Special-needs schools and scholarships in Salt Lake and Tooele counties
Salt Lake and Tooele schools that focus on autism, learning differences and therapeutic education, and how Utah Fits All and the Carson Smith scholarships pay for them.
Quick answer
Salt Lake and Tooele county families of a child with an IEP choose between the Utah Fits All Scholarship, worth $8,000 in 2026-27 with therapies allowed, and a Carson Smith scholarship, which the original program pays at $7,305 or $12,175 for current students. A child can hold only one of them at a time.
Utah splits disability funding across two programs. Utah Fits All pays the same $8,000 to a private-school student whether or not the child has an IEP, but it can also pay for occupational, speech, behavioral, physical and audiology therapy. The Carson Smith scholarships pay tuition only, at schools on USBE's eligible list, and the original Carson Smith Scholarship pays up to $12,175 for 2026-27 to current students with high service minutes.
The table below shows Salt Lake and Tooele schools whose names or federal records point to a special-education focus. Many more schools, including parish and independent campuses, appear on the Carson Smith list, so check the Carson Smith column in the full directory as well.
Autism and behavioral support
Salt Lake County has several autism and applied-behavior programs that appear on USBE's Carson Smith eligible list, from Draper and Sandy to Midvale and West Jordan.
4 schools →Learning differences and therapeutic schools
Salt Lake's east bench and south valley have small schools for learning differences and therapeutic or hospital-based education, several of them on USBE's Carson Smith list.
12 schools →Schools with a special-education or learning-differences focus (10)
| School | Type | Community | Grades | Utah Fits All list | Carson Smith lists | Students* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autism Behavioral & Intervention Draper · from published lists only | Independent Schools | Sandy & Draper | Not reported | Not found | 1 USBE Carson Smith eligible-school list | — |
| Autism Solutions Academy - WJ West Jordan · from published lists only | Independent Schools | West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton & Herriman | Not reported | Not found | 1 USBE Carson Smith eligible-school list | — |
| Carmen B Pingree Center 780 S Guardsman Way, Salt Lake City 84108 | Independent Schools | Salt Lake City | Not reported | Not found | 1 USBE Carson Smith eligible-school list | 60 |
| Draper Academy 12390 S 800 E, Draper 84020 | Independent Schools | Sandy & Draper | 1-8 | Not found | 1 USBE Carson Smith eligible-school list | 14 |
| Gateway Academy 11706 S 700 E, Draper 84020 | Independent Schools | Sandy & Draper | 9-12 | Not found | None found | 36 |
| Kids World Academy 1328 W Stern Dr., Taylorsville 84123 | Independent Schools | Murray, Midvale & Taylorsville | PK-4 | Not found | None found | 17 |
| The Chiron Academy 2020 E 3300 S Ste 15, Salt Lake City 84109 | Independent Schools | Millcreek, Holladay & Cottonwood Heights | 3-12 | Not found | None found | 34 |
| Utah Autism Academy Midvale · from published lists only | Independent Schools | Murray, Midvale & Taylorsville | Not reported | Not found | 1 USBE Carson Smith eligible-school list | — |
| UTBS Academy, Crossroads 5558 S 1900 W, Taylorsville 84129 | Christian Schools | Murray, Midvale & Taylorsville | K-11 | Not found | 1 USBE Carson Smith eligible-school list | 19 |
| Wasatch Canyons Academy at Primary Children's Hospital 5770 S 1500 W Bldg a, Salt Lake City 84123 | Independent Schools | Murray, Midvale & Taylorsville | 1-12 | Not found | None found | 37 |
* Enrollment reported to the NCES Private School Survey (2023-24 or 2021-22). "Utah Fits All list" means the school appears on the published Utah Fits All Scholarship participating-school list (Oct 2026). "Carson Smith lists" counts the organizations whose published school list included the school (Oct 2026).
Special needs guide What Utah Fits All pays for
Common questions
Which Salt Lake private schools focus on autism?
Salt Lake and Tooele schools whose names point to an autism focus include Utah Autism Academy in Midvale, Autism Solutions Academy in West Jordan and Autism Behavioral and Intervention in Draper, all on USBE's Carson Smith eligible list as of Aug 31, 2026. Families should visit and ask each Salt Lake program about staffing, therapy and how it works with an IEP.
Can a Salt Lake child with an IEP get Utah Fits All and still receive public-school therapy?
A Salt Lake child using Utah Fits All cannot be enrolled in a public district or charter school, so the school-based IEP services that come with enrollment end. The family can instead pay approved therapists through the Utah Fits All marketplace, including speech, occupational, physical and behavioral therapy. Ask your district about any services available to private-school students.
What documents does a Salt Lake family need for a Carson Smith scholarship?
A Salt Lake family applying for the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship needs either a current IEP plus admission to an eligible private school, or a finding of IDEA eligibility by a multidisciplinary team. The child must be a Utah resident aged 3 to 21 and cannot be enrolled in public school. Keep the IEP current, since eligibility depends on it.
Does your child have an IEP?
An advisor will compare Utah Fits All with the Carson Smith scholarships for your child and point you to Salt Lake schools on each list.