Schools for kids who need something different

A tiny private micro-school for grades 3–5 built specifically around dyslexia support, using targeted and hands-on learning for neurodivergent students.

A small private middle school designed specifically for students with learning differences — calm, relationship-rich, and built around individualized support for grades 5–8.

A Pre-K–8 school dedicated to children experiencing homelessness, where many students enter one to three years below grade level and a full-time Title-I instructor supports the catch-up work.

A private high school exclusively for students with learning differences, where small classes and targeted instruction help grades 9–12 build skills and confidence for college and beyond.

Oregon's public school for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, where ASL is the language of the classroom alongside written English and over half the faculty are Deaf. School, meals, and Sunday-to-Friday residence halls are free, and the home district arranges transportation.

A small private school where every student receives daily Orton-Gillingham structured literacy in groups of 3, with the approach woven through every class rather than delivered as pull-out. The program is built around dyslexia and related language-based learning differences rather than broader developmental or behavioral support needs.

A private K–12 therapeutic day school for students with significant learning, emotional, and behavioral needs, where mental health treatment runs through the school day rather than alongside it. Every student has a master's level clinical case manager. Placement is by home-district IEP referral only, and the district pays.

A private PK–5 school where deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing children share classrooms, with an on-site audiologist, speech-language pathologist, and teachers of the deaf built into the day.

A year-round school built entirely around autism and related learning differences: skill-based classrooms at about 3 students per staff member, with 9 BCBAs, speech, OT, and music therapy woven into the school day.

A PPS diploma pathway with 2 tracks under one roof: a structured 5-day program open to all students in classes of 15–20, and a self-paced 4-day program for students arriving with 15 or more credits. Students can earn 7.5+ credits per year, which makes catching up, and even graduating early, genuinely possible.

An accredited alternative program built for students ages 12–21 returning after time away from school, with personalized learning plans, a standard Oregon diploma, and CTE training in culinary, manufacturing, CNA, recording arts, and more. On-site childcare and support for pregnant and parenting students remove the barriers that usually keep a return from sticking.

A tuition-free nonprofit high school where an on-site Special Education team runs study skills classes and in-class support, every student has a named Academic Advisor for the length of their enrollment, and PBIS shapes the whole school. Students need to be within 1.5 years of their graduating class in credits to enroll.

A tuition-free nonprofit high school where every teacher and administrator also mentors a daily group of 8 to 9 students, entered only by referral from 1 of 6 East County districts. Credit recovery runs through a dedicated weekly block plus online and independent study, toward a standard Oregon or modified diploma.

A PPS credit recovery program where students keep their spot at their day school and add courses at night or over the summer. Evening classes meet 1 night a week from 5 to 8 p.m. at 3 high schools, and summer runs 2 sessions of 13 days. Enrollment goes through the student's counselor, and 5 absences ends it.

A program for ages 17 to 26 pairing diploma or GED completion with paid, hands-on construction training, typically over 6 to 9 months. Students split time between small classes and active jobsites, earn a monthly stipend, and get a counselor and career coach who stay in touch for at least a year after they finish.

An accredited diploma and GED program for youth who have left traditional schools, pairing small classes and individualized plans with internships, job placement, and mentorship that continues through age 25. An on-site mental health team and a monthly health clinic support students across 4 campuses, with rolling year-round enrollment.

Atkinson is one of the more comprehensively staffed K-5 schools in PPS for students with disabilities. It hosts an on-site occupational therapist, physical therapist, and adapted PE teacher alongside three special education teachers and a reading specialist. Strong fit for families who need robust support alongside a bilingual program.

A Christ-centered hybrid (grades 5–12) meeting Tuesday–Thursday. While specific services are not listed, Bridges explicitly states that "Your child with special needs is welcome at Bridges Connects! The cooperative supports the entire family, including those with special needs." Contact to discuss details.

Central Catholic's RAMS Program is one of very few private high school inclusive education programs in the Portland metro. Most private high schools do not accept students with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and fewer still have built a full curriculum model, named peer mentor elective course, vocational training program (Ram Roast Coffee), and post-secondary transition planning.

A neighborhood school where nearly 1 in 3 students has a disability and inclusion is structural, not aspirational. Creston houses PPS's Columbia Regional Inclusive Services program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students alongside a SPED learning center, reading specialist, and speech-language pathologist, all in classes averaging 17. Adjacent Creston Park adds ADA-accessible pathways and adaptive playground equipment to the school's daily recess routine.

A rare fit for families wanting classical, faith-based education without leaving a diverse learner's needs at the door. A classical Christian hybrid (K–8) with a named Discovery Program built for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, executive functioning or social-skills challenges, anxiety, and autism spectrum diagnoses.

A private microschool (grades 3-8) specializing in PDA-profile, 2E, ADHD, and anxious learners who have experienced school refusal or shutdown, where nervous system regulation and relational safety come before academics and no behavioral compliance methods are used.

A warm PreK–8 Catholic parish school with a full-time Learning Support Coordinator and Orton-Gillingham-based instruction, offering individualized support for dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, dysgraphia, and sensory processing needs.

28% percent of Lewis students have disabilities, roughly double the Oregon average, driven by a district Communication Behavior classroom that places students with significant communication and behavioral needs through the IEP process. On-site staffing includes an occupational therapist, a speech-language pathologist, and a school psychologist, uncommon depth for a 270-student K-5. Families should know the focus classroom is not parent-selectable; placement runs through the district IEP team.

A K-12 PPS lottery school where one in three students carries a disability designation, nearly twice the district average. The draw is structural rather than programmatic: small classes, project-based pacing, mixed-age grouping, and a restorative justice framework create conditions where neurodivergent learners can work at their own rhythm without being sorted out of the mainstream. Dedicated SPED staffing is thin (1 ERC teacher, 1 SLP, 1 paraeducator), so families should ask hard questions about caseload and IEP implementation.

Mt. Tabor houses the Columbia Regional Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, a regional placement drawing students from across the metro area rather than the neighborhood boundary alone. 3 staff work specifically with deaf and hard of hearing students, a teacher, a speech pathologist, and a social worker, all within a full comprehensive middle school rather than a separate setting.

Among Portland-area Catholic K–8 schools, St. Agatha is one of the few that staffs learning support at two levels, a K–5 teacher and a middle school teacher, with a Director of Student Services above them. Individual Learning Plans are available to students with disability testing on file.

A K-8 Catholic parish school where a four-person Learning Support department runs a three-tier MTSS model with Orton-Gillingham reading groups, universal screening, and free in-house educational testing. Students with documented disabilities receive an Individualized Learning Plan.

Lee is a district host site for two behavior-focus (CB) classrooms, a K-2 and a 2-5, so about a third of students receive special education services and the school runs a large support team: a learning center, an academic interventionist, an occupational therapist, two speech-language pathologists, a school psychologist, a counselor, and a social worker. Families whose children need structured behavioral or learning support will find unusually deep staffing here for a school of this size.

Woodmere is a PPS Communication and Behavior focus site, with 2 dedicated CB classrooms (1 for K–2, 1 for 3–5), so students whose IEPs call for a smaller, more structured setting can stay at one school from kindergarten through 5th grade. More than 1 in 3 students has a disability (34%, ODE 2024-25), and the on-site team reflects it: 2 more special education teachers, a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, a school psychologist, 2 reading specialists, a climate specialist and climate assistant, and 5 paraeducators.