New Horizons

New Horizons School

Our Mission

The mission of New Horizons School is to provide students with individualized educational services to address each student’s unique strengths and needs in a manner that allows the student to be successful daily and progress in their educational goals. Through the use of scientifically proven methods, students are provided with tools to make meaningful progress and valuable connections with others. The New Horizons School strives to provide each student with a supportive community and the skills necessary to successfully transition into a comprehensive school setting.

For enrollment & more information, contact Staci Lacagnin at slacagnin@sccs.net.

Our School

The New Horizons School is a public special education school located in Santa Cruz, California serving grades K to 8, with plans to expand to high school in the 2027-28 school year. Students are enrolled at New Horizons through the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process, and are provided with ongoing assessment, educational services, and behavioral intervention based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). The New Horizons School provides an individualized and robust educational placement for students with a variety of specialized needs.

The Difference

New Horizons is designed for students who are in need of a more restrictive placement such that the student's educational and/or behavioral goals cannot be adequately addressed and met in a comprehensive public education setting.

New Horizons School provides students with the skills and necessary supports to return to the comprehensive public school setting.

New Horizons serves students who qualify for special education services under a number of different categories including but not limited to autism, intellectual disability, and emotional disability.

Students receive highly individualized academic instruction while receiving intervention designed to address their behavioral needs.

The New Horizons School model involves a concentrated focus on strengthening communication, safety, social, executive functioning, and school/community readiness skills.

New Horizons School has an extensive and collaborative team including certified special education teachers and behavioral support staff and offers speech therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling services.