Sixth grade is when everything that held together starts coming apart.
Middle school strips away the structures that were quietly keeping students with ADHD and ASD functional — one teacher who knew them, a predictable routine, a classroom they'd figured out. It replaces them with six teachers, hourly period changes, and organizational demands that assume self-management students haven't been taught. For kids with ADHD, ASD, and executive functioning challenges, this is when the problem stops being manageable and starts being visible.
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 6th grader suddenly struggling to hold it together?
You're in the right place.
By 6th grade, many families have watched a child who mostly managed in elementary school start to come undone. The teacher who knew them is gone. The predictable routine is gone. The social world that was already complicated is now significantly harder to navigate. And the gap between who they are and what school is asking of them has become impossible to ignore. For kids with ADHD, ASD, and executive functioning challenges, 6th grade is often when the real struggle becomes visible — not because something new is wrong, but because the quiet structures that were holding things together no longer exist.
| A child who managed in elementary school who is suddenly struggling to keep track of anything |
| A social environment that has gotten significantly more complicated and harder to read |
| A student who is completing homework and still not turning it in |
| A daily schedule that feels chaotic even when nothing dramatic has happened |
| A kid who is working hard and still falling behind, and starting to notice it |
| A family that has tried accommodations and is ready for something that actually changes the environment |
You didn't miss anything. The environment missed them.
And 6th 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 the San Diego Creek Trail right outside the building. The movement and regulation benefit that ADHD students need, in the structured, adult-guided context that ASD students require.
This is not recess. It is intentional learning through movement.
WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE A FIT
The first step is just a conversation.
Families of 6th graders often come to us after navigating multiple placements, professionals, and diagnoses that each explained part of the picture but none explained all of it. Our admissions process is a real conversation, not a screening.
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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 6th grade families
No. Many of our students have a diagnosis, but it's not required. We focus on 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 hasn't addressed, that's enough to start a conversation.
Accommodations work within a traditional school model — they add support to a structure that wasn't designed for your child. TCS is a different structure entirely. Smaller classes, consistent adults, predictable routines, daily social skills instruction, and a pacing built around how students with ADHD and ASD actually learn. It's not more help. It's a different environment.
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.
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