Private schools that support SN
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Anonymous
| Hi, we are moving to NW DC later this year and I am hoping someone may be able to help with a few suggestions for schools. We have two boys the youngest grade 2 and my eldest grade 4 with high functioning ASD. I am looking for a friendly private school with small class sizes that both the boys can attend till at least grade 8. My eldest is currently in a mainstream Catholic PS maintaining average grades with minimal support. He is put into small groups for writing, reading & some maths as he has trouble staying on task in a large group environment, and is given visual supports and movement breaks. He has strong interests in science, technology and art. My youngest is very strong in sports. I am planning a trip before we move to investigate schools and was hoping some of you may have current experiences you might share to help me narrow down my search. Are there Catholic ( or other ) schools that have special Ed departments to support classroom teachers while the majority of teaching remains in the classroom? TIA |
Anonymous
| Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac has an inclusion program for kids with special needs. The school is small with one class per grade. |
Anonymous
| Thanks, do you know approx how many in a class? |
Anonymous
Classes at Mercy are huge. |
Anonymous
| You might like the McLean school of MD. |
Anonymous
| OP, I'm having trouble coming up with any schools that would work for both of your kids. I agree that looking at the McLean school is a good idea, but Potomac is a hike from NW DC. Sheridan and Lowell are both friendly lower schools in NW with small classes, but I don't know if they can accommodate ASD - it doesn't hurt to call and ask though (and same with Grace Episcopal and St. Andrews in Maryland - I don't think either work with ASD but it doesn't hurt to ask and they might be a good fit for your other son if you decide to split them.) I'm not very familiar with the catholic schools, but I understand the classes tend to be big. Sorry I'm not much help. |
Anonymous
| OP here, I appreciate your suggestions, I was hoping to keep the boys at the same school as support for each other as we are coming from overseas and it will be a huge change for them. I may have my areas confused ( I haven't been there yet!) I think we will be looking at somewhere near Chevy Chase/ Potomac/ Rockville/ Great Falls areas so classed as MD or VA rather than DC is that right? I think we have missed the boat for routine enrollment dates, is it difficult to get into schools part way through the year? |
Anonymous
| Those are areas with excellent public schools. Generally in this area, public schools do inclusion far better than private schools. Is there a reason you want to stay in private? |
Anonymous
| Just thought of private as they seem to go to a higher grade level so that my Son wouldn't have to change schools again within a year or two of our move. |
Anonymous
| Pp 10:32 here. I have a child at Mercy. Class size depends on the grade but I would not say the classes as huge. The children in the lower grades are broken up for reading and math. OP if you are interested in a Catholic education call the school to find out about the inclusion program. Re- enrollment contracts for current students were due in February so they probably have a good idea of where they have openings. |
Anonymous
| Oh, yes, those are suburbs, which are a different story. The application deadlines for most schools were last month, but the suburban privates are more likely to have openings for late applicants than the ones in the city (but you'd still want to figure this out as quickly as possible, as options will narrow the longer you wait). As a PP said, the public schools are very good, but with big classes (often 25-30 kids). The problem with private is that most of the schools are either focused primarily on ASD/SN kids OR won't take ASD/SN kids at all. Green Acres, Norwood, and Washington Episcopal are nice mainstream schools you should check out, but I'm not optimistic that they'd accommodate ASD. Good luck OP, I'll keep my fingers crossed that someone has better ideas than me. |
Anonymous
| OP here, on searching I did find a resource Called the Special Needs Directory of Maryland Catholic Schools ( for anyone else researching in the future). It gives a brief outline of what accommodations a school can make and contact info. Does anyone have any experience with kids at Blessed Sacrament, St Bartholomews, St Raphael, Or Holy Cross? If class sizes aren't mentioned on the school website is there another site that might have that info? The Great Schools site has teacher to student ratio but not always class size as such. |
Anonymous
| Thanks PP10.32 Mercy does look like a nice school, I was hoping for classes of less than 20 kids, is that unrealistic? |
Anonymous
| Chevy Chase Elem. is not a good place for children with special needs, even mild ones. Bethesda Elem is the best for inclusion in MCPS but I don't have experience with it to know if it would suit your needs. OP look for a neighborhood that is family friendly. Some of the suburban neighborhoods are isolating--you never see your neighbors. Just saw this review of the school mentioned above--like all things on the web, I guess take this with a grain of salt: http://www.yelp.com/biz/our-lady-of-mercy-school-potomac Gosh, didn't know yelp had school reviews. |
Anonymous
FYI, OP, Great Falls is in VA. The rest of the areas you mentioned are in MD. Your current school sounds very supportive. You may or may not find that in a private school as there are many private SN schools and SN public school tracks that fits that niche. In case you run dry on the private school route, here's a list a SN schools in the area: http://exceptionalschoolsfair.com/About.html I would second recommendations of Lowell and McLean. You may also want to look at Oneness Family School: http://www.onenessfamily.org/ |