What The Joshua School does

The Joshua School (TJS) is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 2002 by six Denver-area educators and operating continuously since October 2005, that delivers specialized educational and therapeutic services to students aged 4-21 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. It operates five distinct programs — the Boulder Program, the Englewood Juniper Program (emerging communicators), the Englewood Aspen Program (graduated support levels), the Englewood Blue Spruce Transition Program (ages 14-21), and the Joshua Early Childhood Center (ages 4-10, 1:1 student-to-staff ratio) — across three campuses in the Denver-metro area (Englewood, Boulder, Centennial). The school's core clinical methodology is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) delivered through a transdisciplinary service model that integrates occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, mental health counseling, and behavior intervention under coordinated care.

The organization is dually licensed as a Colorado Department of Education Facility School and a Colorado Department of Human Services Day Treatment Facility, and its clinical staff includes BCBA-certified behavior analysts, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, special education teachers, and behavior specialists trained through in-house RBT/BCBA pathways and CU-Denver partnership programs. It supports family communication through the Brightwheel app and maintains an extensive vocational/community partnership network (HumanKind Coffee, Denver Botanic Gardens, Meals-on-Wheels, Arc Thrift Stores, Farm & Train, and others) to deliver transition-age programming.

TJS operates a single-channel business model: it accepts student referrals exclusively from Colorado public school districts, requires an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) with Separate Setting designated as the Least Restrictive Environment, and receives revenue through per-pupil tuition contracts paid by the referring district. The school does not accept private pay, insurance, scholarships, or grants, and does not charge families directly. Enrollment stands at 90+ students per year, with active waitlists indicating demand exceeds licensed capacity.

Name

The Joshua School

Legal name

The Joshua School

Website

https://www.joshuaschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Joshua School is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) that delivers specialized ABA and transdisciplinary educational services to 90+ students aged 4-21 with autism and developmental disabilities across three Denver-metro campuses, funded exclusively through per-pupil tuition contracts with referring Colorado public school districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism-Specific Schools & Programs (EDAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education Vocational & Transition Programs (18–22) (EDAKAAAG), Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Transition Services (Secondary to Postsecondary/Employment, Life Skills) (EDAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Autism education programs
• Applied behavior analysis
• Developmental disability school
• Facility school services

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Special Education Tuition Contracts: The Joshua School receives revenue through contracts with Colorado public school districts. The referring school district pays tuition for students to attend TJS. TJS does not provide scholarships, grants, or accept insurance or private pay tuition.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Joshua School provides specialized K-12 and transition educational programs for students aged 4-21 with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities across three Colorado campuses. Programs deliver individualized instruction through a transdisciplinary service model that integrates Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), occupational therapy (OT), speech-language pathology (SLP), and mental health counseling under coordinated IEP-driven plans. Tuition is funded by contracts with referring Colorado public school districts rather than direct family payment.

Product overview

The Joshua School operates as a unified educational platform with five distinct programs across three campuses in the Denver-metro area (Englewood, Centennial, and Boulder, CO). The programs serve students aged 4-21 with Autism Spectrum Disorder and developmental disabilities. Programs include: the Boulder Program (multi-age with collaborative care model), Englewood Juniper Program (emerging communicators), Englewood Aspen Program (graduated support levels), Englewood Blue Spruce Transition Program (ages 14-21, vocational focus), and Joshua Early Childhood Center (ages 4-10). The school utilizes a transdisciplinary service model combining OT, SLP, ABA, and mental health services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boulder Program Serves students of multiple ages and grade-levels in Boulder, CO. Students benefit from OT, SLP, ABA, and mental health services with collaborative care as a treatment model, leveraging the community lifestyle with local outings.
• Englewood - Juniper Program Serves emerging communicators with a strong focus on developing functional communication skills. Opportunities to build tolerance and engagement in daily routines and educational activities are embedded throughout their daily schedule.
• Englewood - Aspen Program Serves students across a wide range of ages and abilities who benefit from support in developing social skills, communication, and strategies for reducing challenging behaviors. Includes four classrooms offering graduated level of support.
• Englewood - Blue Spruce Transition Program Transition program serving students ages 14-21 working on skills needed once formal schooling has ended. Students spend half their time off campus at various community locations working on vocational and leisure skills.
• Joshua Early Childhood Center (JECC) Facility school for children ages 4-10 working on communication, academic, social and daily living skills while decreasing challenging behavior through highly individualized programming with 1:1 student to staff ratio.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HumanKind CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for TJS Boulder campus. Students gain barista skills and social skills through work experience at the coffee shop. The partnership has been active for over a year, providing vocational training opportunities.
• FinleysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational partner providing work experience opportunities for TJS students.
• PSDSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational partner providing work experience opportunities for TJS students.
• Meals-on-Wheels AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational partner providing community service and work experience opportunities for TJS students.
• TRSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational partner providing work experience opportunities for TJS students.
• Farm & TrainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational partner providing agricultural and vocational training opportunities for TJS students.
• Arc Thrift StoresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational partner providing retail and work experience opportunities for TJS students.
• The Sensory ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSensory-focused partner organization supporting TJS students.
• ABC KidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing child-focused opportunities for TJS students.
• Denver Botanic GardensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing horticultural and nature-based learning experiences for TJS students.
• IFCS (Interfaith Food Shuttle)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood bank partner providing community service and vocational opportunities for TJS students.
• TeddyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for TJS vocational programs.
• The Right StepminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational site where Aspen Program students gain work experience as part of their transition programming.
• Cat CafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational site where Aspen Program students gain work experience as part of their transition programming.
• CU-Denver P-TAP ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParaprofessional to Teacher Advancement Pathway program that supports TJS staff in obtaining teaching licenses.
• CU-Denver ASPIRE to Teach ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne-year alternative certification program. TJS provides annual scholarships for ASPIRE participants.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Heartspring: Heartspring is a Wichita, KS-based residential and day school serving children with autism and developmental disabilities. Its specialized facility school model, transition programming, and therapy-integrated approach mirror TJS's core program design.
• Monarch Center for Autism: Monarch Center is an Ohio-based autism school operated by the Bellefaire JCB network, providing ABA-based educational programs across grade levels. Its service structure and target population closely mirror TJS's programming.
• Sage Academy: Sage Academy is a Minnesota-based autism-focused charter school serving K-12 students with autism spectrum disorder. Like TJS, it operates with low student-to-staff ratios, ABA methodologies, and individualized education plans.
• May Institute: May Institute operates special education schools and ABA programs across multiple states serving students with autism and IDD. It shares TJS's combined school-plus-clinics model with BCBA-staffed transdisciplinary teams.
• New England Center for Children (NECC): NECC is a Massachusetts-based autism day and residential school applying an ABA/transdisciplinary model across age groups, structurally similar to TJS's five-program continuum. Both operate facility-school models serving students with autism and developmental disabilities.
• Ivymount School: Ivymount is a private K-12 special education school in the DC area serving students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and learning differences. Its multi-program, transdisciplinary model and vocational transition focus are closely comparable to TJS's program architecture.

Broad incumbents

• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Devereux is one of the largest U.S. providers of autism and IDD services, operating residential and day schools across many states. It competes with TJS at a much broader national scale, with overlapping ABA and special education services.
• Easterseals: Easterseals is a national nonprofit network providing disability services including education, therapy, and vocational programs. As a broad incumbent, it offers overlapping capabilities to TJS but does not focus exclusively on autism facility schools.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Joshua School