Best Special Needs Schools in Hillsboro, Oregon (2026)

Mondays and Wednesdays bring our kindergarten through sixth-grade students to campus for STEM, art, music, physical education and classroom lessons. Their online coursework continues alongside those visits. At Hillsboro Online Academy, this combination of virtual instruction and time with teachers gives families a hybrid public-school option from kindergarten through twelfth grade. We opened in 2012 within Hillsboro School District. High-school students use a different arrangement: core teachers hold drop-in hours throughout the week for one-to-one work. Students can use that time to work directly with a teacher while continuing their virtual classes. Our clubs and social activities also meet online and in person, so participation with peers extends beyond completing coursework. Learning support comes from several roles rather than one general resource. Our team includes a wellness support counselor and academic counselors, a graduation coach, special education case managers and an English-language development teacher. A Hispanic family liaison also works with families. We connect students with these staff members through their school experience. Our campus at 440 Southeast Oak Street is the physical meeting place for students in the online academy. Families can take part in program activities and use the resources accompanying virtual instruction. Students meet peers during clubs and social activities both online and in person, while high-school drop-in hours provide individual time with core teachers.

• Public educational institution
• Learning differences
• Twice-exceptional
• Private school

Hillsboro Parent Preschool has been part of downtown Hillsboro for more than 45 years. We are a parent-run cooperative and 501(c)(3) nonprofit for children ages 3 to 5, located at, though not affiliated with, Hillsboro United Methodist Church. We offer two mixed-age classes, each capped at 16 children. The Ladybug Class meets Tuesday and Thursday mornings for 3-year-olds, and the Butterfly Class meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for children at least 3.5. Our teacher holds a master's degree in early childhood special education, and parent-teachers rotate into the classroom with set roles for art, blocks and books, snack and emergency duty. Monthly tuition is $240 or $345, and tuition assistance follows Hillsboro School District free and reduced meal guidelines. Our approach is shaped by Reggio Emilia, with no worksheets or assigned desks. Children move between a block area, sensory table, play kitchen, climbing loft, quiet reading room and art room with easels and clay. Outside, our Outdoor Classroom has a sand and water area, a building platform, tunnels, a boulder and a garden bed for each class. We are certified as an eco-friendly school by the Oregon Environmental Council.

• Cooperative preschool (ages 3 to 5)
• Parent cooperative
• Reggio Emilia inspired
• Nature-based outdoor play

• High school