What school do I choose for my child?

If you've come to the point where your child can no longer get the services he or she needs from the public school system, chances are you're considering a private school. Of course the question is then: where? 

In general, there are three categories of private special education schools to consider:

1. Private schools within Massachusetts that are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) to provide special education services,
2. Private schools outside of Massachusetts that are approved by the DESE to provide special education services, and
3. Private schools that are not on the DESE's list of approved schools, within or outside of Massachusetts. These are sometimes referred to as "sole source" placements.

DESE-Approved Private Schools Within Massachusetts

Considering an in-state, DESE-approved school is often the best place to start. Here you will find a link to DESE's online list of in-state, approved special education schools (click "Approved Special Education School" from the drop-down menu).

Below you will find direct links to the websites of all in-state DESE-approved private schools. The links have been updated from those on the DESE website, and have been organized by county and region: 

DESE-Approved Private Schools Outside of Massachusetts

If you cannot find an in-state DESE-approved school that will meet your child's needs, you may need to consider a DESE-approved school that is outside of Massachusetts. Here you will find a link to the DESE's current online list of out-of-state, approved special education schools: 

It is a good idea to contact DESE's Program Quality Assurance Department (PQA) to make sure that the online list of approved schools is up-to-date. The phone number for PQA is 781-338-3700.

Below you will find direct links to the websites of all out-of-state DESE-approved private schools. The links have been updated from those on the DESE website:

Private Schools that are not DESE-Approved

If you cannot find a DESE-approved school that will meet your child's needs, you may need to consider a school that is not on DESE's list of approved schools. These are sometimes referred to as "sole source" placements. The fact that a private school has not been approved by DESE doesn't necessarily mean that it is not a high quality school; many private schools simply choose not to seek DESE approval because they prefer not to take on the additional administrative responsibilities that go along with being approved by DESE.   The decision to have your child placed at a non-approved school must made carefully, however, because obtaining public funding for these kinds of placements involves additional legal considerations that do not exist when seeking funding for a DESE-approved placement. Consultation with an experienced special education attorney is highly recommended when considering a non-approved school placement.