Best Special Needs Schools in Deep Gap, North Carolina (2026)

De La Cruz Farms in Deep Gap, North Carolina, is a specialized non-profit agricultural and equine-assisted therapeutic educational ministry established in 2012 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Watauga County. Serving children, youth, and young adults (ages 4 to 22), De La Cruz Farms provides adaptive horsemanship, animal-assisted therapy, sensory-motor regulation, and hands-on agricultural life skills for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, and emotional trauma. Maintaining an intensive 2:1 student-to-staff ratio, certified equine therapists and adaptive educators utilize the farm environment to build gross motor balance, non-verbal communication, emotional regulation, and self-confidence.

• Farm school
• Autism
• Cerebral palsy
• Down syndrome