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Empowering kids to optimize their own learning, social & emotional outcomes

Apply for your child to join our community

Cajal Academy is a growing, innovative school for bright and intellectually-gifted students in grades K-12 who have very high analytical reasoning and/or creative thinking skills. Many of the children in our program also have an area of learning, physio, neurological, social-emotional and/or chronic medical differences. These include ADHD, sensory processing disorder, dyslexia, dysgraphia, motor coordination challenges, ASD, connective tissue disorders, MCAS and more, and includes kids considered to be in a cohort of one, or who are “twice exceptional.” All kids receive the benefit of the expertise from our licensed occupational therapist, physical therapists and recognized neuropsychologist/PhD-level psychologist, which are integrated into the classroom itself through our neuroscience-based and therapist-designed educational model.

Cajal Academy is a mixed age cohort by design, because many very bright kids form friendships more organically with kids who are older or younger than themselves, and often struggle to find common ground with kids their own age. Each student attends ability-based classes differentiated for their grade level and abilities, and participates in community-wide project-based learning endeavors in which the whole school community works together to develop solutions to real world problems.

Admissions decisions are made based on a variety of factors, including the suitability of our program for meeting your child’s needs and balancing an appropriate mix of needs, ages and abilities within our program. Programming needs and tuition levels are determined through the application process, based on the specifics of each child’s strengths and needs.

Cajal Academy is an avowedly inclusive community, and does not discriminate in its admissions, tuitions or programming on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability or other protected class.

 

Our Students

Programming Levels & Tuition

Application Process

Affording Cajal Academy

 
 
 

Mid-year Placements

We have a limited number of openings for immediate enrollment, depending on student age and profile. Programming and tuition levels are determined through the admissions process, so interested families are encouraged to complete our online application.

apply for a midyear placement
 
 
Parent Testimonials
Empowering Through Science

“The first day Heather Edwards met my son, she lay down on her stomach next to him and started teaching him the scientific names for different types of sensory inputs. I told her after their session that I didn't think he was ready for that—after all, he was only 5! Turns out I was wrong--and soon he was attending mainstream camps with no 1:1, because he knew how to advocate for what his sensory system needs in terms his counselors couldn't ignore. It was a game-changer!”

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Overcoming hEDS

“…I was unprepared for what I found at Cajal. Instead of skepticism, they knew exactly what I was talking about, and not only that, they would go further and explain what was going on with our kids and why; and even further, explain what they could do at Cajal to address that problem; and further explain how they work to teach kids to understand their condition and how to maintain their health and keep from spiraling downhill (the usual depressing outcome for kids with hEDS). I felt heard and validated for the first time!…”

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Learning to Self-Regulate

“After his first semester at Cajal, my son attended a winter break camp at the same camp he had attended over the summer. At the end of the camp, the counselor took us aside to tell us that she had observed how much he had changed since the summer. He was more regulated, able to deal with transitions, and work through difficult moments without melting down. She couldn’t believe the difference in just six months.”

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A unique opportunity for a unique set of kids

People ask us what makes Cajal Academy different from other schools…that’s a long list.

Here are some of the key benefits students will find at Cajal:

 
 

The opportunity to learn and grow with other intellectually-gifted kids

Other special education schools define their cohorts by their disabilities. We define ours by their intellectual superpowers. All Cajal Academy students share very high analytical and/or creative thinking skills, with expert support for a range of learning, social-emotional and physiological differences and twice exceptional profiles. All students get the benefits of small class sizes, within a nurturing, small school environment that gives students the space to unpack their own strengths, challenges and emotional journeys.

Find out more about the diverse student profiles that we serve.

our students
 

The opportunity to take issues off the table, not just accommodate them, so students can thrive independently in mainstream schools, college and beyond

Neuroscientific advances over the last twenty years point to opportunities to pin point and address relationships between a child’s neurophysiology and their learning and social-emotional experiences — and levers we can use to give a child agency over those experiences while reducing the challenges that threaten to stand in their way. We are putting that science to work in the classroom, through an innovative new educational approach that was designed by our team of expert therapists, led by a recognized neuropsychologist.

Find out more about how we use the data in each child’s program to tailor their educational and therapeutic approach.

our data-driven, personalized solutions
 

The opportunity to work with an expert team — freeing up time to “be kids” after school

All our students get the benefit of being in a small, trauma-informed environment with integrated expertise from expert licensed therapists and support for sensory, executive function and social-emotional needs. That’s true regardless of whether the child has an “IEP.” Our team of therapists consists of experts that families and school districts often turn to for independent expert evaluations, allowing us to identify and address challenges in real time, without the bureaucracy or delays of a PPT system. By integrating our students’ therapies into their school day schedules, we free up time for them to “be kids” and explore other interests after school. Find out more about our team’s backgrounds and expertise.

our team
 

The opportunity to engage in rigorous and highly-personalized academics, within a socially-engaged educational experience

We use the data in each child’s evaluations to create customized academic programs and holistic approaches to solve the challenges that hold them back—and then bring these programs together through collaborative project-based learning and other social academic and therapeutic activities. Students get all the advantages of one-to-one programming while learning together with other kids who share similar intellectual abilities and working with highly-experienced educators and therapists.

our academic programs
 

The opportunity to grow through transformational, first-of-their-kind programs for neuro-diverse & medically-complex kids

We leverage our team’s medical-level expertise in neurophysiological differences to provide specialized instruction and integrated services empowering kids with sensory processing disorder, dyspraxia, connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, mast cell disorders and more. Our program has successfully enabled kids with complex medical needs a pathway out of home bound instruction and back into learning with peers, and has made transformative changes in children’s learning profiles. Find out more about our specialized programs for unique diagnostic profiles.

our specialized programs
 

The opportunity to be part of not just a school but a community

One of the things that really sets Cajal Academy apart from other school environments is that we see building a culture of community, in which all students give and receive support from others, is essential to the learning and therapeutic processes. This flows through everything we do, and is supported through instruction for learners of all ages in the neuroscience of social interactions.

our community
 
 

Attend an upcoming event to learn more about Cajal Academy

 
events calendar
Tour and Information Session
May 2
Tour and Information Session

Meet our team and learn about our innovative new educational model for students with high analytical and creative thinking skills, including expert programs for students with learning, social-emotional and/or physio needs.

Tour and Information Session
May 21
Tour and Information Session

Meet our team and learn about our innovative new educational model for students with high analytical and creative thinking skills, including expert programs for students with learning, social-emotional and/or physio needs.

 
 
 

Have questions about our program? Contact us!

 
 

Have questions? Contact us!

 

Schedule a call with our Head of School

Sign up for a time that works for you through our online booking system to explore whether our program would be a good fit for your child.

schedule a call