Choosing a high school for a student with high-functioning autism.

Most Phoenix families looking for a high school for a student with high-functioning autism want the same thing: a school that will challenge their student and support them, at the same time, every day. Finding one that does both is the hard part. Here is how to look.

Start with your student, not the school

"High-functioning autism" isn't a formal diagnosis anymore. It's the phrase many families use when their student has autism and is academically capable, and it's a useful place to start a search. It just doesn't tell a school very much on its own.

Two students can arrive with the same diagnosis and be almost nothing alike. One is easy in a group and loses every assignment. Another is a strong student who finds lunch harder than any class. So before you compare schools, it helps to write down a few things about your own student:

• Which subjects light them up, and which ones they avoid.
• What wears them out by the end of the day. Noise, crowds, transitions, social pressure, the sheer volume of work?
• What went wrong at their last school, if something did. Bullying, a workload they couldn't manage alone, or simply never fitting in.
• What they want after high school, even if the answer is "I don't know yet."

That list becomes your checklist. Every school will tell you it supports students. Your list tells you which support your student actually needs.

Make sure they'll be challenged

A program built around support may never stretch a bright student. A program built around rigor may leave them without the support they need. Holding both at once is the work, and it's the first thing to test.

Ask what diploma a student graduates with, whether they can take college courses, and whether those courses earn credit that transfers. Ask what happens when a student is ahead in one subject and behind in another.

At Gateway, every student is academically capable, and the school is built to develop that. Students graduate through three pathways, and many combine them: a college-prep diploma, dual enrollment through ASU Accelerate, or a career-technical diploma across eight fields through Penn Foster. 100% of Gateway students in grades 8 through 12 earn college credit, taking ASU courses on the Gateway campus. Across Arizona, about 25% of students do. Students can graduate with a diploma and an Associate Degree.

Ask where the support lives

This is the question that separates schools most clearly. Some schools offer counseling or social skills as something a student leaves class to attend, or as a service the family arranges outside school. Others build it into the day itself.

Ask to see a daily schedule. Ask who a student goes to when they're overwhelmed, and where they can go to reset. Ask whether social skills is taught, or just hoped for.

At Gateway, counseling, social skills, executive functioning, pragmatic language and sensory strategies are integrated into every day, and that continues through graduation. Social skills is taught as a class through UCLA PEERS. Sensory support comes from all of the teachers, with tools like fidgets, headphones and a choice of seat. A student who needs a break can use the Peace Room, walk the atrium, or visit Apollo and Athena, our therapy dogs, who are on site every day. A Learning Support Coordinator makes sure each student gets what they need.

Look at who is in the room

Ask about the student-teacher ratio, and ask whether the school ever goes over it. Then ask who the teachers are.

Gateway keeps a 12:1 ratio in middle school and 14:1 in high school, and doesn't go over it. When a class is full, there is a waiting list.

Most Gateway teachers are not special education teachers, and that's on purpose. Every teacher is certified and a subject-matter expert, because a teacher who loves their subject is often what wins a student over in the subject they like least. Special education is the specialty of our Learning Support Coordinator, on the leadership team.

Ask what happens after graduation

High school is four years. What a student leaves with matters for a lot longer. Ask a school what its graduates go on to do, and how it gets them ready.

At Gateway, 100% of our graduates go onto college, university, or a specialty program. Students visit colleges, universities and specialty programs every month. Each high school student has a college and career readiness plan, written by faculty and counselors and shared with families at the December parent conferences. Life skills are taught too: driving, banking, grocery shopping and self-advocacy.

Check the practical pieces early

Two practical questions decide more school searches than families expect: how you'll pay for it, and how your student will get there each day.

Arizona ESA funding can make Gateway tuition $0 for qualifying students. Our guide to paying for private school with an ESA walks through how it works. For getting there, many Gateway families carpool, and others use Paratransit, which costs $8 a day for the round trip.

Common questions

Is high-functioning autism a diagnosis?

Not anymore. It's the phrase many families use for a student who has autism and is academically capable. It's a useful place to start a search, but a school will still need to know what your own student needs.

Can students with autism earn college credit in high school at Gateway?

Yes. 100% of Gateway students in grades 8 through 12 earn college credit, taking ASU courses on the Gateway campus, and the credit transfers. Students can graduate with a diploma and an Associate Degree.

How do families pay for Gateway?

Arizona ESA funding can make Gateway tuition $0 for qualifying students. Gateway has one full annual tuition rate, and it changes each year, so ask admissions for this year's number.

See it in session, with your student

A website can tell you whether a school is worth a visit. It can't tell you whether your student will be okay in the room. Visit while school is in session, and bring your student.

At Gateway, that's what tours and shadow days are for. On a shadow day, your student spends a day with us, attending classes, meeting peers and getting a real feel for the rhythm of school. Gateway has rolling admissions, including mid-year transfers. You can read more about Gateway's high school, or schedule a tour when you're ready.

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