ADMISSIONS

The First Step Is Just a Conversation.

Finding the right school after your child has struggled is a different kind of search. It is not just about finding a school that will accept them. It is about finding one actually built for them.

Our admissions process is a two-way conversation, not an evaluation. We want to understand your child — and we want you to understand us — before either of us commits

Every child is different. So is every grade.

The Craig School serves students in grades 3 through 8, but a 3rd grader with a new ADHD diagnosis is in a completely different place than an 8th grader who has struggled through four school settings. We've built grade-specific pages so you can read about your child's exact moment, not a general overview.

Find your child's grade below. Each page covers what's happening developmentally at that grade level, how TCS's structure addresses it, and what the first step looks like.

3rd Grade

Third grade is when the gap between capability and performance first appears. The earlier the right environment, the better the outcome.

4th Grade

Fourth grade demands sustained output: longer assignments, harder concepts, less tolerance for dysregulation. This is when cracks widen.

5th Grade

The final year of elementary school carries real stakes. Parents of 5th graders are often racing the clock before middle school hits.

6th Grade

The transition to middle school is hard for most kids. For students with ADHD or ASD, it can feel unsurvivable. TCS is built for exactly this transition.

7th Grade

By 7th grade, many students have been struggling for years. The backlog of frustration, failed interventions, and lost confidence is real. And addressable.

Grade 8

Families of 8th graders are thinking about high school. TCS's 8th grade is designed to build the skills, confidence, and track record students need to succeed in the next chapter.

Submit an Inquiry

Families are required to submit an inquiry through our website. This allows the admissions team to learn basic information about the student and begin the conversation. It is simply the starting point.

Initial Conversation

Let's start by having a conversation. We want to hear about your child, answer questions, and see if we might be a good fit.

You can tell us your hopes and what has and hasn't worked in other environments.You will gain a better understanding of how we support students throughout their day.

Document Review

Following your conversation, the admissions team will ask for any pertinent educational records. This could be IEPs, 504 plans, evaluations, and any other records you have that provide us insight to your child's educational history, strengths, and needs.

Records are always reviewed with alignment in mind. We want to make sure we can support your child and that they will feel at home here.

Should we feel there is a fit, you and your child will be invited to tour TCS privately.

Parent Visit

After fit approval, parents are invited to visit the school to experience the learning environment firsthand.

This visit offers insight into how the day flows, how classrooms are structured, and how space and support work together to help students stay regulated, engaged, and connected.

Student Visit

Students are invited to spend time in the classroom and to experience our social skills program.

During this experience, students participate alongside peers so staff can observe engagement, regulation, and social interaction in a natural setting. This step helps ensure the environment feels supportive and appropriate before moving forward.

Enrollment Decision

After the parent and student experience our learning environment and classroom, our team will make an enrollment decision. Families will be notified directly of an offer or decline of enrollment.

Our Focus is on Fit

TCS provides services to students in grades 3–8 who learn differently due to ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, executive functioning difficulties, or other related factors.

At TCS we operate under a low student-to-teacher ratio of 5:1. That’s low enough to form genuine relationships and high enough to promote authentic learning. This environment works well for students who are able to learn in a group setting and no longer need 1:1 support all day.

If your child requires more intensive 1: 1 support, we are happy to help you find a program that will be a better fit. We want the right match for your child, not just a seat.

Students on the Autism Spectrum

Some of our strongest fits are students ASD who are cognitively strong, communicative, and motivated to connect with peers, but who've spent years in environments that never made the social rules explicit.

TCS is structured in ways that are specifically compatible with how these students learn: predictable routines, consistent adults, small groups, and daily explicit social skills instruction. It's not accommodation. It's architecture.

The one honest qualifier: Students need to be able to participate in a classroom with peers without requiring continuous 1:1 support throughout the day.

Admissions Frequent Questions

Some of our strongest fits are students on the autism spectrum who are bright, verbal, and academically capable — but socially struggling in ways traditional schools don't know how to address. These are kids who want connection but haven't found their footing in environments that don't make the rules explicit. They've often been told they're too intense, too rigid, or just don't read the room. Their families are exhausted from advocating for a child who clearly has so much going on but keeps falling through the cracks.

The structure at TCS — predictable routines, small groups, consistent adult relationships, and daily explicit social skills instruction — is precisely what these students need. It's not an accommodation. It's how the school is built.

The honest qualifier: students need to be able to participate in a classroom environment with peers without requiring continuous one-to-one support throughout the day. If your child can function in that kind of structured small group setting, this conversation is worth having.

The students who thrive here are typically kids who are cognitively strong, communicative, and motivated to connect with peers — but who struggle with the unspoken social expectations of traditional school environments. They benefit from adults who say what they mean, environments where the schedule doesn't change without warning, and classrooms small enough that the noise and unpredictability of a typical school don't overwhelm them.

They are not students who need intensive behavioral intervention or a primarily therapeutic setting. They are students who need a smarter environment — one that was designed with their nervous system in mind from the start.

If that sounds like your child, start with a conversation. Carol will listen first.

Many of our students come to us after experiencing difficulty in public or private school. That history does not disqualify them — it often tells us exactly what kind of support they need.

What we look for is not a clean record. It is fit: whether this environment, with its structure and support, is the right match for this student at this point in their development.

No. A formal diagnosis is not required.

Many students have ADHD, anxiety, or executive functioning challenges. Others simply struggle to meet the increasing demands of school. We focus on functional fit, not labels.

Most students experience challenges related to attention, regulation, or executive functioning. Some have specific learning differences. Many are academically capable but struggle in traditional environments.

This is a school built for students whose learning experience improves with structure and support.

We commonly support students with:

• ADHD

• Executive functioning challenges

• Anxiety

• Autism Spectrum / Asperger's / High-Functioning ASD

Students should have average intellectual ability and be able to participate in a small classroom setting.

Diagnostic assessments are available for currently enrolled families through licensed professionals familiar with our model.

Yes. The Craig School is certified by the California Department of Education as a Nonpublic School and may contract with districts for appropriate placements.