Schools for the Blind in the US: State-by-State List
A school for the blind is a school built around students who are blind or have low vision. Besides the regular subjects, it teaches the skills these students need because of their vision: braille, safe travel with a white cane, assistive technology and daily living. In the United States, most are state schools, the ones we checked don't charge families, and a student usually gets there through their school district, not by applying directly.
We checked the official site of every school in the list below on October 29, 2026, using the directories of the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and the Council of Schools and Services for the Blind (COSB). In 36 states we found a school for the blind that serves the state's students. In the other 14 states and Washington, D.C., we didn't find a state school.
Key points
- What they teach: the general curriculum plus the expanded core curriculum, nine areas of skills such as braille, orientation and mobility and independent living (TSBVI).
- Cost: at the state schools we checked, families don't pay tuition. Texas says the education is "free to the parent" (TSBVI).
- How to get in: usually through the student's IEP team and school district. Texas and California don't accept direct referrals from parents; Washington does (WSSB).
- It doesn't have to be forever: many students come for a few years, a week-long course or a summer program, then go back to their local school.
- Oldest: Perkins School for the Blind, founded in 1829 as the first school for the blind in the US (Perkins).
State schools for the blind, state by state
Many are combined schools for the deaf and the blind. In Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota, the state program works mostly as a statewide service or center rather than a traditional campus.
States without a state school for the blind
We didn't find a state school for the blind in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wyoming or Washington, D.C. In those places, blind students are served through their local schools, often by a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI), and through state agencies and outreach programs.
Three of those states have well-known private schools for the blind:
- Massachusetts: Perkins School for the Blind, in Watertown.
- New Jersey: St. Joseph's School for the Blind, in Jersey City.
- Pennsylvania: Overbrook School for the Blind, in Philadelphia, and Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, in Pittsburgh.
New York has two private schools in the Bronx besides the state school in Batavia: the New York Institute for Special Education, a private nonprofit, and the Lavelle School for the Blind, open since 1904.
What schools for the blind teach
Students at a school for the blind follow the same general curriculum as any other school. On top of it, they get the expanded core curriculum (ECC): the skills that, in the words of APH, go "beyond the standard core curriculum" for students who are blind or visually impaired (APH). The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired lists nine areas (TSBVI):
| Area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Compensatory skills | Braille and Nemeth, tactile graphics, tactile symbols, audio materials |
| Orientation and mobility | Knowing where you are and moving as independently and safely as possible |
| Assistive technology | Tools such as screen readers, braillers, mobile devices and optical devices |
| Independent living | Personal hygiene, eating, food preparation, time and money |
| Social interaction | Body language, gestures, facial expressions and personal space |
| Recreation and leisure | Finding and choosing physical and leisure activities |
| Career education | Hands-on experience with jobs students can't watch people do |
| Self-determination | Making choices and decisions, solving problems, speaking up for yourself |
| Sensory efficiency | Using vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste |
Braille
Braille is at the center. At the California School for the Blind, "all of the classrooms" teach braille, and the Nemeth code is taught for math and science (CSB). For reading and writing, US schools use Unified English Braille.
Orientation and mobility
Orientation and mobility (O&M) classes teach students to travel safely: with a long cane or low vision devices, first around campus and then out in the community (CSB).
Who can attend
A school for the blind is not where every blind student goes. In California, the IEP team considers sending a student there when their local public schools can't provide an appropriate program and services (CSB). Texas puts it plainly: it is "no longer viewed as a school where a student is likely to spend most of their school career" (TSBVI).
Some details from the schools themselves:
- Ages: California serves students aged 5 to 22 (CSB). Montana starts at 18 months and goes through high school (MSDB).
- How much vision: you don't have to be totally blind. Washington says attending its programs "is not related to visual acuity" (WSSB).
- Day or residential: many schools have both day students, who go home every afternoon, and residential students, who live on campus. Illinois, for example, describes itself as a residential and day school (ISVI).
How to apply, and what it costs
Start with your child's IEP team. At most state schools, the referral comes from the school district together with the family:
- Texas: "TSBVI cannot accept direct parent referrals." The district starts the process at an ARD meeting, the Texas name for the IEP meeting (TSBVI).
- California: parents can't request the application packet; referrals come through the district (CSB).
- Washington: an exception. A parent, a guardian, an adult student or the district can make the referral (WSSB).
Cost to families: at the schools we checked, nothing for the regular school program.
- Texas: "The student's education is free to the parent" (TSBVI).
- Maryland: "No tuition. No residential fees. No cost to your family." Some camps and after-school activities do have fees (MSB).
- Montana: "at no charge to families or school districts" (MSDB).
- California doesn't charge the district for day students (CSB).
Short courses, summer programs and outreach
You don't have to enroll full time to use a school for the blind. Many offer short programs for students who stay at their local school:
- Texas runs short-term classes of three to five days on the expanded core curriculum (TSBVI), plus summer programs for ages 6 to 22 that don't need a district referral (TSBVI). Its outreach services cost parents nothing, and the student doesn't need to be enrolled at TSBVI (TSBVI).
- California offers week-long courses for students who attend school in their local district (CSB).
If your state has a school for the blind, ask what it offers for students who aren't enrolled. It can be a way to get braille, cane or technology training without changing schools.
The oldest schools for the blind in the US
| School | Founded |
|---|---|
| Perkins School for the Blind, Massachusetts | 1829, the first in the US (Perkins) |
| New York Institute for Special Education | 1831, as the New York Institution for the Blind (NYISE) |
| Overbrook School for the Blind, Pennsylvania | 1832 (Overbrook) |
| Illinois School for the Visually Impaired | 1849 (ISVI) |
| Maryland School for the Blind | 1853 (MSB) |
| California School for the Blind | 1860, in San Francisco (CSB) |
Questions to ask a school for the blind
- Is my child a good fit, and what would the IEP team need to request it?
- Is there a day program, a residential program or both? How do residential students get home?
- How is braille taught, and from what age? Is Nemeth taught for math?
- How much orientation and mobility training does each student get?
- What short courses, summer programs or outreach services are open to students who aren't enrolled?
- How do students go back to their local school when they're ready?
For what happens in a regular classroom, see our guide to the blind student in the classroom. For help at home, see how to teach braille to a blind child and our list of free braille resources.
Where Braillito fits
A school for the blind teaches braille to the student. Often, nobody at home reads it: not the parents, not the brothers and sisters. Braillito, our app, teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. It is meant for anyone learning the code, such as sighted parents and teachers of a braille reader (learning braille as a sighted person) or adults who are losing their sight (learning braille as an adult). For whole classes, see Braillito for schools.
Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.
Frequently asked questions
How many schools for the blind are there in the US?
We found a state school or statewide program for the blind in 36 states. There are also private schools, such as Perkins in Massachusetts, Overbrook and Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children in Pennsylvania, St. Joseph's in New Jersey, and NYISE and Lavelle in New York.
Are schools for the blind free?
The state schools we checked don't charge families for the regular school program. Texas, Maryland and Montana say so on their own sites. Some camps and extra activities can have fees.
Do blind children have to go to a school for the blind?
No. The IEP team decides where a student is best served. Many blind students attend their local public school with a teacher of the visually impaired, and use a school for the blind for a few years or for short courses.
Can a child with low vision go to a school for the blind?
Yes. These schools serve students who are blind or visually impaired. Washington says eligibility "is not related to visual acuity".
Do schools for the blind teach braille?
Yes. Braille is part of the expanded core curriculum. At the California School for the Blind every classroom teaches it, and Nemeth is taught for math and science.
What was the first school for the blind in the US?
Perkins School for the Blind, founded in 1829 in Massachusetts.
Can parents apply directly to a school for the blind?
It depends on the state. Texas and California need a referral from the school district. Washington also accepts referrals from parents.