Understanding Nonpublic School (NPS) Placement

Posted: 8/14/2026

If your child's IEP team has started using the term "NPS" or has suggested a nonpublic school placement, it can feel like a big and unfamiliar shift, especially if your child has been in a public school classroom up to that point. This guide explains what a nonpublic school actually is, why a student might be placed in one, and how funding works, so you can walk into that conversation with a clearer picture. All NPS's are slightly different, so make sure to look into each option and ask questions before deciding what is best for your student.

What Is a Nonpublic School?

A nonpublic school (NPS) is a private, state-certified school that specializes in serving students with disabilities whose needs cannot currently be met within their public school district's own special education programs. NPS schools are certified by the California Department of Education and must meet state standards for staffing, curriculum, and services, but they operate independently of any single school district.

Instead, an NPS contracts with multiple school districts and charter schools across a region, enrolling students referred through the IEP process from any of those partner districts. Del Sol School, for example, partners with roughly 20 districts and charters across the area, and serves students from early elementary through the adult transition years.

A key point: an NPS is not a private school in the way that term is usually used. Families don't apply and pay tuition directly, placement happens through the IEP process, and it's funded by the referring public school district, not the family.

Why Would a Student Be Placed in an NPS?

Under IDEA, every student is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), meaning schools must first try to serve a student within the general public school setting, with additional supports, before considering a more specialized placement. An NPS placement is considered only when a district has determined, through the IEP process, that it cannot appropriately meet a student's needs in-house.

Common reasons a team might consider an NPS placement include:

Significant behavioral needs that require a level of structure, staff ratio, or behavioral programming (such as a full-time BCBA-supervised program) beyond what a district's own special day class can offer
Specialized therapeutic needs — for example, a student who needs daily access to speech, occupational therapy, and psychological services integrated directly into their school day
Placement history — a student who has struggled in multiple public school placements, including special day classes, and needs a different kind of setting
Low staff-to-student ratios — some students need a level of individualized support (for example, 2:1 or smaller) that isn't feasible within typical district classroom staffing
Crisis or safety concerns — situations where a student's behavior poses a safety risk to themselves or others in a less specialized setting

An NPS placement is not a reflection of a student "failing" in public school, it reflects a decision, made collaboratively by the IEP team, that a different setting gives the student a better chance to make progress on their goals. It's also not necessarily permanent: placement is reviewed regularly, and some students transition back to a public school setting as their needs change.

How Does the Placement Process Work?

NPS placement happens through the IEP process, not through a separate application:

The IEP team identifies the need. This might happen at an annual IEP review, after a placement isn't working, or after a significant incident. The team, which includes you as the parent, reviews whether the current placement is meeting the student's needs.
The district proposes NPS as an option. If the team agrees a more specialized setting is needed, the district identifies NPS options that serve the student's needs and geographic area.
Intake and observation. Most NPS schools, including Del Sol, conduct an intake process which includes reviewing the student's IEP, assessments, and behavior history, and often observing the student or having them visit before confirming they can appropriately serve the student.
The IEP is amended to reflect the new placement, including the specific NPS, the services to be provided there, and the goals the placement is meant to support.
Ongoing review. Like any placement, an NPS placement is reviewed at least annually, and the team (including you) can revisit whether it continues to be the right fit.

As the parent, you're part of every step of this process; an NPS placement cannot be made without your involvement in the IEP team, and you retain the same rights to agree, disagree, or request additional assessments that you would with any other placement decision.

How Is an NPS Placement Funded?

This is one of the most common points of confusion for families, so it's worth being direct about it: families do not pay tuition for an NPS placement made through the IEP process.

Here's how the funding actually works:

The referring school district is financially responsible for the cost of the NPS placement, as part of its obligation to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education under IDEA.
Districts contract directly with the NPS, typically at a rate that reflects the specialized staffing and services the school provides.
Transportation is also generally the district's responsibility when an NPS placement is farther from home than the student's local public school, since transportation is considered a related service under IDEA when required for the student to access their placement.
Additional services named in the IEP (such as specific therapies) are typically included in what the district funds as part of the placement, not billed separately to the family.

If you're ever asked to pay tuition, fees, or costs directly for a placement made through your student's IEP, that's worth raising directly with your district's special education office. An IEP-driven NPS placement is a district funding obligation, not a family expense.

What Does a Day at an NPS Actually Look Like?

This varies by school, but generally an NPS is structured to provide a level of individualized support and therapeutic integration that goes beyond a typical special day class:

Lower staff-to-student ratios — Del Sol, for example, operates at a 2:1 student-to-staff ratio across its classrooms
On-site related services — speech, OT, psychological services, and behavior support are often built directly into the school day rather than pulled out periodically
Individualized behavioral programming, often under the supervision of a BCBA, tailored to each student's specific needs
Smaller classroom sizes overall, allowing more consistent staff relationships and closer progress monitoring

Questions Worth Asking During the NPS Process

What specific needs is this placement meant to address, and what would progress look like?
What is the staff-to-student ratio, and what specialized staff (BCBA, LEP, SLP, OT) are on-site full time?
How will the team know if this placement is working, and what does the review process look like?
What would it look like to transition back to a public school setting, if and when that becomes appropriate?
What does a typical day look like for a student with needs similar to my child's?