7 Best School Districts for Autism in New Jersey

What are the best school districts for autism in New Jersey? According to CDC’s report, 1 in 45 people in New Jersey is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This number is huge, especially if you compare it to the national average which is 1 in 68 people. Due to a large number of persons with ASD New Jersey has developed a very good autism service network for autistic persons and their family.  Autism Family Services of New Jersey is offering advice and recommendations about programs, schools, therapies and residential programs for persons with ASD in New Jersey and their website is a place where you can find a lot of useful information.

It is not unusual that families with school-aged children move from district to district in order to have their children enrolled in good schools. Having a good school is of extremely important when it comes to children with autism. Due to the specific nature of autism spectrum disorder, children with ASD do not experience the world in the same way as we do and it is important to help them find a suitable environment for learning. Traditional curricula can overwhelm children with ASD, especially because a lot of them don’t have the same language skills and auditory skills as their peers. Typical oral instructions in school are more likely to cause frustration than help your child learn. Because of this, it is important to find a school that offers programs for children on the spectrum or choosing to enroll your child in a school that is designed especially for children with ASD (mostly private schools). Educational options include public schools, charter or magnet schools (these schools receive public funding and often operate using lottery), private schools (parents usually opt for private schools specialized only for children with autism spectrum disorder) and home schooling (choosing to educate your child at home may include help of therapists and professionally educated personnel). However, homeschooling is not a good choice for families where both parents have to work to support the financial needs of the family. If you are wondering about cities which offer good services for autism, you should take a look at our article about New York City and 7 best school districts in New York City for autism.

Early intervention and proper education can make a huge difference in your child’s life. According to Steven Krapes, director of The Forum School, New Jersey is the best place to live in when it comes to the high level of education as well as innovative educational programs. Krapes stated: “If your child falls on the spectrum, you want them to be educated in New Jersey”. Overall, New Jersey is a great place to live in when it comes to autism services which is why it was also included in our list of 10 best cities and states to live in for autism services.

In order to compile this list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey, I focused primarily on a Directory of New Jersey Schools Serving Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders published by Autism New Jersey website. This comprehensive list contains lists of all public and private schools in each county. New Jersey is divided into 21 counties and each county is divided into numerous school districts. However, since the information published on the above mentioned website showed that some counties contain only two schools per county for children with ASD, I’ve decided to focus on counties rather than districts. In this way you can get the insight into counties which have a lot of schools for children with ASD and then narrow down your interests to a specific district within that county (which are also mentioned in this article). In order to single out the best districts in New Jersey for the education of autistic children I’ve created a tally sheet of all counties and added number of schools.  Counties are ranked by the number of schools in each county, from lowest to highest. Essex County and Bergen County had the highest scores while Cumberland County, Cape May County, Warren and Salem Count had a low number of only one or two schools for children with ASD and did not make it to this list. Counties which have the same number of schools are ranked randomly. To help you find a perfect school, we’ve added links to every click which means that you are only one click away from finding out all the information you need.

Let’s see which are the best school districts for Autism in New Jersey.

7. Middlesex County

Middlesex County has six public schools and four private ones. Private schools in this county are: The Douglass School, The Gateway School, New Road School of Parlin and JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute’s You and Me School. Private schools supporting the needs of children with ASD in Middlesex County are: Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission’s Academy Learning Center, East Brunswick Public Schools, Hazelwood School (Middlesex Borough Public Schools), Piscataway Regional Day School (Regional Educational Services Commission) and Woodbridge Township School District.

6. Monmouth County

Monmouth County, next on the list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey has eight private schools and only two public schools (Bayshore Jointure Commission/Shore Center for Autism and Tinton Falls School District). Private schools include the following: Children’s Center of Monmouth County, Collier High School, Harbor School, Hawkswood School, Hersh High School, High Point Schools,  SEARCH Day Program and, believe it or not The Rugby School at Woodfield. The Rugby School at Woodfield opened their doors to children with special needs 30 years ago and today, it has become one of the best schools of this kind. It is a great choice for children who have some extra energy to spend.

5. Ocean County

The 5th spot on our list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey goes to Ocean County that is home to 8 public and 4 private schools. Private schools are: Alpha School, New Road School of Ocean County, School for Children with Hidden Intelligence and The Education Academy. Public schools in this County are: Clara B. Worth School (Berkeley Township School District), Brick Primary Learning Center, Lakehurst Elementary School, Ocean Acres Elementary School LLD Program, Point Pleasant Borough: Autism Program, Regional Day School at Jackson Manchester Twp. School District, Stafford Township School District and Toms River Regional Schools.

4. Burlington County

While most of the counties on this list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey have more private than public schools, Burlington County has only 3 private schools and 11 public schools suitable for children with autism. Three private schools in this area are: Garfield Park Academy, Y.A.L.E. School Mansfield Township and Y.A.L.E. School Medford. Public schools in this area include: Burlington County Institute of Technology, Burlington County Special Services (Pioneer Autism Sensory Center), Burlington Township School District (Young School and Fountain Woods School), Edgewater Park Tuition Program, Harrington Middle School, Larchmont Elementary School, F.L. Walther Autistic Program (Lumberton Township School District), Mount Laurel Hartford School, Northern Burlington County Regional School District, Pemberton Township School District, Springville Elementary School.

3. Camden County

In Camden County, the next one on the list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey you can choose between 6 public schools and 12 private schools offering programs for children with autism spectrum disorder. Public schools include: Bellmawr School District (Burke MD Program), Collingswood Public Schools, Haddon Township School District, Mount Ephraim School District R.W. Kershaw Middle School, Stratford School District (2 schools) and Sterling High School. Private schools supporting the needs of children with ASD in this county are: Archway Programs (Lower School), The Bancroft School (Elementary and Secondary Education Programs as well as Early Education Program), Kingsway Learning Center (Early Intervention, Preschool Program as well as Secondary Program), Lovaas Institute, Partners in Learning Inc. (at Cherrywood Academy and Private Preschool), Partners in Learning Inc. (at Country Acres Private Preschool), Y.A.L.E. School Audubon, Y.A.L.E. School Cherry Hill, Y.A.L.E. School Voorhees and YCS – Sawtelle Learning Center South.

2. Bergen County

We are continuing our list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey with Bergen County that is home to 9 public and 10 private schools which offer programs for children with autism spectrum disorder. Public schools include: Bergen County Special Services Autism Continuum, Bergenfield School District (Tri-Valley Academy), Teaneck Public Schools (Specialized Education Department), Fair Lawn Public Schools-Stepping Stones Edison School, Franklin Lakes School District, Magnet School/Learning Center Ridgefield Public Schools, Northern Valley Regional High School District (The Valley Program), Ridgefield Park Public Schools and South Bergen Jointure Commission. Private schools include: Alpine Learning Group, Inc., Bergen Center for Child Development, David Gregory School, ECLC of New Jersey – Ho-Ho-Kus Campus, Educational Partnership for Instructing Children (EPIC), The Felician School for Exceptional Children, The Forum School, Institute for Educational Achievement, Therapeutic Nursery School and REED Academy.

1. Essex County

Essex County is home to 8 public and 16 private schools making it total of 24 schools which means it definitely deserves the number one spot on our list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey. Public schools include: Brookdale Avenue School, Montclair Public School District, Irvington School District Special Services, John F. Kennedy School, Millburn Regional Day School, New Jersey Regional Day School at Newark, South Orange and Maplewood School District APPLE / ASPIRE Programs, Verona Public Schools (Verona Preschool and Primary Autism Programs). Private schools in Essex County are: Banyan Lower School, Ben Samuels Children’s Center Demonstration Program Montclair State University, Spectrum 360 (formerly The Children’s Institute), The Deron School of NJ, Garden Academy, Horizon School, Horizon High School, The Lakeside School, Maor High School at RKYHS, Mount Carmel Guild Academy Autistic ABA Program (and Mount Carmel Guild School and Preschool), New Beginnings, Northwest Essex Community Healthcare Network Therapeutic School and Preschool, The Phoenix Center, Sinai Elementary School at JKHA and YCS Sawtelle Learning Center. We hope that you will successfully use this list of best school districts for autism in New Jersey to find the information you need.