Accelerating the opening of an Autism Charter school in every major city in America!
application for the fellowship

Our Purpose

National Accelerator of Autism Charter Schools (NAACS)
National
We will support founding teams committed to starting an autism school in every major city in America!
Accelerator
We aim to accelerate the creation of more than 100 schools serving over 30,000 students in the next decade.
Autism
We are focused on creating exceptional and accessible school options for the growing population of students with autism.
Charter Schools
We are specifically interested in opening these schools as tuition-free charter schools so that a family’s income does not limit their access to a high-quality, specialty education. Nevertheless, we support other types of schools wishing to start autism programs, such as micro-schools, accessible private schools, or district-based programs.

NAACS was founded by our nation’s premier autism charter school founders, who want to share their best-practice, codified models with you!

Arizona Autism Charter Schools (AZACS) and South Florida Autism Charter Schools (SFACS) have over 25 years of combined experience as leaders in the autism charter sector.  We aim to support new school leaders by offering a year-long NAACS Fellowship Program with intensive onsite training for four weeks out of the school year. Training includes access to the NAACS Tool Box of resources, which contains information on best-practice instructional programs, operations plans, staffing models, and many other essential tools needed by new autism school teams.

Our Presentation

View or download our presentation to learn about the urgent need for the creation of more autism-focused schools and how NAACS plans to accelerate the creation of these highly specialized and innovative schools.

Download
NAACS-Info-Guide-Fall-2023.pptx

Client Testimonials

"AZACS is the perfect place to see programming with fidelity, a culture that is supportive and service-oriented, and a well-thought-out physical plant that serves students with autism well. The systems, information, and discussions are critical to successfully opening an autism charter school. To think that all of this has formed in the last 10 years is incredible. Thank you again for taking the time and preparation for us to come to tour your beautiful campus. What you are doing is awesome in so many ways, and it truly inspired me about what is to come this school year when ACE opens."
Maddie Cannon and Joellen Freeman, Co-Founders ACE Autism Charter School Monroe, Louisiana Open Date: July 29, 2024
“My experience exceeded my expectations. Diana and Megan's attention was over the top professional. This is a huge endeavor for my school, and they have given me the confidence for seamless, manageable, and realistic adoption. My school model can replicate the AZACS model in incremental steps. I am grateful to have this stellar institution in my court. I am realistic about what Discovery Charter School can achieve. Diana and the AZACS team will be why we successfully serve students with Autism in the Las Vegas Valley and beyond.”
Tricia Wilbourne, Founder Discovery Autism Charter School Las Vegas, Nevada Target Open Date: Spring 2025
“Very effective agenda planning. I love the order in which we did each of the learning activities. The STEAM Expo is the pinnacle—the cherry on top! Thank you for saving that for the end. Thank you so much; keep up the tremendous work! I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from you. What you have done is amazing! I was honored to be a part of this group.”
Elizabeth Goldsmith, Founder/Executive Director Thrive with Autism Charter School Magnolia, Texas Opened Fall 2022