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<title>Autism Schools in Kansas City, MO and KS | Private Special Education Schools for Autism, Plus the Kansas Side: Johnson County, Overland Park, Olathe | Achieving Stars Therapy</title>
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<div class="hero"><div class="hero-inner"><span class="location-badge">Kansas City Guide</span><h1>Autism Schools in Kansas City, MO and KS</h1><p>Two Kansas City schools name autism as their focus on their own websites: Sherwood Autism Center and Astra Day School. Both are on the Missouri side. On the Kansas side, the first call is your public school district.</p></div></div>
<div class="quick-info"><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Autism Schools Found</div><div class="info-value">2, both in Missouri</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Kansas Side</div><div class="info-value">School district first</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Public School Ages</div><div class="info-value">3 through 21</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Source</div><div class="info-value">Each school's own site</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Checked</div><div class="info-value">October 8, 2026</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">ABA at Home</div><div class="info-value">Kansas side, 18 months to 15</div></div></div>
<div class="content">
<section><h2>Which schools in Kansas City serve children with autism?</h2>
<p>Four schools are on this list. Every line comes from the school's own website, read on October 8, 2026. Nothing here comes from a directory.</p>
<div class="table-wrap"><table>
<tr><th>School, place and ages</th><th>Does its own site name autism?</th><th>How a child gets in</th></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Sherwood Autism Center</strong>, Special Education Program. Kansas City, MO. Ages 5 to 21</td><td>Yes</td><td>Referred by the child's public school district</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Astra Day School</strong>, run by Kansas City Autism Training Center. Kansas City, MO. Ages two and a half to twelve, plus two preschool classrooms</td><td>Yes</td><td>Not stated on the pages read, so call</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Lakemary School</strong>. Paola, KS. Listed as a K-12 school</td><td>No. Its referral form asks about an intellectual or developmental disability</td><td>Referral with the IEP and evaluations, then an observation</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Ability KC</strong>, Mary Shaw Branton Therapeutic Preschool. Kansas City, MO. Ages 1 to 5</td><td>No. It describes serving children of all abilities</td><td>Starts with a case manager</td></tr>
</table></div>
<p>Who pays is different at each school. It is covered school by school below.</p>
<p>Both autism schools on this list are in Missouri. This check did not find a school built only for autism on the Kansas side of the metro. That does not mean a Kansas child has no options. It means the first call is to the school district.</p></section>
<section><h2>Sherwood Autism Center</h2>
<p>Sherwood is the long-standing one. Its site says: "Founded in 1974, Sherwood Autism Center is Kansas City's first agency dedicated to students and adults on the autism spectrum."</p>
<p>A family does not enroll here directly. The school explains it this way:</p>
<blockquote>"The Special Education Program (SPED) is a school program for students, ages 5-21, who are referred to Sherwood by their public school district when a specialized school environment is recommended for their success."</blockquote>
<p>Sherwood also says that "for students who qualify, services are funded through public school districts," that "transportation is provided by the student's school district," and that classes run "in a small staff to student ratio (1:1 to 1:6) determined by the level of behavior support needed."</p>
<p>Address: 8030 Ward Parkway Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri 64114. Phone: 816-333-3344. Live in Kansas? Ask your district whether it places students at Sherwood. The pages read for this guide do not list the districts.</p></section>
<section><h2>Astra Day School and Kansas City Autism Training Center</h2>
<p>Kansas City Autism Training Center, often written KcATC, runs Astra Day School. Its site describes it like this:</p>
<blockquote>"Astra Day School is a service provided by KcATC which offers intensive one-on-one therapy to children on the autism spectrum, as well as two preschool classrooms which enroll both typically developing students and students with special needs."</blockquote>
<p>The center's autism program page says it "provides 20-35 hour treatment plans for children ages two and a half to twelve diagnosed with autism," and that its interventions "employ applied behavior analysis (ABA) and are individualized for each child."</p>
<p>So this is ABA in a center, next to preschool classrooms. The pages read for this guide do not say who pays, so ask. Address: 10842 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO 64114. Phone: (816) 708-0540.</p></section>
<section><h2>Lakemary School in Paola, Kansas</h2>
<p>Lakemary is the Kansas school on this list, south of the metro in Paola. Its school page does not use the word autism. It says "students are placed in classrooms with peers of similar age and function level," and that students have "individualized, multidisciplinary services including art, music, speech and language, recreational, and occupational therapies provided by credentialed professionals."</p>
<p>Getting in starts with paperwork. The school asks for "referral forms, current IEP, BSP, Psychological Evaluation or Education Evaluation (including IQ scores) and behavioral data." Then a school representative observes the student in the current classroom. On funding, the referral form lists private pay and school funding among the choices.</p>
<p>Address: 100 Lakemary Drive, Paola, KS 66071. Phone: 913.557.4000. Ask the school directly whether it is a fit for a child with autism.</p></section>
<section><h2>Ability KC Therapeutic Preschool</h2>
<p>This one is for little kids, and it is not an autism school. Ability KC says its "early education therapeutic preschool classrooms offer a caring, inclusive environment that provide children ages 1 to 5 years old with a wide range of medical, therapeutic, and educational services."</p>
<p>On cost, its site says: "Tuition may be paid privately, through state subsidy or state assistance, or by Early Head Start funding." Address: 3011 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64108. Phone: 816-751-7700.</p></section>
<section><h2>What about the Kansas side? Start with your school district</h2>
<p>In Johnson County and Wyandotte County, start with the public school district. Federal law sets the ages. The U.S. Department of Education puts it in one line: "Children and youth ages 3 through 21 receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B."</p>
<p>In plain words: from age 3, the district has to evaluate a child who may need help, and write a plan, called an IEP, for a child who qualifies. When a district decides a child needs a special school, the district makes the referral. That is the route Sherwood describes above.</p>
<div class="table-wrap"><table>
<tr><th>Where you live</th><th>Ages 3 to 5: who to call</th></tr>
<tr><td>Overland Park, Shawnee Mission side</td><td>Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center, (913) 993-2600</td></tr>
<tr><td>Overland Park, Blue Valley side</td><td>Blue Valley Early Childhood Special Education, (913) 624-2905</td></tr>
<tr><td>Olathe, west of I-35</td><td>Heartland Early Childhood Learning Center, (913) 780-7410</td></tr>
<tr><td>Olathe, east of I-35</td><td>Harmony, (913) 780-7015</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kansas City, Kansas</td><td>Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, early childhood special education</td></tr>
</table></div>
<p>School-age child? Ask the school principal or the district's special education office for an evaluation, and put the request in writing. Under 3? Kansas early intervention, called tiny-k, comes first: Infant Toddler Services of Johnson County at (913) 432-2900, or Infant Toddler Services of Wyandotte County at (913) 627-5500.</p></section>
<section><h2>School and ABA therapy are two different things</h2>
<p>Parents often look for an autism school when what they want is more help. Sometimes that help is a school. Sometimes it is therapy. Plenty of kids have both.</p>
<div class="table-wrap"><table>
<tr><th></th><th>School</th><th>In-home ABA therapy</th></tr>
<tr><td>What it is</td><td>Education, under an IEP</td><td>Health care, under a treatment plan</td></tr>
<tr><td>Who pays</td><td>The school district, for public school and for placements it makes</td><td>Health insurance or Medicaid</td></tr>
<tr><td>Where</td><td>A classroom</td><td>Your home</td></tr>
<tr><td>What it works on</td><td>Learning and getting through the school day</td><td>Communication, daily routines, behavior at home</td></tr>
<tr><td>When</td><td>School hours</td><td>Before or after school, and in the evening</td></tr>
</table></div>
<p>KanCare, the Kansas Medicaid program, covers ABA therapy for eligible children with an autism diagnosis. It needs an approval first. The page on <a href="/aba-therapy-resources/aba-therapy-age-limit">ABA therapy age limits</a> shows the rules for Kansas.</p></section>
<section><h2>Where Achieving Stars Therapy fits, and where it does not</h2>
<p>Achieving Stars Therapy is not a school. It does not run a classroom or a center, and it does not write IEPs.</p>
<p>What it does: in-home ABA therapy for children with an autism diagnosis, ages 18 months to 15, on the Kansas side of the metro. That covers <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-kansas-city-ks">Kansas City, Kansas</a>, <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-overland-park-ks">Overland Park</a>, <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-olathe-ks">Olathe</a>, <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-shawnee-ks">Shawnee</a> and <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-lenexa-ks">Lenexa</a>, and the rest of the state. See <a href="/location/states/aba-therapy-kansas">in-home ABA therapy in Kansas</a>.</p>
<p>Sessions run between 8am and 8pm, so therapy fits around the school day. Every program is led by a BCBA and includes parent training. Achieving Stars Therapy does not serve the Missouri side.</p></section>
<section><h2>Five questions to ask any school before you visit</h2>
<ul>
<li>Does my child need a referral from the school district, or can a parent apply?</li>
<li>Do you take students who live in Kansas?</li>
<li>Who pays, and what happens if the district says no?</li>
<li>How many adults are in the room for each student?</li>
<li>Who handles the bus?</li>
</ul></section>
<section><h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Is there an autism school on the Kansas side of Kansas City?</h3><p>This check did not find a school built only for autism on the Kansas side. Lakemary School in Paola, Kansas, serves students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sherwood Autism Center and Astra Day School are both in Kansas City, Missouri.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Who pays for a private autism school?</h3><p>It depends on the school. Sherwood says its services are funded through public school districts for students who qualify. Others take private pay or other funding. Ask each school.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Can my child go to school and get ABA therapy at home?</h3><p>Yes. They are separate. School is education under an IEP. ABA is therapy paid by insurance or Medicaid. Achieving Stars Therapy schedules sessions between 8am and 8pm, around the school day.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Does Achieving Stars Therapy work in Kansas City, Missouri?</h3><p>No. Achieving Stars Therapy serves families in Kansas, at home.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>My child is under 3. Where do we start?</h3><p>With tiny-k, the free Kansas early intervention program. See <a href="/early-intervention/aba-therapy-kansas-city-ks">early intervention in Kansas City, Kansas</a>, <a href="/early-intervention/aba-therapy-overland-park-ks">Overland Park</a> or <a href="/early-intervention/aba-therapy-olathe-ks">Olathe</a>.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>How fast can in-home ABA start?</h3><p>Most families with private insurance start within 1 to 2 weeks. Medicaid takes longer because of prior authorization.</p></div>
</section>
<section><h2>Sources</h2><ol class="src">
<li><a href="https://sherwoodcenter.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sherwood Autism Center</a></li>
<li><a href="https://sherwoodcenter.org/our-programs/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sherwood Autism Center, Our Programs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.kcatc.org/astra_day_school" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Kansas City Autism Training Center, Astra Day School</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.kcatc.org/autism_programs" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Kansas City Autism Training Center, Autism Programs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://lakemary.org/our-services/k-12-school/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lakemary Center, K-12 School</a></li>
<li><a href="https://lakemary.org/day-student-referral/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lakemary Center, Day Student Referral</a></li>
<li><a href="https://abilitykc.org/service/therapeutic-preschool-in-kansas-city/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ability KC, Therapeutic Preschool</a></li>
<li><a href="https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Education, About IDEA</a></li>
</ol></section>
<p class="disclaimer">Each school was checked on its own website on October 8, 2026. School district phone numbers were checked in September 2026. Programs, ages and funding change, so call to confirm. Being listed here is not a recommendation. General information, not legal or medical advice.</p>
<div class="cta-section">
<h2>Start In-Home ABA Therapy on the Kansas Side</h2>
<p>Free benefits check. In-home, BCBA-led, for children 18 months to 15.</p>
<a href="https://www.achievingstarstherapy.com/contact" class="cta-button">Check Your Coverage</a>
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<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Call</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="tel:8336663115">(833) 666-3115</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Email</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="mailto:info@achievingstarstherapy.com">info@achievingstarstherapy.com</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Hours</div><div class="cta-item-value">8am to 8pm</div></div>
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