About Us
About Our Private School for Autism in Charlotte
The Epiphany School of Charlotte provides social and academic success for students with autism spectrum disorder level 1 (ASD1) or similar social and communication challenges.
We are an independent, non-profit school in Charlotte, accepting students in grades 3 through 8. We provide an integrated social-emotional learning curriculum and strong academics in a safe and nurturing community. In small classroom settings, we help students discover and develop their individual strengths and cultivate skills to succeed cognitively, emotionally, and socially.
The Mission of Our Charlotte Private School for Autism/ADHD
Our goal is for each child to experience success and increased confidence to skillfully thrive today and in the future.
A traditional public school classroom can be a scary place for students who think differently. Students with ASD1 and other communication challenges are often left behind, never receiving personalized instruction and attention. At the same time, these students may struggle to nurture peer relationships and might experience bullying.
In 2010, The Epiphany School was founded with the mission of providing a space where these children could develop the academic and social-emotional skills needed to flourish in the real world. Today, as one of few non-profit private schools for learning differences in Charlotte, Epiphany provides a welcoming space where students can feel safe enough to accept and embrace their diagnoses.
Epiphany is supportive of parents as well. We know how heartbreaking it is to watch your child struggle to be themselves in a world that just doesn’t understand the complexities of autism. We also know that the stress of having a sad and anxious child affects the whole family. In that way, we see Epiphany as more than a school — we are a community.
What Makes Us Unique
Nurturing Community
As a non-profit private school for learning differences in Charlotte, the Epiphany experience is rooted in safe, positive, and connected relationships that embrace understanding, individuality, acceptance, and belonging.
Strong Academics
We believe in creating an educational experience that is tailored to the unique social and academic needs of our students. As a result, social and academic learning is engaging, challenging, meaningful, and long-lasting.
Social Emotional Learning
Our teachers embrace the individuality of learning to instruct students on real-world communication skills. We seek to discover each student’s unique way of acquiring and retaining knowledge, helping them move forward, manage their struggles by leaning on strengths, and cultivate more skills all along the way.
FAQs About Our School for Students with Learning Disabilities
Why do you only offer grades 3-8?
We consider ourselves one stop along a child’s journey, but by no means are we their final stop. Our goal is for each child to experience success and increased confidence to skillfully thrive in the world and in the future. We serve grades 3 through 8 because these are some of the most formative years in a child’s development. Many kids with ASD1 or other communications differences are especially vulnerable to falling through the cracks in third grade when conventional schools begin standardized testing. Similarly, we extend our curriculum through eighth grade to ease the transition to high school.
Do you accept students with any learning disability?
We primarily accept students who have social and communication disorders, including children that have been diagnosed with ASD1, previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Sensory Processing Disorder.
Do children need a formal diagnosis to be accepted?
No. While some students are diagnosed before applying to our non-profit private school in Charlotte, many are diagnosed while at Epiphany. A clinical diagnosis is important because it helps our teachers and administrators work with you and your student to create a customized learning plan that suits their unique needs.
Is The Epiphany School accredited?
While Epiphany isn’t accredited, we offer a rigorous academic curriculum and closely monitor student progress through MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing, an evidenced-based metric that is used by public schools and private schools alike. We also follow the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and do annual Iowa testing.
