Our School

Welcome!

The Bay School is a nonpublic, nonprofit school in Santa Cruz, Calif., dedicated to serving individuals with autism and developmental disabilities ages 5-22. It is a school where students establish a strong foundation to build a meaningful life. 

The Bay School’s mission is to provide scientifically based educational and clinical services to produce measurable and lasting improvements in the lives of individuals and families served. The Bay School provides full day, extended year educational and clinical services to students regardless of their race, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, or religion. 

At The Bay School, students build essential communication, social, behavioral, vocational, and academic skills. With the partnership of families, a team of highly skilled and dedicated professionals, and specialized 1:1 instruction, The Bay School supports students in gaining independence and reaching their highest potential. 

TBS is approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization (our IRS non-profit letter). 

  • Tax Identification Number 94-3313535 

  • TBS teachers are certified by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing as Specialists (Moderate-to-Severe) in Special Education. 

  • TBS is certified by the California Department of Education, Non-public school division.

The Bay School is part of the May Institute, a national organization of award-winning programs for children and adults with autism and other special needs.



Quality Improvement

To demonstrate our commitment to the students we serve and ensure that we meet the highest possible standards, our Quality Improvement, Safety, and Clinical Leadership teams work with all programs to measure performance. We use four areas to track progress — effectiveness, efficiency, access, and satisfaction. Our results reveal an outstanding level of satisfaction on the part of individuals served, families and guardians, and affiliated agencies. These consistently high ratings are a direct result of the hard work of our staff.

We are dedicated to providing the highest quality education available. Our academic instruction programs are based on published best practice standards for teaching children and adolescents with ASD and related disabilities.

Anti-Bullying Policy

Politícas contra la intimidación


We love the way you love our son. We absolutely feel that our son is special to you because you constantly show us and him. We know he is in the right place for his learning and his happiness. Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it.
— TBS parent