus. It is part of Mount Prospect Academy and is approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education as a non-public school and special education program. We are a therapeutic school for students whose emotional or mental health needs get in the way of learning. Teachers provide competency-based instruction with trained mental health professionals embedded in the program, and students keep full access to the general education curriculum under New Hampshire standards. Class placement follows each sending district's graduation requirements, and graduates earn a New Hampshire high school diploma. Our therapeutic work draws on applied behavior analysis principles, CBT, EMDR, the ARC (Attachment, Regulation and Competency) framework, therapeutic recreation, and individual and group counseling. Families and sending school districts take part in all planning, and placements come through a formal referral from a district or state agency. We maintain a high faculty-to-student ratio.

• Therapeutic special education day school (grades 5-12)
• Emotional/behavioral support
• Mental health needs
• Autism