Top 5 Best Special Needs Schools in Temple, Texas (2026)

Central Texas Christian School serves Temple families from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. We pair academics with biblical teaching, athletics, and extracurricular activities, and we work with families through a collaborative admissions process. Our learning support team offers early reading intervention, dyslexia remediation, content mastery, and speech-language therapy. Families can request a consultation to discuss their child’s learning needs and whether testing would help.

• Private Christian school
• Pre-K-12

Fred W. Edwards Academy is dedicated to providing an alternative educational pathway for students in grades 9 through 12 who are at risk of not graduating. This non-traditional accredited high school offers a supportive environment tailored for those who may struggle in conventional settings, including students with various challenges. The academy employs a unique blend of online, computer-based curriculum alongside engaging offline projects and assignments, ensuring that all Texas Performance Standards are met while maintaining a rigorous and relevant educational experience. This approach allows students to catch up academically or advance at their own pace, equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to be college, career, or military ready upon graduation. What sets Fred W. Edwards Academy apart is its commitment to fostering strong family partnerships and its focus on creating a nurturing community, making it a distinctive choice for families seeking an alternative to traditional high school education.

• High school
• Public school

St. Francis Episcopal School is a nurturing educational environment dedicated to fostering the joy of learning within a loving Christian community. Serving children in preschool and kindergarten, the school focuses on students with diverse needs, including those with language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional learners. The school's mission emphasizes not only academic growth but also personal development, ensuring that each child feels valued and supported. With a commitment to individualized attention, St. Francis maintains a low student-teacher ratio, allowing for tailored instruction that meets each child's unique needs. The school employs innovative therapeutic methodologies and engaging programs designed to promote both social and emotional well-being alongside academic achievement. What sets St. Francis apart is its strong emphasis on family partnerships and community involvement, creating an inclusive atmosphere where families are actively engaged in their children's education. This holistic approach, combined with specialized facilities that cater to various learning styles, makes St. Francis Episcopal School a distinctive choice for parents seeking a supportive educational setting for their children.

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

Western Hills Elementary, home of the Roadrunners, opened in the fall of 1968 on donated land as a one-wing building with six classrooms. Parent fundraising here created Temple ISD's first centralized school library in 1973, and kindergarten joined the campus in 1975. Today more than 440 children in kindergarten through fifth grade learn in over 25 classrooms, with a computer lab and an on-site gymnasium. Our campus runs three special education programs. Resource and Content Mastery adds in-class support, PASS (Positive Approach to Student Success) teaches social skills and emotional regulation directly, and our Functional Academics program serves eligible students in grades K to 5. Students who qualify for speech or other IDEA services receive them on our campus or through the district. We also offer Advanced Academics for kindergarten through fifth grade.

• Public elementary school
• Social skills instruction
• Public school

Wheatley Alternative Education Center is Temple ISD's alternative education campus, with teachers assigned to elementary, middle school, and high school students, plus a content mastery staff. We teach and model personal responsibility and citizenship, and we help students take ownership of their actions, repair harm, and hold themselves to a higher standard. Our campus also houses two credit programs. The Wheatley Academic Program lets seniors and second-semester juniors complete the credits they need to graduate at their own pace. The Adult Education Program offers a high school diploma to adults ages 22 and up who are former Temple High School students or Temple ISD parents, with coursework on the Edgenuity platform Monday through Thursday afternoons. Communities In Schools works with our students on academics, attendance, behavior, and family needs. That help includes peer mediation, a place to calm down, psycho-educational groups on anger management, healthy relationships, and substance abuse, home visits, and a food pantry. We also host a career fair on campus.

• Public alternative education campus
• Alternative education
• Self-paced credit completion
• Public school