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Best Special Needs Schools in Alexandria, Virginia (2026)

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

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School listings in Alexandria

Alternative Paths Training School Alexandria campus or student activity photograph.
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Alternative Paths Training School Alexandria

Listed
Alexandria, VAGrades PreK-12

At Alternative Paths Training School (APTS), we provide a year-round special education day program for students ages 5–22, from PreK through grade 12. Our highly structured classrooms serve students with autism and other developmental disabilities, including emotional and learning disabilities. We use each student’s Individualized Education Program to guide academic, vocational, and life-skills instruction. A school-wide behavior plan and individual Behavior Intervention Plans help address student needs, including self-injury and aggressive behavior. Our related services follow each student’s IEP and include individual speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Clinicians coordinate to build functional communication, social skills, sequencing, task tolerance, activity engagement, physical endurance, and access to school. Students practice skills at school and in community settings. We also provide individual and group counseling, social-skills groups, physical and adapted physical education, literacy support, nursing and medical staff, and assistive technology through the local education agency. Students work in academic, vocational, and life-skills tracks, and take state Standards of Learning assessments or Virginia’s alternate assessment according to eligibility. Graduates earn an Advanced, Standard, or Applied Studies diploma. We work with each local education agency on transitions back to the student’s school district. Our related-services clinicians are licensed in Virginia; APTS is licensed by the Virginia Department of Education and accredited through VAISEF.

  • Special education school
  • Autism
  • developmental disabilities
  • emotional disabilities
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Nearby school options

Compare special-needs schools near Alexandria

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

Special-needs schools in Falls Church Compare 6 programs about 7 miles away. Special-needs schools in Annandale Compare 3 programs about 7 miles away. Special-needs schools in Reston Compare 4 programs about 14 miles away.
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Planning guides

Plan your next school conversation in Alexandria

Use these guides before you contact programs, schedule tours, or ask your IEP team how a proposed setting will support your child's goals.

Virginia special education guide

How evaluations, IEPs, and private placement work in Virginia public schools.

Virginia FIS Waiver guide

Check FIS Waiver eligibility, the priority-based waitlist, and CSB application steps before contacting schools.

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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Find ABA therapy centers in Alexandria, Virginia. Many families use both specialized schools and therapy services to support their child's development.

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Comparing school options in Alexandria

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) serves students with disabilities from age 2 to 21. It delivers special education in the neighborhood school whenever a child can succeed there with supports, and runs city-wide programs when a disability calls for a different setting. Its specialized instruction office includes Board Certified Behavior Analysts, autism and behavior specialists and an augmentative communication specialist.

Many Alexandria parents also look at private ADHD and learning disability schools across Northern Virginia. Before you compare tuition, learn how Virginia pays for private placements. An IEP team placement, a tax-credit scholarship and a family's own choice each lead to a different answer on who pays and which services follow the child.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Special Needs Schools in Alexandria

How do Alexandria families find autism-focused programs?
Start with the ACPS IEP team. The district's specialized instruction staff includes BCBAs and autism and behavior specialists, and the team can recommend a city-wide program when a neighborhood school cannot meet a child's needs. Visit any proposed classroom and ask how staff teach communication, what visual supports and augmentative devices they use, and how they collect and share behavior data.
How do I compare private ADHD and learning disability schools in Northern Virginia?
First ask whether the school is approved for publicly funded special education placements, since only an approved program can take an IEP placement. For dyslexia, ask which reading method teachers use, how large reading groups are, and how the school measures fluency. For ADHD, ask about class size, executive function coaching and how teachers build in movement and attention breaks.
Who pays tuition when an Alexandria student attends a private school?
When an ACPS IEP team places a student in an approved private day school, Virginia's Children's Services Act funds the tuition and the family pays nothing. When parents choose the school on their own, they pay, and the child has no individual right to the full IEP. Parents who believe the ACPS offer falls short can seek reimbursement through due process after rejecting the IEP or giving 10 business days' written notice.
What is Virginia's scholarship program for students with disabilities?
Virginia's Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits program lets approved scholarship foundations fund private school tuition. A student with a finalized IEP can qualify if family income is at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Until 2028, IEP students do not have to meet the public-school attendance rule that applies to other applicants. Start by asking a participating private school which foundations it works with.
What should I ask on a school visit in Alexandria?
Ask how many students are in each class and how many adults support them, what licenses teachers hold, and whether speech, occupational therapy and counseling happen on site. Ask how staff prevent and respond to challenging behavior. Ask how often you receive written progress on IEP goals and how the school coordinates with ACPS.
How do I request an evaluation from ACPS?
For children age 2 by the start of the school year through age 5, ACPS Child Find offers free developmental reviews and evaluations for concerns about behavior, speech, motor skills, learning, vision or hearing, and asks families to register the child with ACPS. Children under 2 go to Alexandria's Infant & Toddler Connection Parent Infant Education Program. For school-age children, contact your home school. See our evaluation request guide.
Does an Alexandria mailing address mean my child attends ACPS?
Not always. The City of Alexandria notes that some Alexandria postal addresses lie in Fairfax County, and the 22302, 22304, 22311 and 22312 ZIP codes are split between the city and the county. Confirm your locality before you request an evaluation, because the school division where you live, not your mailing address, writes and runs your child's IEP.
Does a child with ADHD need an IEP or a 504 plan?
It depends on what the child needs. A Section 504 plan provides accommodations, such as preferential seating, extra time or movement breaks, when ADHD limits access to learning. An IEP adds specially designed instruction when ADHD affects progress enough to qualify, often under Other Health Impairment. Our 504 plan vs IEP guide compares them.

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