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Best Special Needs Schools in Des Moines, Washington (2026)

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

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School listings in Des Moines

1

CHOICE Academy

Listed
Des Moines, WAGrades 6-12Tuition-free

CHOICE stands for Children Have Options in Choosing Education. CHOICE Academy is a Highline Public Schools school of choice for grades 6 through 12, housed in the second building back on the Woodside Campus on 8th Avenue South. We are a fully accredited, credit-bearing, diploma-granting middle and high school built as a small, family-style community based on relationships. Students can stay with us from sixth grade through graduation or, in the upper grades, add Running Start college classes or programs at the Puget Sound Skills Center. Courses range from middle school art and Intro to Engineering to Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra 2, Business Communications and Spanish, with an advisory period and off-site options for 11th and 12th graders. Credit recovery help is available through the counseling office, and classes travel to Waskowitz Outdoor School. Breakfast is served each morning before first period, and CHOICE students can play sports at their neighborhood high school. Admission runs through the district choice application in ParentVUE, with a lottery and waitlist when applications exceed space, and information sessions and tours are held each December and January.

  • Public choice school (grades 6-12)
  • Small school community
  • Grades 6-12 continuity
  • Public school
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2

Des Moines Elementary School

Listed
Des Moines, WAGrades PreK-5

Des Moines Elementary School is dedicated to fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment for students, particularly those with diverse learning needs, including language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional learners. The school's core mission is to empower each child by recognizing their unique strengths and challenges, creating a supportive atmosphere where every student can thrive academically and socially. The educational approach at Des Moines Elementary incorporates specialized programs and therapeutic methodologies tailored to individual needs, ensuring that instruction is both engaging and effective. With a low student-teacher ratio, educators are able to provide personalized attention, fostering strong relationships that enhance the learning experience. Additionally, the school emphasizes collaboration with families, recognizing parents and guardians as vital partners in their children's education. Unique community events further enrich the school experience, promoting inclusivity and connection among students, families, and staff. Des Moines Elementary stands out not only for its commitment to academic excellence but also for its holistic approach to student well-being and community engagement.

  • Elementary school
  • general special education needs
  • general special education services
  • IEP support
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Nearby school options

Compare special-needs schools near Des Moines

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Planning guides

Plan your next school conversation in Des Moines

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

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.

Comparing school options in Des Moines

Des Moines Elementary on 16th Avenue South is a Highline Public Schools neighborhood elementary, and CHOICE Academy on 8th Avenue South is Highline's application-based school for grades 6 to 12. Both serve students with IEPs and 504 plans, and Highline runs special education for both.

Here is how Highline evaluates a child, what its special education numbers look like at these two schools, and how Des Moines parents of preschoolers, readers who struggle and middle schoolers can get help.

Local resources checked .

Frequently Asked Questions About Special Needs Schools in Des Moines

Are there autism programs in Des Moines, WA schools?
Neither school on this page is an autism school. Highline treats special education as a service, not a place, and writes each student's speech therapy, occupational therapy or specially designed instruction into the IEP. Programs range from support mostly inside general education classrooms to smaller, structured settings. Not every Highline school hosts every program, so the IEP team decides where your autistic child is placed, sometimes at a different Highline school.
How many students at Des Moines Elementary have IEPs?
In federal civil rights data for 2021-22, Des Moines Elementary reported 73 students with IEPs and 9 with Section 504 plans out of 491. Federal school data for 2023-24 lists 507 students and about 18.1 students per teacher. Those numbers tell you special education is a normal part of the building, but ask the principal who teaches the resource room and how many students each case manager carries.
What is CHOICE Academy, and is it a fit for a student with an IEP?
CHOICE Academy is one of Highline's Schools and Programs of Choice, serving grades 6 to 12 at the district's Woodside site, and families apply rather than enroll by address. In 2021-22 it reported 26 students with IEPs and 12 with 504 plans among 183. The school's 2024-25 report says students with special education supports made notable progress. Ask how IEP minutes fit its schedule before you apply.
How do I request a special education evaluation from Highline Public Schools?
You do not have to wait for classroom interventions. Send a written referral to your child's principal. The school then has 25 school days to decide whether to evaluate and must explain a refusal in writing. Once you sign consent, a school psychologist and team complete the evaluation within 35 school days. If your child qualifies, the team has 30 calendar days to write the IEP.
Can a Des Moines student with dyslexia or ADHD get help?
Yes, in two ways. Highline, like every Washington district, must screen kindergarten through second graders for signs of dyslexia and provide structured literacy interventions from a trained educator. For a child who needs more, an evaluation can lead to an IEP, since federal rules place dyslexia under specific learning disability and ADHD under other health impairment. A 504 plan covers accommodations without specialized teaching.
My 3-year-old in Des Moines barely talks. Who screens preschoolers?
Highline runs developmental screenings for children ages 3 to 5 twice a month, covering speech and language, thinking and learning, motor skills, behavior and self-help. A screening decides whether your child goes on to a full evaluation, which can lead to single services like speech therapy or a spot in Highline's developmental preschool. For a child under 3, the district points families to the Help Me Grow Washington hotline.
Does Washington pay for private special education schools?
Public money reaches a private special education program through an IEP placement. When the IEP team agrees a student needs a setting Highline cannot provide, the district can contract with a private program the state superintendent's office approves as a nonpublic agency, and the district covers that cost. A family that picks a private school on its own pays tuition. Highline's Child Find still covers private school students who live within its boundaries.
What should Des Moines parents ask before choosing a school?
Ask which special education programs the building hosts and where students go when it does not. Ask who your child's case manager would be, how often you get progress reports, and how general education teachers learn about the IEP. For a school of choice like CHOICE Academy, ask about the lottery and waitlist, and confirm how your address affects your neighborhood school assignment with Highline enrollment.

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