Who We Serve

Kids who could use the support of a behavior specialist.
5 boys looking in awe at a small fire in a science experiment

A small independent K-8 school for bright children who need extra support with self-regulation, executive functioning, and/or social-emotional learning in the classroom.

Want More Information?

Contact us to find out more information about The Burkard School.

Students Who Thrive at The Burkard School

The Burkard School is designed for bright, curious, neurodivergent learners who are ready for an engaging academic program but need support with emotional regulation, executive functioning, and/or social skills in order to access their full potential.

Our students often arrive with diagnoses such as ADHD, anxiety, Level I Autism, or sensory processing disorder — or with no formal diagnosis at all, but a clear history of struggling to succeed in a conventional classroom. Many have had inconsistent access to learning due to dysregulation or behavioral challenges in previous schools.

We welcome students who:

  • Are intellectually capable of working at or above grade level
  • Are conversationally verbal and able to participate in discussion-based learning
  • Are able to participate in a small group learning environment with shared support
  • Benefit from explicit instruction and reinforcement around emotional regulation and social skills
  • May have gaps in content knowledge due to missed instructional time

A diagnosis is not required for enrollment. We look at the whole child — strengths, challenges, and capacity for growth — when considering whether our school is the right fit.

Students Outside Our Scope of Support

While we provide robust behavioral and emotional support, we are not a therapeutic or specialized academic remediation program. To ensure that every student receives the support they need, we are not able to accept students who:

  • Have significant learning differences that require specialized academic remediation
  • Are not able to work at or near grade level, even with scaffolding
  • Require one-to-one support throughout the school day
  • Have moderate to low verbal or social communication skills
  • Present a significant safety risk to themselves or others
  • Exhibit unpredictable behavior with no discernible triggers

If you are unsure whether your child is a fit for The Burkard School, we encourage you to reach out. We’re happy to connect and help guide your decision – even if that means referring you to a school that’s better equipped to meet your child’s needs. Our goal is always to help families find the learning environment where their child can truly thrive.

 

Sending our son to school used to be incredibly stressful. He struggles quite a bit with self-regulation and with the intensity of his emotions. At the same time, he has many gifts in both sports and academics. We struggled to find a place that could both help him and at the same time notice and nurture his gifts. The Burkard School is the first place that has been able to recognize both sides of him. The staff is there to teach him, use his gifts, and help him grow, and they’re there to help him when he’s having a hard day. We’ve learned so much from working with the staff and, most importantly, our son feels understood and loves going to school. We feel incredibly lucky to have found this amazing school.
Parents of a 3rd grader

We enrolled our son at The Burkard School during the second half of his 2nd grade school year. At his previous school, our son was feeling angry, sad and misunderstood. At the Burkard School he feels surrounded by teachers and staff who genuinely care for him. He doesn’t feel judged in those moments when he requires a higher level of social and emotional guidance, and everyone here is truly joyful witnessing and nourishing my son’s innate gifts. As parents, we are deeply grateful to have our son enrolled here.
Parents of a 3rd grader

The Burkard School
Behavioral Support

Behavior Improvements

On average, our students showed the following behavior improvements in just one school year:

Self-regulation behaviors

(e.g., independent breaks, coping strategies) improved the most, increasing by 2.45 times on average.

Social interactions

(e.g., accepting redirections, peer interactions) improved by 1.55 times, reflecting stronger interpersonal skills.

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Disruptive behaviors

(e.g., verbal protest, antagonistic behavior) decreased by 75%, indicating better classroom engagement.

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Aggressive behaviors

(e.g., physical aggression, property destruction) decreased by 50%, showing progress in emotional regulation.