Top 4 Best Special Needs Schools in Riverton, Utah (2026)

Kauri Sue Hamilton School (KSHS) is a center-based school in Jordan School District dedicated to students ages 5 to 22 with significant multiple disabilities. The school opened on August 26, 2009 with about 150 students who had previously attended Jordan Valley School, and today serves close to 300 students from kindergarten through post-high. It was founded on land donated by Cletus and Sharon Hamilton in gratitude for the education their daughter, Kauri Sue, received. Every classroom is led by a certified special education teacher and supported by instructional assistants and a multidisciplinary team that includes speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, music therapists, nurses, and behavioral specialists. The building was designed around student needs, with a swimming pool, therapy rooms, multi-sensory spaces, and other specialized areas. The school also houses the district's Audiology Team. Beyond academics, students take part in adapted physical education, swimming, music, vocational training, home living skills, and community integration. The mission is to maximize student achievement, teach communication skills, foster independence, nurture creativity, and improve quality of life for each student at home, at school, and in the community.

• Public center-based special education school
• Significant multiple disabilities
• Complex medical and health needs
• Physical and mobility disabilities

Learning Dynamics Preschool is a private preschool company that has served Utah families since 1984, with locations in Highland and Lehi, Orem, Riverton, Saratoga Springs, and Spanish Fork. The Riverton campus is at 12452 South 3600 West. The program balances play with early academics. Its centerpiece is a phonics based reading system developed by the company and now used in public schools in other states, taught one-on-one with a teacher so each child progresses at their own pace. The curriculum also covers writing, math, art, music, and social skills. Classes are small, the year includes parent-teacher conferences, and families register through an online enrollment portal.

• Private preschool
• Preschool (ages 3-5)

Two licensed teachers own and teach at Love of Learning Academy, a small early learning school in Riverton. Between them they bring 30 years of classroom experience, both hold ESL endorsements, and every teacher on our staff is First Aid and CPR certified and trains with us monthly. We run four classes by age. Early Learners (2 by September 1) have story time, music and a guided activity on colors, shapes, numbers and letters, and we provide diapers, wipes, potty training help and snacks. Preschool (3 by September 1) covers recognizing and tracing names, colors, shapes and social skills. Pre-K (4 by September 1, fully potty trained) rotates between small-group phonics and math and play centers for art, dramatic play and sensory bins. Our Kindergarten follows Utah State Standards with small classes and two licensed teachers. Phonics uses the research-based 95 Phonics program, math is taught in small groups with manipulatives and games, and play is part of every day. Children who miss the public school Kindergarten cutoff are welcome here.

• Private preschool and kindergarten
• Small class sizes
• Play-based learning
• 95 Phonics

Oxford Learning Source has operated since 1980 as a neighborhood learning center in Riverton, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and by the Utah State Board of Education, which allows it to award high school credit. Every teacher is certified by the State of Utah. Services include homework help in groups of no more than three students, prescriptive programs for students who have been struggling for longer than six months, school credit recovery, and individualized instruction in math, reading, algebra, geometry, English, writing, ACT and SAT preparation, and study skills. Prescriptive programs begin with a battery of tests, then assign concepts the student must pass at 85 percent mastery. Oxford Academy, founded in 2004, is the full-day school option for students who need an entire day of small group instruction. Mornings are dedicated to prescriptive reading, writing, and math. Afternoons cover history and science in group settings. Oxford Academy is an approved Carson Smith school, so qualifying students may receive a Utah state scholarship toward tuition.

• Private accredited learning center and small private day school
• Financial aid
• Elementary
• Middle School