Welcome to Friendship School

Friendship School, located in Imperial Beach, is a special education school with an award-winning multi-sensory environment and individualized support services. We serve as many as 50 students between the ages of 3 and 22 from southern San Diego County who have multiple severe disabilities with health impairments. Our school is operated by the San Diego County Office of Education and is affiliated with the South County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA).

Friend School, which has previously earned a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association, features a variety of sensory equipment to help students learn through all of their senses. Each of our five classrooms is staffed by a teacher and two student attendants. All of our teachers have a moderate/severe specialist credential, and all of our staff members are continually trained on specialized health care procedures. Class sizes range from eight to 10 students, with a staff-to-student ratio of one adult for every three students.

Our students are continually evaluated by the teacher and related service staff members to determine the most appropriate curriculum to meet their needs. An Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) aligned with California Standards is designed for each student. The IEPs emphasize functional skills areas, including language and communication development; pre-academic skills; social skills; community interaction; daily living skills; vocational skills; and leisure and recreation. Students receive related services as needed, such as vision support, Deaf and hard-of-hearing support, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and assistive technology services. In addition, we have a full-time nurse, a part-time occupational therapist, a part-time speech and language therapist, a part-time assistive technology specialist, a part-time psychologist, and a physical therapist on consultation on-site.