Best Special Needs Schools in Annandale, Virginia (2026)

Our Annandale campus serves students ages 5–22 from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. We provide specialized education for students whose academic, behavioral, emotional or social needs have not been met in traditional settings. Small, self-contained classes use differentiated instruction guided by each student's Individualized Education Program. Support includes counseling, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and behavioral specialists. Students also practice social-emotional and self-management skills. Career preparation combines classroom learning, pre-vocational activities and opportunities for community-based work experiences.

• Special Education School
• ADHD
• Autism
• Behavioral Challenges

Bob and Mary McIntyre founded Oakwood School in 1971 with Dr. Wretha Peterson, and for more than 50 years we have taught bright students in grades 1 to 8 who have dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD and auditory or visual processing disorders. We moved to our Braddock Road campus in Annandale in 1981 and renovated it in 2023. Every classroom teacher is trained in Orton-Gillingham, and structured literacy carries into every subject. Students are grouped by skill in homeroom teams and small groups for reading, writing and math, with 150 minutes of targeted instruction each day. Math follows the Concrete-Representational-Abstract model. We put remediation ahead of accommodations, and each student builds a personal strategy notebook for organization and study skills from elementary through 8th grade. On-site speech-language and occupational therapy providers work alongside teachers. Our students come from Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun County, Maryland and Washington, D.C. A diagnosis is not required to apply, and need-based tuition assistance is available through the Bob McIntyre Tuition Assistance Fund. Classrooms use SMART Boards and a 1:1 device program.

• Private special education day school (grades 1-8)
• Dyslexia
• Dysgraphia
• Dyscalculia

Westminster School is an independent day school in Annandale, Virginia, established in 1962 and serving preschool (ages three to five) through 8th grade. Its mission centers on a traditional curriculum, rigorous academic standards, and an atmosphere of respect, integrity, and kindness. The program is rooted in the Classical tradition. Kindergarten through 2nd grade begins with phonics-based reading, a reasoning-focused math program, hands-on science, history and geography, French, music, art, PE, and library. Grades 3-8 add STEAM and Classical Studies, and upper school students take Latin, Algebra, and Geometry. Classes are capped at 18 students with two sections per grade. Daily extra-help sessions and a resource center support academic progress, and resource teachers provide individually tailored remediation or enrichment in reading, language arts, and math. The school is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and is a member of NAIS and AISGW.

• Private independent classical day school (preschool through grade 8)
• Preschool
• Kindergarten
• 1