Possible relocation, looking for private school that offers special education (Durham: chapel, how much)

[JYM80]

My husband may be transferred to Graham from the New Orleans area. I am looking for private schools that offer resource or special education services. My child is currently in third grade and attends a Catholic school. She does very well in a mainstream classroom with accommodations and access to a resource teacher.

Any information about special education in NC would be appreciated. I'm finding very few options and we have almost decided to stay in New Orleans for now, though there are few options here. We've always wanted to live in NC but we can't seem to find many school options.

[poppydog]

Graham is part of Alamance County and the schools are Alamance Burlington Schools. I am not aware of a lot of private schools in Burlington. There is the Rivermill Charter school in Graham, but I don't know what it has as far as special ed. What kinds of services does your child need? Some kids with issues like ADHD do well in certain charters, but others need more than some charters can provide.

Alternately you could live in Orange County or the Chapel Hill/Carrboro school district and commute to Graham. The public schools in Chapel Hill and Carrboro are excellent and many folks move to the community specifically for the schools. There is a private Catholic school in Chapel Hill, St Thomas More, but I don't know how much they offer for special ed. Catholic schools are not as common in NC as they are in Louisiana. More of the population is protestant here. Most communities of some size have one or two schools, but I know there are a huge number of Catholic schools in LA.

[Heater454]

Just sent you a DM.

[rfb]

Three is a Catholic school in Durham, Immaculata.. You can call to find out what resources would be available and whether this would be a good fit. There is also the Hill Center in Durham that is targeted toward students with learning disabilities or ADHD. Students attend the Hill Center for 1/2 day (for reading, writing and math with a 4-1 student/teacher ratio) and their base school for the remainder of their day where they get they learn the remainder of their work. Their web site lists Immaculata as a partner school, and they also have a large number of students who use public schools as their base school. The Hill Center is expensive, so that may be a factor.

[ADVentive]

I live in Orange County, which is not too far from Graham. I think that the Orange County schools would probably be preferable to Alamance County, at least that was part of the reason that I chose to live here. My daughter has special needs, and I have been happy with the public schools so far. My daughter is in a 50/50 developmental day preschool, and she will be mainstreamed when she starts K this year. My friend's son is in a self-contained classroom at Grady Brown Elementary and she has been very pleased with them there too. The public schools have a lot of resources for special education.

There are also some private schools that are specifically geared toward special needs kids, though I don't know if I would go that route if your kid can be mainstreamed. The one I'm thinking of is in Orange County, but close to Durham - Just Right Academy. There are others in Durham, too.

[jsenhick]

Hello. I was wondering if anyone with a special needs child can guide me where to settle in North Carolina. We will be moving from NJ with the biggest need for our 9 year old girl having a school that provides special education- she is mainstreamed but needs some help and I need a school that understand Aspergers and some of the common issues that come with this disability. Thank you in advance for any help.