About Us

Who We Are

About Us

Star Academy is a non-public school that is a recognized Bay Area leader in education for students with learning differences. The school was founded in 1990 in San Anselmo by a group of concerned parents whose children had special needs that were not being met in local public or private schools. Since that time, Star Academy has grown from serving just 20 elementary students to serving 80 students from fourth grade through post-high school.
 
Star Academy serves students with a variety of complex learning differences that make it difficult for them to thrive in a traditional classroom setting. Many students arrive at Star emotionally fragile because of school experiences which have not been successful—leaving them frustrated, isolated and believing they are not capable of learning.
 
But, at Star Academy, things are different. Each student’s program is uniquely tailored to their specific needs. Students participate in specialized classroom learning and have access to specialists in multi-sensory language arts, speech, math, occupational therapy, and emotional wellness. In an average week, each student works with up to 10 educators and specialists.
 
Providing students with focused and individualized support accelerates their learning and, as a result, they experience significant academic success, often for the first time. Being in a nurturing and supportive environment also allows students to feel safe and part of a caring community.
 
Star has a unique partnership with College of Marin for our Post-High School Program, providing students with access to college classes, while giving them extra academic support and teaching independent living skills.
 
Star Academy is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and our academic program is based on California Department of Education content standards. Our student population includes both students whose tuition is paid by their families and students who have been placed by their public-school district as part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP).