Students with Learning Differences Now Have Help Choosing the Right School
Parents of Students with Learning Differences Have Help Navigating the Choices
In San Antonio and throughout Texas, schools of choice offer a range of learning models to families looking for the perfect educational fit. These diverse options are especially important for students who have functional needs related to dyslexia, autism, physical impairments, and other challenges. While all Texas public schools, including open-enrollment charter schools, have a duty to provide special education for students in need, some schools of choice specialize serving functional needs populations. Others may offer educational models that are simply a better fit for children with learning differences, allowing them to more fully participate alongside their peers. However, finding these schools, learning about their services, and understanding their enrollment processes can be daunting. To help local families with their school search, San Antonio Charter Moms offers a wealth of resources including an online school choice guide, an enrollment timeline, social media discussion groups, and their annual School Discovery Days series, which gathers representatives from dozens of schools in one family-friendly location to meet with interested parents and caregivers. The next School Discovery Day will be held at The DoSeum on January 25 from 9 AM to noon, and is a great opportunity to learn more about San Antonio’s schools of choice and how they serve students with functional needs.
As Texas’s charter school scene evolves, several campuses have specialized in serving students with learning differences, developmental challenges, and other functional needs. Students are given highly personalized, individual attention in these environments, guided by specific, needs-based curriculums and staff specialists. Children and young adults are supported, nurtured, and celebrated for what they can do, not what they cannot, and develop confidence alongside their educational growth. According to the Texas Public Charter School Association, public charter schools are held to the same accountability standards as traditional public schools under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and all state laws meant to serve these student populations, and may be closed by the state education commissioner if they are not in compliance.
Some Successful Schools
San Antonio is now home to several campuses, both public charter and private, specifically serving functional needs populations. Some of the most unique and successful such schools are highlighted below to give a glimpse into this rapidly developing educational niche.
- Celebrate Dyslexia Schools, housed in The DoSeum, is an open enrollment charter school designed to provide a transformative educational experience for early elementary school students with dyslexia. Their teaching staff are all trained as academic language therapists, and the low student-to-teacher ratio ensures each child gets the specialized support needed to build crucial foundational literacy skills.
- The Foundation School for Autism is an open enrollment, early education charter school for young children on the autism spectrum. Founded in 2010, the Foundation School provides each child with an individual education plan with a focus on socio-emotional skills and support services like occupational therapy, speech therapy and applied behavior analysis. Parents may also receive training through the school to help cope with their child’s behavioral difficulties.
- The Burleson School for Education and Innovation, in partnership with Edgewood ISD and the Institute for School and Community Partnerships at Texas A&M University—San Antonio, offers a transition program for students ages 18–22. Students get prepared for competitive integrated employment and the possibility of participating in post-secondary education or certification training, while learning to live independently in their community.
- At Rise School of San Antonio, 50 percent of the students have disabilities while the other 50 percent are traditional, non-disabled learners. The inclusive daycare and preschool, located at Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, integrates physical, occupational, speech, and music therapies to provide crucial interventions based on a proven approach for children with physical and developmental disabilities like Down’s Syndrome.
- The Winston School is a nationally recognized private school serving students with learning differences from kindergarten through 12th grade. Its San Antonio campus offers small class sizes, regular evaluations for cognitive abilities and academic achievement, and a college preparatory curriculum designed to accommodate neurodivergent learners.
Some children may not need such dedicated interventions, however, and yet still struggle to thrive in traditional public schools. For those families, exploring the many different learning models available through schools of choice can be helpful in finding methods that better accommodate their child’s unique learning style and allow them to participate alongside their peers. The Texas Public Charter School Association notes that on average in Texas public charter schools, 90 percent of students with disabilities spend the majority of their days in general education classrooms, compared to 72 percent in all public schools (including traditional public schools and charter schools).
Some children with functional needs may thrive in a homeschool environment, while other families may choose private assessments to better inform themselves as they pursue accommodations and IEPs through their neighborhood schools. At School Discovery Days, families are free to explore all their options by meeting with SACM staff and on-site representatives from dozens of local schools and education experts, including homeschooling specialists like Pathways Home Education and AIM Educate, which provides private assessments for Autism, ADHD, communication disorders and other issues that may impair learning.
The DoSeum
SACM’s next School Discovery Day is January 25, 2025, from 9 AM to noon. Guests must pre register for this free event to ensure entry and are encouraged to show up early to allow the most time to meet with school representatives and enjoy complimentary entry to The DoSeum. The event (including DoSeum admission) ends promptly at noon, with no new guests admitted after 11:30 AM. View more event information and register here.
For more information visit www.sachartermoms.com.
About San Antonio Charter Moms
San Antonio Charter Moms (SACM) began as a blog in 2012 when Founder Inga Cotton was inspired to help San Antonio families more easily find good information about high-quality school options. Starting with a focus on the growing local charter school offerings, the blog has evolved into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that shares fair information about all types of schools. Established in 2018 as a nonprofit, SACM can accept funding that enables it to grow in ways that support accomplishing its mission of being the most trusted information source on education in the region. This growth includes Spanish-language blog post translations, surveying target publics, holding meetings with decision-makers, supporting public speaking, community outreach, and enhancing mobile technology. For more information, visit sachartermoms.com or follow them on Facebook, their Facebook group, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
