Some kids don't need more accommodations.
They need a school built differently.
By 4th grade, many families have done everything right - evaluations, 504 plans, tutors, therapy. But the gap between capability and performance is still there. That usually means the environment itself is the problem, not the interventions layered on top of it.
The Craig School is a different environment entirely.
No pressure. No commitment. Just a real conversation about your child. Now enrolling for 2026–27.
You've done all the right things. The environment is still the wrong one.
Fourth grade is the year when academic expectations shift in a specific way. Reading is no longer being learned, it's being used. Writing assignments get longer. Organization starts to matter more. Planning, multi-step directions, and sustained focus become daily requirements.
Sound familiar?
- A 504 plan that helped at the margins but didn't change the underlying struggle
- A child who can articulate everything verbally but can't get it down on paper
- Homework that turns into an hours-long negotiation every night
- A teacher who sees their potential and is also running out of ways to reach them
- A growing feeling that your child is starting to believe the struggle is just who they are
A 504 plan is a patch. TCS is an entirely different building.
Accommodations modify how a traditional system is delivered to help you student access it. They can make a difference. The system itself, the pacing, the transitions, the expectation that every student independently juggles attention and organization, was never designed for your child.Architecture, Not Accommodation
The structure, routines, and pacing were built for their brain.
5:1 Student-to-Staff
Ratio
For every 5 students, there is at least 1 staff member in the classroom.
Founded on 35 Years of Research
Not a Philosophy.
Research Informed.
Learning doesn't stop at the classroom door
Every other week, TCS students ride or explore the San Diego Creek Trail, right outside our building. This is not recess. TCS uses structured movement to reinforce the regulation, focus, and teamwork students are building inside the classroom.
For students with ADHD and ASD, movement is not a break from learning. It is part of how learning works. TCS is attached to the San Diego Creek Trail and Irvine Wildlife Sanctuary.
That's not incidental - it's intentional.
"This school has given her confidence, academic growth, and a genuine sense of belonging."
Heather S. Miethe-Wong
TCS Parent
Student-to-Staff ratio in every classroom
Of UC Irvine research behind TCS model
Of TCS 8th graders successfully transition back to traditional school
The first step is just a conversation
Families of AuDHD students often come to us after navigating multiple professionals, multiple school placements, and a confusing mix of diagnoses that each explained part of the picture but none explained all of it. Our admissions process is a genuine conversation, not a screening. We want to understand the full picture of your child.
Tell us about your child
Fill out a short inquiry. It takes about three minutes. No formal application. No paperwork. Just the basics so we can have a real conversation.
We talk
An admissions conversation, not a test. You tell us what has and hasn't tell you honestly whether TCS is likely to be the right fit. No pressure in either direction.
Come see it
If there's a mutual sense of fit, we'll invite you and your child to visit the school. You'll see how the day flows. Your child will spend time in the classroom. We'll know more. So will you.
We move at your pace. No pressure.
"TCS didn't change who our son is. They gave him access to who he already was."
Erin Tyler
TCS Parent
Common questions from 4th grade families
Accommodations modify a traditional system to make it more accessible. TCS is a different system. The classroom structure, the student-to-teacher ratio, the daily routines, and the pacing were all designed around students with ADHD and executive functioning challenges - not adapted for them after the fact. That distinction matters, and it's why families who've exhausted the accommodation route often find TCS produces results nothing else did.
No. Many of our students have a diagnosis, but it is not required. We focus on functional fit - whether our environment is the right match for how your child learns. If your child struggles with attention, regulation, organization, or social navigation in ways that traditional school doesn't address, that's enough to start a conversation.
Many families reach out in the spring to plan for the following fall. You're welcome to start the conversation now, take your time, and make a decision at your own pace. There's no pressure to move quickly.
Yes - particularly students with who are academically capable but struggling in environments that never made the social rules clear. Daily explicit social skills instruction is built into every day at TCS. It's not a separate class. It's part of the school's design.
We encourage families to begin the conversation early. Reach out to learn about current availability for the 2026–27 school year.
Yes. TCS is certified by the California Department of Education as a Nonpublic School. Some families may be eligible to have costs covered through their school district's NPS placement process. Our admissions team can provide more information during your conversation.
What if the right school changes everything?
That gap we see starting in 4th grade doesn’t have to be your child’s relationship with school.When the setting is conducive to learning, when the structure, ratio and design fit with how their brain learns, that transformation can happen quicker than you might think.
If you have been wondering if there is a school out there that was designed with your child in mind, there is. The first step is a brief inquiry and a chat. No strings attached. Just a straightforward assessment to see TCS is the right school for you.