Top 4 Best Special Needs Schools in Fargo, North Dakota (2026)

Elevate Preschool is the licensed pre-K program inside Elevate Rock School's building on Agassiz Crossing in south Fargo, and music is part of every day here. Children ages 3 to 5, and independent, potty-trained 2.5-year-olds, play real instruments in daily music lessons alongside academics and social-emotional learning, and we use the Nurtured Heart Approach with positive redirection. Classes are capped at 12 students, and the wing added in 2024 holds five preschool classrooms and an outdoor play area with soft turf. Families choose a full-day program from 8:10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. two, three or five days a week, or a morning program from 8:10 to 11 a.m. for 3-year-olds, with late pickup until 3 p.m. Full-day students get a hot lunch and milk at no extra charge. We run a school-year session and a summer session, and entrances use parent door codes. The music school, teaching since 2011, offers guitar, bass, drums, piano and voice to more than 300 students a week. Lil Peeps group classes serve ages 3 through kindergarten, and Rock Band lessons serve ages 7 to 18, with two concerts a year on our stage.

• Private music-integrated preschool and music school
• Music-integrated preschool
• Nurtured Heart Approach
• Classes capped at 12

Explorer Academy is a Fargo Public Schools program for students with specialized needs who are best served in a separate special education setting. We operate as a Setting D program, so students come to us through an individualized education program (IEP) team decision rather than open enrollment. We serve elementary and middle school students at our building on 17th Street South in Fargo. Our care team includes a school social worker and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), who work with classroom staff on behavior and mental health support, and a dean of students sits on our leadership team. As part of Fargo Public Schools, our students can use the district's augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, from speech-generating devices to picture symbols, when speech alone does not meet their needs. The building has a gymnasium, a theatre, a commons, a cafeteria and an outdoor field. Families also have access to district bus transportation and free parent mental health webinars through the district's partnership with the Cook Center for Human Connection.

• Public special education day program (K-8)
• Separate special education setting
• Behavior support
• Public school

Fargo Public Schools Development Foundation is dedicated to enhancing educational experiences for students across the Fargo community, with a particular focus on those facing critical needs. The foundation partners with Fargo Public Schools and local alumni to provide essential resources that empower students, including those with language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional learners. Through innovative programs and therapeutic methodologies, such as literacy and music grants, the foundation addresses diverse educational challenges, ensuring that each student can thrive academically and socially. What sets this foundation apart is its commitment to fostering strong family partnerships and its ability to mobilize community support, exemplified by initiatives like the Swing for Success event. With a mission centered on maximizing student potential, the foundation has successfully allocated substantial funds towards scholarships and critical needs support, making a significant impact on over 3,500 students in recent years. This holistic approach to education not only enhances individual learning experiences but also strengthens the community's commitment to inclusive education for all children.

• Elementary school
• Learning differences
• Twice-exceptional
• Private school

We provide distance-education courses for students in grades K–12 through the North Dakota Center for Distance Education. Our online courses work alongside different educational arrangements, including public, private, home and charter schooling. Instructional support is available throughout each course. Students can explore academic, career and military course pathways, with graduation planning from a licensed school counselor. We use a competency-based approach that tracks proficiency in essential course standards. Our distance-education program has operated since 1935 and has earned AccredVEd accreditation for virtual and blended learning.

• High school
• Accredited
• Kindergarten
• 1