Top 7 Best Special Needs Schools in St. George, Utah (2026)

Children of Hope Academy is a nonprofit school in St. George for students with disabilities, grown out of the National Association for Child Development. The founder started with a handful of individuals coming to her home each day to work NACD programs after her own daughter was born with Down syndrome, and she went on to lead NACD chapters in St. George and Hawaii. In 2008 the school took over a run-down donated building and rebuilt it with community labor, materials, and money. Daily instruction is built around each student's individualized NACD program, worked one on one, and the school depends heavily on community volunteers to deliver it. Tutors are matched to a student for two to three hour blocks, one or more days a week. The weekly schedule includes Spanish Monday through Thursday, a Friday cooking class focused on simple meals students can make at home, and physical education adapted for students with physical limitations. Operations lean on donations rather than on a published tuition schedule. Call the school for the details that decide fit. Ages served, cost, and how enrollment works are not spelled out publicly. Children of Hope Academy is at 1008 E 200 S in St. George, at 435-272-4575 or nacdcoha@gmail.com.

Desert Hills High School serves grades 10 through 12 at 828 East Desert Hills Drive in St. George, Utah, as part of the Washington County School District. Its teams compete as the Thunder. Academic departments include math, science, social studies, language arts, foreign language, fine arts, career and technical education, and special education. The school also runs a counseling office, a media center, athletics, and student clubs, plus a Teen Center staffed by intervention aides. The special education department is staffed with resource teachers covering severe resource and resource math, resource aides, and special education teachers. Students and families access district services such as new student registration, PowerSchool, and student health resources through the Washington County School District.

• Public comprehensive high school (Washington County School District)
• 10
• 11
• 12

Post High School is a community-based transition program in the Washington County School District, located at 2040 W. 2000 North in St. George, Utah. It provides special education services specific to each individual student. Its vision is to build a community in which students acquire the skills and knowledge that lead to responsible citizenship and individual independence. Programming is organized around five areas: education and instruction, career and employment, IEP related services, community experiences, and post-school adult living. IEP services include individualized instruction in math, reading, and writing, transition services covering independent living, employment, cooking, and cleaning, speech services, and physical therapy using gait trainers, standers, mats, and movement work. The employment transition curriculum moves students through preemployment skills, supported job sampling in the community with school staff, independent job samples, and paid employment for students who can complete applications and interviews. Related service providers include speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and a psychologist, and instructional staff include para-educators and registered behavior technicians. School hours are 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday with an early out on Friday.

• Public special education transition program (post-high school)
• Transition support

Sandstone Elementary is a Washington County School District school at 850 North 2450 East in St. George, Utah. It serves preschool through fifth grade, and its mascot is the Raptors. The school describes its commitment to parents as consistent, effective feedback through emails, phone calls, DOJO, letters, newsletters, and an open-door relationship. It is a Title I school and runs a PTA. Annual events include kindergarten testing in August and a Back to School Night and BBQ. Staffing includes special education teachers, a Life Skills teacher and Lifeskills paraprofessionals, a speech pathologist and speech paraprofessional, and a school psychologist. The school also maintains separate reading intervention, reading support, and math support programs.

• Public elementary school (Washington County School District)
• Preschool
• K
• 1

Southern Utah School of the Deaf in St. George is a Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) program serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Washington County and southern Utah. Students receive specialized deaf education, sign language supports, and related services through district/USDB placement.

• State deaf education program (USDB)
• Deaf
• Hard of Hearing
• Public school

Southwest High School, part of the Washington County School District, is dedicated to empowering students who seek to enhance their education and pursue their dreams. Serving a diverse range of learners, including those with unique academic needs and schedules, the school emphasizes respect and support for each individual. The core mission revolves around creating personalized graduation plans that accommodate the busy lives of students, ensuring they have the flexibility to succeed. The school employs a blended learning approach, combining in-class instruction with online courses facilitated by state-of-the-art software. This innovative methodology allows students to receive tailored support while managing their educational commitments. Additionally, Southwest High School provides access to an onsite math tutor, available for both in-person and virtual sessions, further enhancing the academic experience. What sets Southwest High School apart is its commitment to individualized education in a nurturing environment. The low student-teacher ratio fosters strong relationships and personalized attention, while the historic building adds a unique charm to the learning experience. The school also prioritizes strong family partnerships, recognizing the importance of community involvement in the educational journey. Through these distinctive features, Southwest High School stands out as a supportive and flexible educational option for students aiming to achieve their academic goals.

• High school
• Public school

UT SUCCESS Academy is a tuition-free public charter early college high school located on the Utah Tech University campus in St. George, Utah. It is one of two SUCCESS Academy campuses, the other being at Southern Utah University. Students attend SUCCESS Academy for half of the school day, taking college prep and college credit bearing concurrent enrollment courses, and attend their boundary high school for the other half of the day for classes such as fine arts, applied technology, and physical education. This allows students to keep participating in sports, clubs, and other activities at their boundary school. The Utah Tech campus begins at sophomore year, and there are no freshmen enrolled there. Ninth graders in Washington County are eligible to apply, and students in grades 10 through 12 may apply and be added to a waitlist. There is no tuition, though students are responsible for university textbooks and collegiate lab and course fees.

• Public charter early college high school
• 10
• 11
• 12