Articles from The Austin Centers for Exceptional Students

The Austin Centers for Exceptional Students (The ACES), which serves more than 1,200 students each year across eight campuses in Arizona and Colorado, today recognized co-founder Francie Austin’s more than five decades of advocacy that shaped its approach to educating children with complex emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs. Long before children with disabilities were guaranteed access to public education, Ms. Austin was fighting for students who were too often excluded or sent home, and that work became the foundation on which The ACES was built.

More than three decades after investing her family's life savings to create a school for children who had exhausted every other educational option, Francie Austin is celebrating a milestone that has become deeply personal.

The Austin Centers for Exceptional Students (“The ACES”), a special education school serving students with diverse academic and behavioral needs in Arizona and Colorado, today announced Idalis French, speech-language pathologist at The ACES Westminster, Colorado campus, as the 2026 recipient of the annual Francie Austin Award. French was selected out of 675 employees across six campuses in Arizona and Colorado for her dedication, professionalism, consistency, tireless work ethic, and commitment to going above and beyond in support of students and colleagues.

Austin Centers for Exceptional Students (“The ACES”), a special education school serving students with diverse academic and behavioral needs in Arizona and Colorado, today announced it has been recognized for excellence in education programming, support services, and outcomes. This marks the ninth consecutive year that the National Association of Special Education Teachers (“NASET”) has named The ACES a School of Excellence.

The Austin Centers for Exceptional Students (“The ACES”), a special education school serving students with diverse academic and behavioral needs, today announced a successful 2025-2026 year for their Westminster, Colorado school, marked by measurable progress of its student population, including successful transitions back to referring school districts, and highly positive feedback from student’s families.