Fifth grade is when you build what middle school is going to demand.
Fifth grade is when families stop wondering if something will work itself out and start realizing it won't. One year from now the demands multiply. Multiple teachers, shifting schedules, less structure, more independence. The skills to manage those demands don't appear on their own. They have to be built in an environment designed to build them.
The Craig School was built specifically for students with ADHD, ASD, and executive functioning challenges. Not as an accommodation. As the design.
No pressure. No commitment.
Now enrolling for 2026–27.
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
Is your 5th grader heading toward middle school and you're already worried about it? You're in the right place.
By 5th grade, families have usually tried things. Accommodations have been put in place. Systems have been built and rebuilt. Teachers have been kind, concerned, and genuinely unsure what to do next. For kids with ADHD, ASD, and executive functioning challenges, this is often when the urgency becomes impossible to ignore. Middle school is one year away, and everyone in the room knows it.
| A child who can explain everything at home but can't get it down on paper or turned in on time |
| A growing social complexity that's harder to read and harder to navigate than it used to be |
| A homework routine that still requires constant adult supervision to start, stay on track, and finish |
| A child who is starting to feel the difference between themselves and their peers and is internalizing it |
| A cycle of accommodations that helped at the margins but never closed the underlying gap |
| A quiet dread in the house about what middle school is actually going to look like |
You didn't miss anything. The environment missed them.
And 5th grade is not too late to fix it.
5:1
Every classroom.
Every day.
35 Years
UC Irvine research behind TCS
Daily
Social skills instruction.
Not occasional.
93%
Of 8th graders return to traditional school
"This school has given her confidence, academic growth, and a genuine sense of belonging."
Heather S. Miethe-Wong
Parent of a 6th grader at TCS
BUILT FOR YOUR CHILD
Most schools add accommodations. We build from scratch.
There is a real difference between a school that supports students with ADHD and a school that was built around how those students learn. The first is still a traditional classroom with a layer of help added. The second is something different entirely.
Architecture, Not Accommodation
The structure, routines, and pacing were built for their brain. Not layered on top of a traditional model.
5:1 Student-to-Staff Ratio
For every 5 students, there is at least 1 staff member in the classroom. That's our standard.
Founded on 35 Years of Research
Not a Philosophy. The TCS model is grounded in research developed over 35 years at UC Irvine.
OUTRIDE PROGRAM
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 isn't recess. It's not a reward.
For students with ADHD and ASD, movement and nature aren't extras — they're part of how learning works. The OutRide Program is structured, intentional, and adult-guided. It reinforces the regulation, focus, and teamwork students build inside the classroom, in an environment that's a wildlife sanctuary and creek trail.
TCS sits next to the San Diego Creek Trail and the Irvine Wildlife Sanctuary. We put that to use.
WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE A FIT
The first step is just a conversation.
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Tell us about your child. Fill out a short inquiry. About three minutes, no formal application, no paperwork. Just the basics so we can have a real conversation.
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We talk. An admissions conversation, not a test. You tell us what's happened. We'll tell you honestly whether TCS is likely to be the right fit. No pressure in either direction.
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Come see it. If there's a mutual sense of fit, we'll invite you and your child to visit. You'll see how the day flows. Your child will spend time in the classroom. We'll know more. So will you.
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We move at your pace. No pressure.
Questions we hear from 5th grade families
This is one of the most common questions we hear from 5th grade families. The honest answer: the transition to middle school is one of the hardest moments for students with ADHD and ASD. Multiple teachers, changing classrooms, less structure, more independence — these create real challenges. The skills to manage those demands don't appear automatically at the transition. They have to be built. Fifth grade is the year to build them.
Accommodations modify a traditional environment. TCS is a different environment. The structure, routines, pacing, and adult-to-student ratio were built from the ground up for how these students learn. It's not a layer added to a traditional classroom. It's a different design entirely.
We most commonly support students with ADHD, executive functioning challenges, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders. Students should have average intellectual ability and be able to participate in a small classroom setting without requiring continuous one-to-one support throughout the day.
We encourage families to begin the conversation early. Reach out to learn about current availability for the 2026-27 school year.
The right time to find the right environment is now.
