"Prep school" is a slang term for "preparatory." The term refers to private schools that specialize in preparing their students for post-secondary studies, specifically a university education as well as preparation for college life. All require entrance exams, language-proficiency tests and tuition. Some institutions that focus on special education require that students are diagnosed with learning disabilities for admittance. Others offer assistance with transportation and tuition fees. Not all types of schools are available everywhere, but if you live in the Dallas area, you have a wide variety of choices, as all these types of schools are represented in the city and its environs.
Special education prep schools include specialized courses for students with learning disabilities and autism. Dallas academies are equipped with trained professionals that assess each applicant using a very thorough process that includes psychological assessments, intelligence tests and language screening. Parents or guardians are provided with full written reports of these tests prior to enrollment, and since Dallas is a bigger city, local treatment and training is available for autistic or learning impaired students. For instance, Bending Oaks offers classes for LD (learning disabled) students in classes no larger than six to eight students. Dallas Academy offers "full academic enrichment" for learning disabled students with disorders such as "dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD and reading, writing and math disorders. Vanguard Prep School offers courses for students with "social, emotional and learning differences." The Autism Treatment Center offers educational facilities for autism and related disorders at its Crystal Charity Ball Educational Wing.
Private schools sometimes have a religious focus, and in Dallas many are Christian denominations, including Baptist, which offers the Saint Marcos Baptist Academy, and Episcopalian, in The Episcopal School of Texas, but the majority of the Christian schools in Dallas are Catholic. Bishop Dunne and All Saints are two examples of the Catholic prep schools in Dallas. Prep schools that are religion-based are sometimes segregated by gender although most in the Dallas area are co-ed.
Some prep schools choose to combine the best attributes of American and international educational experiences, including integrating different languages and cultures into the curriculum. Language immersion is an integral part of the learning process, and academic programs are geared toward International Baccalaureate programs. For example, the Dallas International School teaches courses in French and maintains a multi-cultural staff and student body. The Al-Hedayah Academy runs classes for pre-kindergarten through 10th grade and is accredited as a full-time Islamic school with classes in English.