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Best Special Needs Schools in Kew Gardens Hills, New York (2026)

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

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School listings in Kew Gardens Hills

Official P.S. Q255 logo with the school’s duck mascot.
1

P.S. Q255

Listed
Kew Gardens Hills, NYGrades K-12

P.S. Q255 is a New York City District 75 school serving students with autism and other developmental disabilities from kindergarten through grade 12. The school operates across nine Queens locations and builds each student’s learning around academics, communication, social-emotional development, and activities of daily living. Teachers use individualized, evidence-based instruction and follow NYC Public Schools and District 75 curriculum guidance, including NYC Reads and NYC Solves. Staff use ongoing assessments to guide instruction and provide tiered interventions based on student needs. The school’s approach includes Structured Teaching, elements of Applied Behavior Analysis, and positive behavior supports. Staff collaborate as a professional learning community, while families receive tools and training to carry skills from school into home and community life. P.S. Q255 aims to help students express their wants, needs, and ideas, grow more independent, and prepare for meaningful outcomes after school. Families can review the school’s locations and connect with the appropriate site to learn about its program. The school treats literacy as a life skill and a fundamental right, and students practice communicating what they know, want, and need. High expectations, collaboration among staff, and partnership with families shape how learners work toward independence and positive postsecondary outcomes.

  • High school
  • Autism
  • Developmental disabilities
  • Public school
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Planning guides

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

NY OPWDD services guide

OPWDD eligibility, the Front Door, care managers, and planning the move from school to adult services at 21.

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.

Comparing school options in Kew Gardens Hills

Kew Gardens Hills is part of Queens and New York City Public Schools, so special education here runs through the city's committees rather than a local district office. Two programs on this page show the range: P255Q, a District 75 school for students with autism and developmental disabilities, and SteppingStone Day School on Vleigh Place, a preschool and evaluation site for young children.

This page lists P255Q, a District 75 school, and SteppingStone Day School on Vleigh Place. The answers below explain District 75, how preschool and school-age referrals work in Queens, where to start Early Intervention, and how New York City pays for private special education when public programs cannot meet a child's needs.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Special Needs Schools in Kew Gardens Hills

Is there an autism school in Kew Gardens Hills?
P255Q, listed on this page, is a District 75 school that educates children with autism and other developmental disabilities from kindergarten through grade 12 across nine locations in Queens. Teachers use Structured Teaching, tenets of applied behavior analysis and positive behavior supports, and the school works on communication and daily living skills along with academics. Your child's IEP team, not an application, decides whether a District 75 seat fits.
What class sizes does District 75 offer?
District 75 runs special classes with ratios such as 12:1+1, 8:1+1, 6:1+1 and 12:1+3:1, meaning students to teachers plus added paraprofessionals. Some classes sit inside a regular neighborhood school, and others fill a building where every student has an IEP. P255Q spreads its classes across nine Queens sites, and the IEP team picks the ratio from your child's cognitive, social-emotional and physical management needs.
Is there a special needs preschool in Kew Gardens Hills?
SteppingStone Day School on Vleigh Place is a private, not-for-profit preschool and evaluation site founded in 1983 for children with and without special needs. The New York State Education Department and NYC Public Schools fund and regulate its preschool program, and the city health department licenses it. As an evaluation site, it can appear on the evaluator list you receive after a preschool referral.
How do I request a special education evaluation in Kew Gardens Hills?
Put your request in writing. If your child attends a public school, give it to the principal. For a preschooler, or a school-age child in a private, religious or charter school, send it to your Committee on Special Education or Committee on Preschool Special Education. Queens CPSE/CSE 3 covers Districts 25, 26, 28 and 29, with offices at 30-48 Linden Place in Flushing (718-281-3461) for Districts 25 and 26 and on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica for 28 and 29. Once you sign consent, the city has 60 calendar days to evaluate.
My baby in Queens has delays. Where do I start?
Call 311 and ask for Early Intervention, or use the city's online Early Intervention Referral Portal. The program serves children from birth to age 3 who are not learning, playing, talking or walking like other children their age, plus children with a diagnosed condition likely to cause delay. The evaluation is free, and if you have insurance, including Medicaid, it pays for services at no direct cost to you.
Is there a private school for auditory processing disorder in New York?
For an APD school, start with an evaluation. Federal rules define a specific learning disability as a disorder in processes used to understand spoken or written language, and the same category covers dyslexia, while ADHD falls under other health impairment. If no public program can meet your child's needs, the IEP team can recommend a state-approved non-public school, and the Central Based Support Team applies to those schools for your child.
My child attends a private or religious school. Can the city still provide services?
Yes. If you enroll your child in a private or religious school at your own expense and the CSE finds a disability, the team writes an Individualized Education Services Program (IESP), which can include related services and special education teacher support services (SETSS). You must send a written Parental Notice of Intent to your CSE by June 1 every year; the 2026-27 deadline was June 1, 2026. Children who are deaf or blind, or who have severe emotional or physical disabilities, may also qualify for a state-supported 4201 school.
What should I ask a Queens special education program before I agree?
Ask which class ratio your child would join and how many adults are in the room. Ask how the program teaches communication, including speech devices if your child uses one, and how often speech, occupational and physical therapy happen. At P255Q, ask which of its Queens sites your child would attend and how bus travel works. For preschool, ask how teachers prepare children for kindergarten.

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