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Best Special Needs Schools in Scranton, Pennsylvania (2026)

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

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Compare special-needs schools near Scranton

Families often compare nearby cities when commute, availability, services, or age fit differ.

Special-needs schools in Easton Compare 10 programs about 54 miles away. Special-needs schools in Bethlehem Compare 4 programs about 55 miles away. Special-needs schools in Allentown Compare 4 programs about 57 miles away.
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Planning guides

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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.

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Comparing school options in Scranton

Scranton families looking for a school built around autism have two private options on this page: Merakey's education center on School Street in the city, and New Story Schools in the Keystone Industrial Park in Throop. Public school students are served by Scranton School District, whose Student Support Services office handles special education.

New Story's Throop school provides autistic support and emotional support for kindergarten through grade 12, with speech, occupational therapy and counseling on site. Merakey runs its Scranton center as one of its Pennsylvania autism and education centers. The Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, NEIU 19, is based in Archbald and serves 20 school districts in Lackawanna and four neighboring counties.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Special Needs Schools in Scranton

Are there autism schools in Scranton, PA?
Yes, two. Merakey Education Center Scranton at 136 School Street is one of Merakey's Pennsylvania autism and education centers. New Story Schools at 751 Keystone Industrial Park Road in Throop offers autistic support classrooms alongside emotional support for grades K to 12. If you searched for SESI schools, SESI's location list shows a High Road classroom in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, run for Hanover Area School District students rather than as a Scranton school.
What does New Story Schools in Throop offer?
New Story's Throop school serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade who need autistic support or emotional support. On site you will find speech therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, a sensory room, a STEAM lab, a gym and a vocational lab. Across its schools, New Story enrolls students ages 5 to 21 and works with each family and home district to build an individual program.
How does a Scranton child get into Merakey or New Story?
New Story says enrollment usually begins with your child's home district, and it schedules family tours once the district has a referral in process. In practice that means you raise the school at an IEP meeting with Scranton School District. When the district places your child in a private school, federal law makes it free to you, and Pennsylvania shares costs with districts at its 33 Approved Private Schools.
Does Scranton School District help with dyslexia or ADHD?
Most families work through Scranton School District. Under IDEA, dyslexia sits within specific learning disability and ADHD within other health impairment, and a district evaluation decides whether either one qualifies your child for an IEP. A child who needs accommodations without specialized instruction can get a 504 plan. Ask the IEP team which reading program the school uses and who teaches it.
How do I request a special education evaluation in Scranton?
Send a written, dated request to Scranton School District's Student Support Services office, and give a copy to your child's principal, whether that is at an elementary school, Northeast or South Scranton Intermediate, or Scranton High or West Scranton High. Pennsylvania requires evaluation requests in writing, and the district then has 60 calendar days from your signed consent to complete the evaluation and report, not counting summer break.
Who helps Scranton preschoolers with autism or delays?
NEIU 19 in Archbald serves districts across Lackawanna, Wayne, Wyoming, Susquehanna and Pike counties and runs an early intervention program, with a referral form on its website. Pennsylvania's CONNECT helpline routes any family to the right program, whether the child is an infant or a three-year-old. Pennsylvania's early intervention covers children from birth to age five, and services cost nothing once a child qualifies.
Can Scranton families get help paying private school tuition?
Pennsylvania offers two tax-credit scholarships, EITC and OSTC, through approved scholarship organizations, for households under an income cap of $122,322, raised $21,531 for each dependent. OSTC is limited to students zoned for a public school in the state's bottom 15 percent, and Scranton School District keeps an Opportunity Tax Credit page on its website. For 2025-26, OSTC paid up to $15,000 for a special education student.
What should I ask when visiting a Scranton special needs school?
Ask how many students in your child's classroom have autism versus emotional support needs, since New Story serves both. Ask how speech and occupational therapy minutes are tracked against the IEP, how staff respond to a meltdown, and how families hear about progress. Ask what transition planning looks like for teens, including vocational training.

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