In schools across the country, April is a special time because we celebrate Autism Acceptance Month. Autism Acceptance Month is meant to highlight the experiences of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families, educate the public on support services, and celebrate and destigmatize the perspectives of those living with ASD.

One of the schools that has prioritized the needs of students with disabilities is the Arizona Autism Charter School. This school is a tuition-free public charter school and the first and only autism-focused charter in Arizona and the Southwest. The school was first founded in 2014 with 90 students in grades K – 5 and now has expanded to more than 700 students across four campuses. The school expects to have 1,000 students in 2024 and opened a high school in Tucson in the fall of 2023. The schools programming is grounded in principles of Applied Behavior Analysis to help students overcome behavioral and communication deficits and access curriculum in the areas of language arts, math, science, social studies, and life skills, regardless of level on the autism spectrum.

In 2022, the Arizona Autism Charter School won the prestigious Yass Prize and was awarded $1 million in funding for being one the most innovative and transformational education providers in the country. In 2020, the LISC Charter School Financing Program provided the Arizona Autism Charter School with a Spark Opportunity grant to help advance the real estate development and financial planning of their school facility.