Connecticut’s Most Innovative School, for its Most Innovative Thinkers

Cajal Academy is where today’s innovative thinkers gain the skills to become tomorrow’s thought leaders.

We take a comprehensive approach to preparing gifted and twice exceptional kids to realize their ideas & be happy, healthy & whole as the adults they will become.

Cajal Academy is a small, innovative K-12 school located in the heart of historic South Norwalk, Connecticut and accessible by train from NYC and points throughout the region.

We offer a first-of-its-kind program unlocking student gifts by reducing or removing learning and in some cases social-emotional and executive function disabilities, through a research-backed, neurodevelopmental approach.

These services are integrated into academic curriculum aligned with state standards and tailored to develop the super-sized executive function, leadership and self-care skills that students with strong analytical reasoning and/or creative thinking skills need for a future defined by their strengths.

We are the only school in Connecticut offering expert programs for intellectually-gifted students with special needs, the only school in the world that offers these powerful learning interventions, and also the first school specifically designed to empower kids with the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and its many common ride-along conditions.

We are accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year, with rolling admissions for mid-year placements, and also for our “2e-friendly” Workshop Wednesdays Enrichment Series and new, After School Program. Apply today!

Attend an Information Session

 
 

 

What gifts will you unlock?

Transformative results that redefine what’s possible for a child, for a school and for education as a whole

 

We don’t believe in accommodating students’ difficulties. We believe in transforming them.

We’ve made a break-through for the field of education: a research-backed methodology for reducing or removing learning & in some cases social-emotional and executive function challenges, unlocking student gifts and transforming not just student learning but student lives.

 

 Read Testimonials from Cajal Academy Parents

 
 
When kids see the world differently, we say they ‘don’t fit in.’ When adults do, we call them ‘innovators.’ We all benefit when we give these kids the tools they need to realize their visions, and to thrive.
— Chery Viirand, Co-Founder & Head of School

 
 

In the hub of innovation and accessible by train from New York City and Westchester County to New Haven, Ridgefield and Danbury

We are one of only about 20 schools nationwide that specialize in meeting the needs of kids who have both high intellectual abilities and an area of specialized need—and the only one in the world to meet those needs with a neurodevelopmental approach that unlocks children’s gifts by changing the fundamentals of those profiles themselves. Families commute from as far as two hours each way, or relocate from points across the country. Learn about our exciting new home, and opportunities to access our school through public transit, work remotely from our building while your children are at school or rent an apartment nearby—all part of our push to maximize access to our unique school!

 

 

 

New Programs Open Up More Ways to Experience Cajal Academy!

Now that we have our new building we’ve opened up lots of ways your child can experience Cajal! Find out more about immediate placements, diagnostic placements, expert evaluations, our new After School Program, our Workshop Wednesdays Enrichment Program and our summer program. Apply today to join us!

 

2025-26 School Year

Rolling admissions open now

Diagnostic Placements

Contact us about immediate and summer diagnostic placements

Multidisciplinary Evaluations

New! Contact us for more information!

After School Program

Workshop Wednesdays Enrichment Series

Learn More About What’s Happening at Cajal Academy

 

Cajal Academy in the News

 

From our Blog

Neuroscience-Based Educational Innovations

Cajal Academy’s Center for Educational Innovation

Our small school is at the heart of an expert non-profit dedicated to developing research-backed educational approaches that realize the promise of neuroscience research to transform student lives. The results for our students have been transformational, and could transform the field of education as a whole. Find out how you can support our work!

 

Are you an educator or clinician who’s passionate about empowering kids?

Apply to join our team!

 
 

Cajal Academy admits students of any race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.