Best Private Special Education Schools In Minneapolis Near Me

4worldlovers:
Franklin Center delivers innovative, tailored services for those on the autism spectrum or with related neurodiversities. Our integrated model unlocks potential and transforms lives.


A Minnesota school unlike any other, delivering K-12 education through personalized accommodations for neurodiverse students.


Fully licensed, comprehensive therapy for the neurodiverse, with a focus on the intersection of behavioral and mental health.


Engaging experiences outside of school where students build friendships, create connections, and develop social skills.


Summer camps for neurodiverse or sensory-sensitive students to maintain their learning, have fun, and make friends.


A post-secondary program offering a full range of life skills courses, preparing neurodiverse young adults to live and work independently with confidence.


At Franklin Center, we unlock the potential for a full, independent, confident life. Through our innovative, tailored services and education we deliver a unique and highly effective holistic service model. Watch the video to see a recap of our beautiful ribbon-cutting ceremony and hear the reason behind our new name and our new campus.

Bridging the Gap from Academics to Career Vocational rehabilitation is a mouthful of syllables, but...

Meltdown at the State Fair? Misbehavior or Sensory Processing Disorder? We’ve all seen it and...

How Franklin Therapists and Teachers Joined the Unlikely Village of Eden

Seeing the Possibilities Not the Problems Joy, frustration, fear, anxiety, loneliness, hope. Every caregiver for...

Formerly called The Whole Learning School, and then Academy of Whole Learning, we were founded in 2003 by a group of parents of children with neurodiversities. They knew their children had potential, and they built a school to unlock that potential.

We have grown each year, whether by adding grades and electives to our K-12 school, or adding more services, such as behavioral and mental health therapy services, summer camp, and most recently, an adult program.

Just as we’ve grown, so has enrollment at our school and in each of our programs. In fact, numbers have more than quadrupled in the past 10 years, as more and more families realize we offer not just an alternative, but an avenue to unlock the potential for learning, belonging, and succeeding.

We transform lives by addressing the holistic academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of the neurodiverse community.

Courage: We are never afraid to try new ideas. We stand up for others.

Creativity: We innovate, invent, and apply the best thinking in our programs and methods.

Accountability: We take initiative, we are factual, we accept feedback humbly, and we assume responsibility.

Celebrate the neurodiverse: We tailor our work to meet the unique needs of every person we serve.

4worldlovers:
Karner Blue Education Center serves students in grades K-8 who have emotional behavioral disorders (EBD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and developmental cognitive disabilities (DCD). Environmental supports create a controlled space for students to learn, play and relax.

The focus on nature provides a calming atmosphere, and educational philosophies tied to nature build a student's connection to their world. Karner Blue Education Center utilizes the Compassionate School model, which supports physical and emotional health by helping students build relationships, self-regulate, and achieve success in both academic and non-academic areas.

To communicate with Karner Blue Education Center in a language other than English, please dial (651) 378-3822.

4worldlovers: Groves Academy is a renowned place of learning where students who experience learning challenges are empowered to unleash their confidence and fuel their success. Our curriculum is designed to support students entering 1st–12th grades who have diverse learning styles and skill levels and who are capable but need a unique way to ignite their learning.

Groves Learning Center shares our proven methods outward to those that need them, with diagnostic assessments, tutoring, speech-language services, and summer programs. We partner with you to provide individualized solutions and to help students everywhere shine.

Learn more about diagnostic assessmentsLearn about our tutoring and speech-language servicesBrowse our summer programsAttend a community event

Our evidence-based approach to learning and literacy illuminates the way for students, so we’ve made it our mission to share these teaching methods with schools throughout the community. Over the course of a three-year Groves Literacy Partnership, we certify teachers as literacy instructors for students in Pre-K–3rd grade. Together, we partner with fellow educators to share our evidence-based literacy instruction so that all students learn to read.

4worldlovers:
Mounds Park Academy is the #2 ranked PreK-12 private college preparatory school in Minnesota. Here, academic rigor prepares students to stir the human spirit, stand for justice, and shake the world.

"It is very clear how much MPA teachers care about their students; they always teach with joy and authenticity."

4worldlovers: What is smart? Is it acing a standardized test? Or something deeper?

Waldorf education understands that developing human potential requires far more than just academics. We help children use their natural curiosity to create their own path, intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Waldorf is one of today’s fastest-growing educational movements. We’d love to show you why.

Our historic, urban campus is located in the thriving Eat Street neighborhood just south of downtown Minneapolis, a short walk from Fair Oaks Park, the Children’s Theater, and the world-renowned Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Every school day, we welcome more than 260 students, from preschool to 8th grade.

Our school is best understood in person, for you and for your child. That’s why our simple three-step application process emphasizes one-on-one tours and time with your child’s prospective class.