Best Special Needs Schools in Austintown, Ohio (2026)

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

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Hopes & Dreams Childcare and Learning Center

Listed

Austintown, OHGrades PreK-5

Hopes & Dreams Childcare and Learning Center opened in Austintown in 2004 and holds a Gold rating from Ohio's Step Up to Quality program. We care for children from 6 weeks through 12 years old, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Our teachers write weekly lesson plans for each classroom using the HighScope Curriculum, which aligns with the Ohio Early Learning Content Standards and covers eight content areas, from language and literacy to science and social studies. We track each child's development with the COR Advantage assessment, which pairs with HighScope. Learning here is play-based and hands-on. Teachers plan activities around the interests and needs of the children in each room, so a typical day includes active exploration, problem solving and time to question and experiment.

Child care and preschool center
HighScope curriculum
Play-based learning
Private school

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Leonard Kirtz School

Listed

Austintown, OH

Leonard Kirtz School in Austintown provides educational programs for school-age children ages 5–22 with developmental disabilities. We use individualized education plans and Ohio learning standards to guide academic, social, functional, and vocational instruction. Students also receive communication, self-help, daily living, social interaction, and vocational preparation. The school offers extended school year services in summer.

Social services organization

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Planning guides

Plan your next school conversation in Austintown

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

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 Austintown

Austintown Local School District identifies, locates and evaluates students below age 22 who live in the district and have a confirmed or suspected disability. Its Special Education Office is inside Austintown Middle School at 800 S. Raccoon Road, reachable through the district line at 330-797-3900. Start there or with your child's school principal.

Austintown's board policy spells out the basics parents should expect. Evaluations are multifactored, done by a multidisciplinary team, and given in the child's native language or usual mode of communication. Each eligible student gets an IEP, reviewed at least once a year. Separate classes or schools are used only when a disability is severe enough that general classes with supports do not work. For a child under 3, Ohio's Help Me Grow Early Intervention is the place to begin.

Local resources checked October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions About Special Needs Schools in Austintown

Where is the Austintown special education office?

The Austintown Special Education Office is inside Austintown Middle School at 800 S. Raccoon Road. The district's main number is 330-797-3900, and the department page lists extensions for the director, assistant director and secretaries. Families can also start a referral through their child's school. Ask for the evaluation in writing and keep a copy.

What does a multifactored evaluation in Austintown include?

District policy says a multidisciplinary team assesses the student in all areas related to the suspected disability, in the student's native language or usual mode of communication, using tests for their validated purposes. Trained staff give the tests. The results guide whether your child is eligible and what an IEP should address. See our evaluation guide.

When would an Austintown student be placed outside a general classroom?

Under district policy, special classes, separate schooling or other removal from general education happen only when the nature or severity of the disability means general classes with supplementary aids cannot work. That decision belongs to the IEP team, which includes you. A private special education school is one option the team or an Ohio scholarship can lead to, not a parent-only choice.

How do I get help for an Austintown toddler with delays?

For children under three, Help Me Grow Early Intervention is Ohio's statewide program. A local team, including a service coordinator, works with you to write an Individualized Family Service Plan and delivers services at home or other familiar places. Near age three, ask the school district about a preschool special education evaluation. Our early intervention guide explains the handoff.

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