How to Evaluate a California Nonpublic School: ABA, IEP, and Program-Fit Questions

Families may hear about a nonpublic school when a student needs more specialized educational or behavioral support than the current school program is providing. The name can be confusing. A nonpublic school is privately operated, but a California-certified nonpublic school may serve a student through the student's individualized education program, or IEP.

A specialized setting is not automatically the right or wrong choice. The important question is whether the program can meet the student's educational, communication, behavioral, safety, sensory, and participation needs while protecting dignity and providing meaningful opportunities to learn.

This guide explains California nonpublic schools at a general level and offers practical questions for families evaluating a program. It is educational only and is not legal advice. School procedures and legal options depend on the student's circumstances. Families can ask their IEP team, a local parent center, a qualified advocate, or an attorney for guidance about a specific placement or dispute.

What Is a California Nonpublic School?

California law defines a nonpublic, nonsectarian school, often shortened to NPS, as a private, nonsectarian school that:

• enrolls students with exceptional needs through an IEP
• is certified by the California Department of Education
• meets standards established for nonpublic schools

Nonpublic school services are one option within California's continuum of special education placements. State law provides for their use under contract with a local educational agency when an appropriate public education program is not available.

An NPS may offer smaller classes, specialized instruction, therapeutic or related services, intensive behavior support, communication supports, or staff with experience serving a particular student population. Programs vary widely. Some use ABA-informed practices, while others use different educational or clinical approaches.

Certification is an important threshold, but it is not a quality rating. The California Department of Education states that certification should not be understood as accreditation, approval, recognition, or endorsement of a particular school. Families can verify that a program appears on the state's current certification list and still ask detailed questions about fit.

An NPS Is Not the Same as Every Private or "ABA" School

These terms are sometimes used as if they mean the same thing, but they do not.

A **district-placed NPS** is a California-certified nonpublic school serving the student through an IEP and an agreement with the responsible educational agency. Under federal special education rules, the public agency remains responsible for IDEA compliance even when the private school implements the IEP.

A **parent-selected private school** is chosen and enrolled in by the family. The special education rights and services connected to that enrollment may differ from those involved in a public-agency placement.

An **"ABA school"** is a descriptive or marketing label. The term alone does not tell a family whether the school is CDE-certified as an NPS, how academics are delivered, who oversees behavior services, or which special education protections apply.

Families should ask directly:

• Is this program currently certified by the California Department of Education as an NPS?
• Would this be a public-agency placement through the IEP or a private enrollment chosen by the family?
• Who is responsible for implementing and monitoring the IEP?
• Which services are educational services, related services, or privately funded services?
• Who should the family contact when an IEP service is not being delivered?

If placement, payment, or reimbursement is disputed, families may need individualized legal guidance. A general article cannot determine those rights.

How Placement and Least Restrictive Environment Fit Together

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, educational placement is an individualized decision made by a group that includes the parents and people who understand the student, the evaluation data, and the available options. Placement is based on the IEP, reviewed at least annually, and decided in line with least restrictive environment requirements.

Least restrictive environment does not mean that one setting is right for every student. Federal rules favor educating students with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. A separate school may be considered when education in a regular class cannot be achieved satisfactorily with appropriate supplementary aids and services.

An NPS should not be treated as a reward, a punishment, or an automatic placement for a diagnosis or behavior. The team should stay focused on the individual student and ask:

• What does the student need to access education?
• Which supports and services are written into the IEP?
• Where can those supports be implemented appropriately?
• What opportunities will the student have to learn, communicate, participate, and build independence?
• What are the possible benefits and possible harmful effects of the proposed setting?
• How will the team review whether the placement remains appropriate?

For more about connecting behavior support to educational goals, see ABA and IEPs: How Behavior Goals Fit With School Support.

Where ABA May Fit in a Nonpublic School

A nonpublic school may use ABA principles to teach communication, classroom participation, daily routines, safety skills, academic readiness, self-advocacy, or replacement behaviors. That does not mean every part of the school day should look like a clinic session.

Families should understand what "ABA-based" or "behavior support" means in that particular program.

Helpful questions include:

• Is there a BCBA on staff, under contract, or available only for consultation?
• How often does the BCBA directly observe the student and classroom?
• Who writes or updates behavior plans?
• Who trains classroom staff, and how is staff competency checked?
• How are teachers, behavior staff, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, counselors, and other providers expected to collaborate?
• Are behavior services written into the IEP, or are they part of the school's general program?
• How does the team consider communication, academics, sensory needs, health, sleep, trauma, and environmental stressors when behavior changes?
• How are skills practiced with different people and in real school routines?
• How can the student ask for help, a break, more time, or a change?
• How does the program respond to assent, dissent, distress, or refusal?

A BCBA title alone does not establish program quality. The support still needs to be individualized, understandable, ethical, realistic for the classroom, and connected to the student's educational needs.

Questions About Academics and the School Day

Intensive behavior support should not make academic instruction disappear. Ask the program to explain what the student's day would actually include.

Questions may include:

• What curriculum and instructional standards does the program use?
• How are reading, writing, math, communication, and other academic needs assessed and taught?
• What does a typical daily schedule look like?
• How much instruction occurs one-to-one, in small groups, or in larger groups?
• How are accommodations and modifications from the IEP used?
• How does the program support students who are working at different academic levels?
• What electives, physical education, arts, vocational activities, or community-based instruction are available?
• How are missed instruction and academic progress monitored when behavior or safety needs are significant?
• How does the school prepare students for diploma, certificate, transition, or postsecondary goals when relevant?

Listen for answers that connect staffing and strategies to the student's IEP, not only to the program's standard routine.

Questions About Staffing and Supervision

Staffing numbers matter, but ratios do not tell the whole story. Families also need to understand roles, qualifications, supervision, and stability.

Ask:

• Who would teach the student?
• Which credentials or training do classroom staff have?
• Which staff members provide direct behavior support?
• How are new staff, substitutes, and transportation staff trained on important supports?
• How often are staff observed and coached?
• What happens when the student's usual support person is absent?
• How does the school respond to staff turnover?
• Who supervises paraprofessionals or behavior technicians?
• How can families reach the teacher, case manager, administrator, or behavior supervisor?

The program should be able to explain who is responsible for each part of the plan without suggesting that one aide or technician carries the entire program alone.

Questions About FBA and Behavior Plans

When a student has a functional behavior assessment or behavior intervention plan, ask how the NPS will use it during real routines.

A useful plan should explain what adults will change, what skills they will teach, how they will respond, and how progress will be reviewed. It should not be a generic list of consequences.

Questions may include:

• Has the school reviewed the current FBA and BIP?
• Does the team need updated information from the new setting before revising the plan?
• What prevention strategies will staff use?
• Which replacement skills will be taught?
• How will functional communication be available throughout the day?
• What reinforcement will be used, and how will student preference be considered?
• How will the team avoid withholding food, water, bathroom access, communication, needed regulation supports, or already-earned items?
• What data will show whether the plan is helping?
• When will the plan be reviewed?
• How will the student and family participate in revisions?

Families who want a plain-language refresher can read FBA vs BIP: A Parent-Friendly Guide.

Questions About Dignity, Communication, and Student Voice

Observe and ask how the program treats students during ordinary moments, not only how it describes its philosophy.

Consider:

• Do adults speak to students respectfully?
• Are communication systems available across classrooms, meals, recess, transportation, and community activities?
• Are students taught ways to request help, breaks, changes, attention, sensory support, or more information?
• Does the program distinguish between a skill that supports learning and a goal that mainly makes a student look compliant?
• How are preferences and interests included?
• How does the team respond when a student communicates discomfort or dissent?
• Are harmless forms of self-regulation treated as problems?
• How are privacy and personal care protected?
• How are students involved in goals and planning when appropriate?

A calm-looking classroom is not automatically a meaningful classroom. Families can look for active learning, accessible communication, respectful support, and genuine participation.

Questions About Safety and Crisis Response

Families should receive clear, direct answers about safety practices before a crisis occurs.

Ask:

• How does the school prevent and respond to elopement, aggression, self-injury, medical concerns, bullying, or other identified risks?
• Who is responsible during arrival, dismissal, recess, lunch, transportation, and community outings?
• What crisis-prevention training do staff receive?
• What are the school's policies on emergency interventions, restraint, and seclusion?
• How are incidents documented and communicated to families and the educational agency?
• When are emergency services or medical supports contacted?
• How does the school review an incident and adjust prevention afterward?
• How will substitutes or unfamiliar staff access essential safety information?
• How are communication and dignity protected during a crisis?

A safety plan should describe prevention, supervision, communication, and teaching. It should not rely only on physical response or punishment. For a deeper safety discussion, see Elopement and Wandering Safety: ABA Supports for Home, School, and Community.

Questions About Data and Progress

Data should help the team make decisions. Families do not need a wall of graphs, but they should be able to understand what is being measured and what the information means.

Ask:

• What data will be collected for each IEP goal?
• Who collects and reviews it?
• How often will the family receive progress reports?
• How does the school track academic progress as well as behavior?
• Are positive skills, communication, independence, and participation measured, or only challenging behavior?
• How does the team decide when a strategy needs to change?
• What happens when staff cannot collect the planned data consistently?
• How will the district or responsible educational agency monitor implementation?

Repeated lack of progress is information. It should lead to review and problem-solving, not automatic blame or escalation.

Questions About Family and Provider Collaboration

Clear communication is especially important when the school, district, family, and outside providers are all involved.

Ask:

• Who is the family's main contact?
• How are routine updates shared?
• Which events trigger same-day communication?
• How are family priorities included in planning?
• How can the student participate in decisions?
• Can outside providers observe or collaborate when the family gives permission and school procedures allow it?
• How will teams avoid giving the family conflicting plans?
• How are disagreements documented and discussed?
• When should an IEP meeting be requested rather than handling a change informally?

Outside ABA providers can offer useful context, but they do not replace the IEP team or direct the school's program. Collaboration is strongest when recommendations are translated into a few practical supports that fit the classroom. How to Share ABA Strategies With Teachers Without Overwhelming the Classroom offers a useful framework.

Questions About Inclusion and Community Access

A separate school setting can reduce routine contact with nondisabled peers. Families can ask how the program creates meaningful opportunities for broader participation when appropriate.

Questions may include:

• What opportunities exist to learn or participate with nondisabled peers?
• Are there community-based activities, shared programs, extracurriculars, electives, work experiences, or neighborhood-school connections?
• How are peer relationships and friendships supported without forcing interaction?
• How does the school teach skills in natural settings?
• How are transportation time and distance from home considered?
• How will the team know whether the student is ready for more inclusive opportunities?

Inclusion should be individualized. It should offer meaningful access and belonging, not simply physical presence without support.

Ask About Transition Planning From the Beginning

Transition planning is not only for older students. Any specialized placement should include a way to review fit and plan for future changes.

Ask:

• What would successful progress look like in this program?
• When will the team review placement?
• What information would support a change in services or setting?
• How will the student practice skills with different adults and in different environments?
• How will the team prevent dependence on one staff member, room, or reinforcement system?
• What transition support would be provided if the student moves to another classroom, school, work program, or community setting?
• How will family and student priorities shape that plan?

A transition plan is not a promise that the student must leave the NPS by a particular date. It is a commitment to keep evaluating needs, opportunities, and long-term participation.

Possible Green Flags

A program may be a stronger candidate when staff can:

• describe the student's strengths as clearly as the student's needs
• connect proposed services to the IEP and daily schedule
• explain both academic instruction and behavior support
• identify who trains and supervises direct staff
• show how communication and replacement skills are taught
• discuss assent, dignity, regulation, and family input in concrete terms
• explain safety practices without becoming vague or defensive
• describe how data leads to changes
• name opportunities for inclusion, community access, and transition
• acknowledge when a strategy or placement may need revision

Possible Red Flags

Pause and ask more questions when a program:

• promises a specific outcome or says its approach works for every student
• relies on a generic level system or behavior plan for everyone
• focuses heavily on quiet hands, eye contact, obedience, or appearing compliant without explaining the educational purpose
• cannot explain how academics are taught
• is unclear about BCBA involvement, staff qualifications, supervision, or turnover
• makes basic needs, communication access, or necessary regulation supports dependent on performance
• gives vague answers about restraint, seclusion, emergency response, or family notification
• measures only problem behavior and not communication, learning, independence, or quality of participation
• discourages reasonable questions about policies or progress
• has no clear process for reviewing placement or planning transitions
• treats CDE certification as proof that the program is endorsed or is the right fit for every student

One concern does not always settle the decision, but it may show where the family and IEP team need clearer information.

A Short Review Checklist

Before agreeing to or evaluating an NPS placement, families can:

• review the current IEP, evaluations, FBA, BIP, and progress reports
• verify the school's current CDE certification status
• ask for a sample schedule and a plain-language description of staff roles
• visit during a typical school day when possible
• ask how every IEP goal, service, accommodation, and behavior support would be implemented
• review written safety and emergency-intervention policies
• ask how academics, communication, dignity, inclusion, and transition will be protected
• write down unanswered questions for the IEP team
• seek qualified advocacy or legal guidance when the issue involves specific rights, placement disputes, payment, or reimbursement

Families do not need to become experts in every special education term. They do need enough clear information to understand what the student's days would look like and how the team would know whether the program is helping.

Final Thought

A California nonpublic school can provide important specialized support for some students. The NPS label alone, however, does not answer whether a particular program is appropriate.

A thoughtful review looks at the whole student and the whole school day: academics, communication, behavior support, sensory and medical needs, safety, relationships, dignity, family collaboration, inclusion, and long-term transition.

The best questions are practical ones: Who will do what? What will the student be learning? How will the student communicate needs? How will progress and safety be reviewed? And what will the team change when the plan is not working?