California Top 10 SWD School Districts

Ranked by SWD Support Score • Academic Performance • Special Education Infrastructure

Data current as of May 2026 from public government records

Acronyms used on this page — hover or tap for the full term

Methodology

Academic Performance

College readiness test results and the percentage of students meeting state standards in math and reading. Reflects overall instructional quality all students receive.

Special Education Support Quality

Whether specialist staff — SLP, OT, school psychologist, nurse, and BCBA — are physically present at the school in sufficient numbers for the students being served.

Program & Intensity Fit

Whether the school has the right classroom program for the severity level of students served. A resource room for Mild needs. A specialized SDC for Severe needs. Mismatch lowers the score.

T1 — Mild

RSP/Resource Room. Learning disabilities, speech, mild ADHD. Shared specialists acceptable.

T2 — Moderate

SDC Mild/Moderate. Mild autism, intellectual disability. Most specialists on-site.

T3 — Mod-Severe

SDC Moderate/Severe. All primary specialists must be on-site full-time.

T4 — Severe

Specialized center. Medically complex. Full dedicated staffing required. Shared nurse triggers an automatic critical warning.

District Rankings

Score legend:85–100 Excellent75–84 Good65–74 Moderate55–64 Low0–54 Critical

#	District	County	Tier	Students	SAT	Math %	ELA %	SWD %	▼ SWD Support Score	IEP-Ready Score	★
1	Palo Alto Unified 🔎 Vacancies · EdJoin	Santa Clara	T3 Mod-Severe	10,271	1390	79.6	82.3	9.8	71	78	4
2	San Ramon Valley Unified ✅ No vacancy	Contra Costa	T3 Mod-Severe	31,000	1330	68.5	75.2	11.2	71	75	3.5
3	Pleasanton Unified ✅ No vacancy	Alameda	T3 Mod-Severe	15,200	1370	71	78	10.4	71	76	3.5
4	San Dieguito Union High SD 🔎 Vacancies · EdJoin	San Diego	T2 Moderate	12,800	1290	63	72	12.3	68	72	3
5	Fremont Union High SD ✅ No vacancy	Santa Clara	T3 Mod-Severe	10,836	1380	74	82	8.1	67	76	3.5
6	Irvine Unified ✅ No vacancy	Orange	T3 Mod-Severe	36,000	1310	70	74	10.8	67	73	3
7	Acalanes Union High SD ✅ No vacancy	Contra Costa	T2 Moderate	5,200	1340	69	77	9.5	61	71	3.5
8	Cupertino Union SD ✅ No vacancy	Santa Clara	T2 Moderate	17,500	1300	67	73.5	9.1	61	69	3
9	Los Altos School District ✅ No vacancy	Santa Clara	T1 Mild	4,100	1350	72	79	8.8	61	72	3.5
10	San Marino Unified ✅ No vacancy	Los Angeles	T1 Mild	2,821	1410	82	85	7.2	61	75	4

SWD% shown for context only and not used in any score. Hover the SWD Support Score and IEP-Ready Score headers to see how they differ.

District Profiles

Palo Alto Unified

SWD: 71/100

Palo Alto, Santa Clara · 18 schools · 10,271 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 3 — Mod-Severe

IEP-Ready Score

★ 4

1390

SAT · Acad 84

79.6% / 82.3%

Math / ELA

9.8%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ✅Psych: ✅Nurse: ✅BCBA: ✅

SWD Support — Mod-Severe Program:Full SDC Mild/Mod & Mod/Severe; on-site SLP, OT, psychologist and BCBA at all schools

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

🔎 Search live special-ed openings at Palo Alto Unified on EdJoin →

San Ramon Valley Unified

SWD: 71/100

Danville, Contra Costa · 36 schools · 31,000 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 3 — Mod-Severe

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3.5

1330

SAT · Acad 78

68.5% / 75.2%

Math / ELA

11.2%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ✅Psych: ✅Nurse: ✅BCBA: ✅

SWD Support — Mod-Severe Program:Single-district SELPA; birth-22 continuum; BCBA on staff; on-site specialists at all schools

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at San Ramon Valley Unified.

Pleasanton Unified

SWD: 71/100

Pleasanton, Alameda · 21 schools · 15,200 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 3 — Mod-Severe

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3.5

1370

SAT · Acad 81

71% / 78%

Math / ELA

10.4%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ✅Psych: ✅Nurse: ✅BCBA: ✅

SWD Support — Mod-Severe Program:Strong SELPA continuum; on-site SLP & OT; BCBA support; full SDC range

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at Pleasanton Unified.

San Dieguito Union High SD

SWD: 68/100

Encinitas, San Diego · 13 schools · 12,800 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 2 — Moderate

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3

1290

SAT · Acad 75

63% / 72%

Math / ELA

12.3%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ✅Psych: ✅Nurse: ✅BCBA: ⚠️ Shared

SWD Support — Moderate Program:Strong SDC & RSP; on-site SLP & psychologist

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

🔎 Search live special-ed openings at San Dieguito Union High SD on EdJoin →

Fremont Union High SD

SWD: 67/100

Sunnyvale, Santa Clara · 5 schools · 10,836 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 3 — Mod-Severe

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3.5

1380

SAT · Acad 83

74% / 82%

Math / ELA

8.1%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ✅Psych: ✅Nurse: ✅BCBA: ⚠️ Shared

SWD Support — Mod-Severe Program:Full-time SLP, OT, psychologist on-site; dedicated SDC at each campus; BCBA shared

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at Fremont Union High SD.

Irvine Unified

SWD: 67/100

Irvine, Orange · 45 schools · 36,000 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 3 — Mod-Severe

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3

1310

SAT · Acad 77

70% / 74%

Math / ELA

10.8%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ✅Psych: ✅Nurse: ✅BCBA: ⚠️ Shared

SWD Support — Mod-Severe Program:SDC Mild-Severe; on-site SLP & OT; BCBA shared across campuses

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at Irvine Unified.

Acalanes Union High SD

SWD: 61/100

Lafayette, Contra Costa · 4 schools · 5,200 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 2 — Moderate

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3.5

1340

SAT · Acad 79

69% / 77%

Math / ELA

9.5%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ⚠️ SharedPsych: ⚠️ SharedNurse: ✅BCBA: ✗

SWD Support — Moderate Program:RSP & SDC Mild/Mod; SLP on-site; OT and psychologist shared

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at Acalanes Union High SD.

Cupertino Union SD

SWD: 61/100

Cupertino, Santa Clara · 26 schools · 17,500 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 2 — Moderate

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3

1300

SAT · Acad 76

67% / 73.5%

Math / ELA

9.1%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ✅OT: ⚠️ SharedPsych: ✅Nurse: ✅BCBA: ✗

SWD Support — Moderate Program:RSP & SDC Mild/Mod; SLP on-site; OT itinerant

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at Cupertino Union SD.

Los Altos School District

SWD: 61/100

Los Altos, Santa Clara · 6 schools · 4,100 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 1 — Mild

IEP-Ready Score

★ 3.5

1350

SAT · Acad 80

72% / 79%

Math / ELA

8.8%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ⚠️ SharedOT: ⚠️ SharedPsych: ⚠️ SharedNurse: ✅BCBA: ✗

SWD Support — Mild Program:RSP model; SLP shared; strong inclusion focus

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at Los Altos School District.

San Marino Unified

SWD: 61/100

San Marino, Los Angeles · 6 schools · 2,821 students

SWD Support Score

Intensity: Tier 1 — Mild

IEP-Ready Score

★ 4

1410

SAT · Acad 86

82% / 85%

Math / ELA

7.2%

SWD (info only)

SLP: ⚠️ SharedOT: ⚠️ SharedPsych: ⚠️ SharedNurse: ✅BCBA: ✗

SWD Support — Mild Program:RSP & SDC Mild/Mod; SLP shared; OT shared

🟢 Search this district at iepguide.org for school-level SWD%, SDC programs, and on-site specialist staffing.

✅ No current special-ed vacancies reported at San Marino Unified.

Some specialist staffing is estimated from district averages and may not reflect every campus. Source: IDEA §618 personnel data (2024–25). Confirm with the district before placement decisions.

California State IEP Guide — Downloadable Resource

A complete guide to the IEP process in California — state-specific timelines, terminology, parent rights, and how to use iepguide.org for school placement research.

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For informational purposes only. Does not constitute legal advice.

For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified special education advocate or attorney for guidance specific to your child's situation.

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