33 Special Education Schools in Arizona by City

Special education schools in Arizona at a glance

Share of the state’s private schools: 11%, 33 of 302
Towns: 15; the most in Phoenix (10), Tucson (4) and Peoria (3)
Counties: 5 with at least one
Students: about 3,774 in all; the typical school has 70
Smallest and largest: A+ Academy Dropout Recovery Program, 10 students; Lexington Life Academy, 488 students
Students per teacher: 7.8 typical, 2.6 to 13.1 across 31 schools
Co-ed or single-sex: all co-ed
Association members: 5, most often the National Association of Private Special Education Centers
To a 4-year college: 0% of graduates at the typical high school (18 reporting)
Verified tuition: Az Aspire Academy $34,000; New Way Academy $33,000
State program: Education savings account, about $7,000 to $8,000 for most students (2025-26 figures)
How ESA works

Affiliation, 33 schools

Christian, not Catholic1
Nonsectarian32

Grade levels (overlapping), 33 schools

Pre-K (and up)3
Elementary (K to 5)28
Middle (6 to 8)30
High school (9 to 12)30
K to 12, one school11

School size, 32 reporting

Under 5011
50 to 14911
150 to 2997
300 to 5993

Where these facts come from

Grades, size, affiliation, co-ed, membership, college-going: NCES Private School Universe Survey 2023-24, downloaded September 20, 2026.
Award and rules: Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account, official page, read October 2, 2026.
Tuition for 2 schools: each school’s own website, last read October 6, 2026.

By city

The 33 largest

School	City	Grades	Students	Per teacher	Affiliation
Lexington Life Academy	Mesa	K-12	488	8.4	Nonsectarian
Aces-Peoria	Peoria	1-12	320	10.1	Nonsectarian
Victory Autism Academy	Goodyear	K-12	316	9	Nonsectarian
Az Aspire Academy	Fountain Hills	1-12	288	3.7	Nonsectarian
New Way Academy	Phoenix	2-12	254	7	Nonsectarian
Aces-Gilbert	Peoria	K-11	195	8.9	Nonsectarian
Aces-Phoenix West	Phoenix	K-12	187	9.3	Nonsectarian
Accel	Phoenix	K-12	180	10.6	Nonsectarian
The Jones-Gordon School	Paradise Valley	1-12	166	6.1	Nonsectarian
Life - Lauren's Institute for Education	Gilbert	PreK-12	157	13.1	Nonsectarian
Lexington Life Academy - Phoenix	Phoenix	K-12	147	10.5	Nonsectarian
Gateway Academy	Phoenix	6-12	107	5.1	Nonsectarian
Intermountain Academy	Tucson	1-12	101	8.9	Nonsectarian
The Abbie School	Tucson	2-12	83	5.9	Nonsectarian
Breakthrough Academy- East Campus	Phoenix	Transitional 1st-8	80	13.1	Nonsectarian
Sierra School of Peoria	Peoria	Transitional K-12	70	7.8	Nonsectarian
Accel East Campus	Tempe	K-12	67	9.6	Nonsectarian
Lexington Life Academy	Show Low	K-12	64	5.5	Nonsectarian
Children's Center for Neurodevelopmental Studies	Glendale	PreK-12	63	7	Nonsectarian
Rise Resource Center	Cottonwood	K-12	58	not reported	Nonsectarian
Star Autism Academy	Phoenix	K-9	56	7.7	Nonsectarian
Chrysalis Academy School for Children With Autism	Scottsdale	1-12	41	8.2	Nonsectarian
The Foundation for Blind Children	Phoenix	PreK-4	39	7.8	Nonsectarian
Empower Academy	Mesa	3-12	38	7.6	Nonsectarian
Sierra School Gilbert	Gilbert	1-12	34	6.8	Nonsectarian
Renaissance Academy Tucson	Tucson	4-12	33	7.2	Nonsectarian
Banner Academy	Tempe	6-12	31	5.2	Nonsectarian
St. Dominic Savio Academy	Chandler	K-12	30	10	Nonsectarian
Ironwood Hills Christian School	Tucson	K-11	27	3.9	Christian (nondenominational)
Brightmont Academy	Phoenix	1-12	26	2.6	Nonsectarian
Science Prep Academy	Phoenix	6-12	17	4.7	Nonsectarian
A+ Academy Dropout Recovery Program	Tempe	12	10	10	Nonsectarian
Thriving Minds Academy	Apache Junction	Ungraded	1	not reported	Nonsectarian

Other kinds of school in Arizona

Put the next ESA window in your calendar

No new ESA application dates are posted yet. How ESA works.

Every program's dates in one calendar that updates when we confirm new dates: subscribe in Google Calendar · subscribe in Apple Calendar or Outlook · all deadlines

Free. Nothing to sign up for: the calendar file is made in your browser and nothing is sent to us. Dates can change, so confirm on the official site.