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Best Special Needs Schools in Hanover, Pennsylvania (2026)

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

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School listings in Hanover

1

Hanover High School

Listed
Hanover, PAGrades 9-12Tuition-free

Hanover Senior High School serves grades 9 to 12 for the Hanover Public School District from our building at 401 Moul Avenue. Our Career and Technical Education department offers credit programs in welding technology, precision machining, mechatronics, computer science and gaming, music technology and sound recording, culinary arts, early childhood education, and drone pilot training. Several lead to NOCTI or NIMS certifications, and mechatronics runs as a pre-apprenticeship program. Our counseling team follows each class from 9th grade through graduation, covering academic advising, post-secondary planning, individual and crisis counseling, and the Student Assistance Program. Students can pursue dual enrollment, AP exams, internships, job shadowing, and driver and safety education. The district provides special education with Section 504 coordination, gifted education, an English Learner program, and Title I services. Student life includes Nighthawk athletics, the Tri-M music honor society, the National Art Honor Society, and the Orange and Black student newspaper.

  • Public high school (grades 9-12)
  • Career and technical education
  • Industry certifications (NOCTI
  • NIMS)
View details
Exterior of the school building at sunset at St Joseph School - Hanover
2

St Joseph School - Hanover

Listed
Hanover, PAGrades PreK-8$8,000 full rate; $3,900 to $5,600 participating rates (2026-27)

Families in the Hanover area know us as the Shamrocks. St. Joseph Catholic School is a parish school of the Diocese of Harrisburg, accredited by the Middle States Association, teaching children from a three-year-old preschool class through 8th grade. Preschool 3 meets two mornings a week, and Pre-K 4 runs three or five full days. From Pre-K 4 up, students have weekly music, and older grades add art, Spanish and physical education. Children in grades 4 to 8 can sing in the school choir and take band or instrumental lessons. Our athletic association fields basketball teams from 3rd grade up, cheerleading, and girls volleyball, and older students can join Delone Catholic football, volleyball and cross country. We use a cost-to-educate tuition model: the full rate is $8,000 for 2026-27, with lower participating rates of $3,900 for Catholic families and $5,600 for non-Catholic families who complete financial aid or join the EITC program. Our CARES extended care program serves K to 8 students after dismissal until 5:30 p.m., and busing is arranged through five local school districts.

  • Catholic school (PreK-8)
  • Catholic education
  • Sacramental preparation
  • Financial aid
View details

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Planning guides

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IEP process guide

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Comparing school options in Hanover

Hanover Public School District runs Hanover High School and keeps its district offices on the same street, Moul Avenue. This page also lists St. Joseph Catholic School on Grandview Road, which runs from preschool through 8th grade. Neither one specializes in special education, so most Hanover children with autism, ADHD or dyslexia get services through an IEP.

Hanover Public belongs to Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, which runs preschool early intervention from its New Oxford office. St. Joseph enrolled 171 students in 2021-22 federal data, about 11.5 per teacher, and prices tuition on a cost-to-educate model with discounts for families who take part in Pennsylvania's EITC scholarship program.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Special Needs Schools in Hanover

Are there autism schools in Hanover, PA?
Hanover has no stand-alone autism school on this page, so autistic students here usually learn in Hanover Public schools with an IEP. Hanover Public is one of the districts in Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, and either the district or the IU can deliver a child's special education program. If the IEP team agrees no local program fits, it can recommend one of Pennsylvania's 33 Approved Private Schools, with costs shared by the district and the state.
How does special education work at Hanover Public School District?
Screening starts in your child's own school, whether that is Clearview, Hanover Street or Washington Elementary, Hanover Middle or the high school. You can ask for a full evaluation at any time; put it in writing, and if you ask out loud, the district must give you a form. Once you sign consent, Pennsylvania allows 60 calendar days for the evaluation, not counting summer break, and the IEP follows within 30 calendar days of the report.
What does St. Joseph Catholic School in Hanover cost?
For 2026-27, St. Joseph lists an actual cost to educate of $8,000 for one student. Families who complete a financial aid assessment or take part in the EITC program pay a participating rate of $3,900 for Catholic families or $5,600 for non-Catholic families. Preschool and pre-K have separate rates. Every family manages tuition through the school's online tuition system.
Can my child keep an IEP at a Hanover private school?
Not in the same form. Private schools such as St. Joseph are not bound by an IEP, so get any supports they promise in writing before you enroll. A child placed privately by parents has no individual right to the full set of public school services; the public district writes a services plan covering only what it agrees to provide. Ask St. Joseph how its teachers handle reading support, extra time and behavior plans.
Where can a Hanover child with dyslexia or ADHD get help?
Hanover Public can serve both. Dyslexia is one of the conditions federal law places under specific learning disability, and ADHD fits the other health impairment category, which opens the door to an IEP. A student who keeps up with the right accommodations can use a Section 504 plan instead. For a younger student, ask which structured reading program the elementary school uses, and how often it checks progress.
Does Pennsylvania help Hanover families pay for private school?
Yes, through tax-credit scholarships rather than a voucher. Scholarship organizations award EITC and OSTC money to families whose income falls at or under $122,322, with $21,531 added for each dependent. For OSTC, your home must also be zoned to one of the lowest-scoring 15 percent of public schools statewide. For 2025-26, OSTC capped awards at $15,000 for a special education student. St. Joseph discounts tuition for EITC participants, so the two can stack.
My preschooler in Hanover has delays. Who do I call?
Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12 handles preschool early intervention for Hanover Public families. Send a written evaluation request to LIU 12 at 65 Billerbeck Street, New Oxford, for a child aged three to five. A Hanover mailing address does not always mean Hanover Public, since South Western's high school also carries one, so confirm your district too. For a baby or toddler under three, Pennsylvania's CONNECT helpline links you to the county program.
What should I ask a Hanover school about special needs support?
Ask who teaches reading intervention and how many minutes a week a child gets. Ask how the school shares progress, who attends IEP meetings and how teachers adjust tests. At a private school, ask what happened the last time a student needed more help than the classroom could give.

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