You might want to look at Sacred Heart in CT. It is test optional and does not have large lecture classes.
For a discussion of campus politics, you may want to look at this thread: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/2043838-friendly-school-for-conservatives-p1.html
Although not in your target area, the SALT program at University of AZ is worth a look, at least to see what is out there and being done for kids with LDs. Maybe there are schools closer to home that have something similar. We know a student in the program and it has been tremendous for her.
Thanks for all the great advice! I agree that Clark, Ithaca and Skidmore are more on the liberal side, although we may still look at Ithaca for him. It may fit him in other ways. Ursinus is on our list - not one of his favorites, but ok. We also have Marist, Dickinson, Gettysburg, and CT College (as a reach school).
He was not really interested in Muhlenberg and hated F & M. He also turned his nose up at McDaniel just from looking online, but we may have to look again. Allegheny is on my list as a possible go see. If I’m not mistaken Juniata is very small - almost too small. He wanted to look at Drew, but I didn’t read good things about it online. He also hated Hofstra when we visited so that’s off the list. Does anyone know anything about Quinnipiac?
He’s definitely not the techy kind. He’s more of a history/liberal arts kind of kid, which is one of the reason I want to stay away from the large universities. I went to a huge school and majored in the liberal arts - I went to class with 100-500 of my closest friends for many lectures throughout my stay there. This is definitely NOT something that my son would enjoy nor would be good for him. He doesn’t have the personality for a large U even if he didn’t have a learning disability.
He’s conservative in his views, yes, although he is starting to change a bit as he matures and realizes that there’s a gray area as well as black and white. He’s not religious at all and comes from a very mixed family of different religions so I would rather he not go to a religious based school. I don’t want the college to confirm his views, but rather to embrace all opinions and teach him to be open-minded. Does that make sense?
I’m trying really hard to find him a place that will be accepting and supportive of his needs as well as his views, and that he can be successful academically and socially. He’s a tough one to figure out, and he seems to change his mind everyday about what he wants so I’m just trying to guide him the best I can, knowing his personality and his challenges.
I believe Goucher is both test optional and known for working well with students with learning differences, though may fall too far towards the liberal end of the political spectrum for him.
I guess my question would be…why Quinnipiac? It’s a nice school…located in Hamden, CT. But it’s expensive and I haven’t heard much about their disability services (I worked in special education).
But really…your experience back when you were in college might NOT be the same as now with regard to large vs small classes…especially as this pertains to required courses (could be large…even at small schools)…and upper level courses (could be small even at a HUGE university).
You need to inquire at each college and NOT make generalizations based on your experience a generation ago.
Does your HS guidance person have any suggestions for you? Given his disability, maybe his former special education case manager might have some ideas.
My daughter attends U of Wyoming and it meets all your requirements except location - more conservative than liberal (but my liberal daughter doesn’t have any issues), 10k students, mostly smaller classes although if it is a large (100+) it will have smaller discussion groups. It’s not test optional, but does accept students with lower ACT scores (just get less merit aid). I’m sure there are some state schools on the east coast that would work too. UNC-Ashville
There are dozens of smaller private schools in North and South Carolina, but even though the school might not be religiously funded or affiliated, the students may have an affiliation with a church. Some of the schools are in really small towns and for me that’s a negative.
I went through several suggestions, and I really liked Juniata for him. Then I discovered that it’s really not test optional so that was a bummer. 
As I mentioned earlier, we haven’t met with the college counselor yet since they spend the first part of the year with the seniors. That’s our next step.
I check each college for class sizes, as well as the type of student, the range of scores, the general vibe of the school, the importance of Greek life, the location, the facilities, the majors offered, the clubs available, the disability services given, etc., etc. Everything that’s important to get the right fit. Trust me, I’m not generalizing anything. I’m overanalyzing cause this kid is a quirky one. He will not be happy at a large university with or without a learning disability. It’s just not the best option for him.
How bad are his test scores? You may be placing too much emphasis on test scores or score ranges. Keep in mind that 25% of all students enrolling in colleges have scores below the 25th percentile mark for that school. Colleges love full pay students. That could be an advantage for your son at school with need-aware admissions. Sometimes they are quite happy to admit borderline students along with their parents’ wallets.
You might want to look at enrollment and yield figures as part as your college search. Some colleges are falling short of their enrollment and/or tuition revenue goals. See https://www.eab.com/daily-briefing/2016/12/16/30-to-40-percent-of-small-colleges-missed-enrollment-goals-this-year
So those may very well be places where the number that the college pays attention to the most is the one on your bank account statement.
Agree with @calmom . I wouldn’t worry just yet if test scores are low, but not out of the ballpark. Some colleges don’t use test scores as their highest priority. You could google each schools common data set to see what they emphasize. The College data website also has good information. Affordability and fit with low test scores but within range, could make it to a “visit” list? Many colleges will be up front if asked during an admissions interview.
FYI We visited Juniata and the people we met were very welcoming. It was too remote for my son, but our tour guide was pre-med and a very good spoke-person. Also maybe take a look at College of Wooster. My son has toured twice and saw diverse groups of students eating together. Reviews we’ve read talk about a very accepting and friendly community.
Good luck in your journey!
Have you checked out salisbury in MD? Our DS16 had similar GPA and low test scores, but is doing well there because all of his classes have small sizes, never more than 35 in a class, even for the core courses. It is test optional. I feel the professors really want the kids to do well, and they check in with them if they are struggling, encourage them to go to the writing center, etc. The school has about 8,000 kids and seems a bit more on the conservative side. The campus is beautiful, and students need to live on campus the first two years. Good luck in your search!
I’ve never seen scores this low. Ever. They definitely do not reflect his intelligence level. That’s why we’re sticking with test optional.
Salisbury is on my list. However, it is only test optional above a 3.5 GPA so he would need to pull his grades up.
I guess the reason we are asking about the test scores is that that CC posters tend to set the bar higher on test scores higher than the colleges do. So the point is that if a college otherwise seems like in range and a fit, even very low scores may not matter. Look at the overall college admission rate – some colleges require scores to be submitted, but don’t really place a lot of value on them.
For example, Evergreen State College in Washington has around a 98% admit rate. They seem to require submission of test scores and their web site says that average SAT is 1084 and average ACT is 24 – but “average” means plenty of students would have well under that. So pretty hard to get turned down by Evergreen even with dismal scores.
Evergreen would not be a good fit for your son’s conservative bent, and obviously it’s on the wrong coast – but the point is that for schools that would be considered less selective, scores may not play much of a role in admissions decisions, even if very weak.
Here’s an article from about a year ago listing good colleges that accept more than half of their applicants – http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/Great-colleges-that-take-over-50-percent-of-9962886.php
Many are schools that have already been mentioned here – but the point is that for many colleges a kid with a 3.3. GPA and horrible test scores is more attractive than a kid with a 2.75 GPA and average test scores. (At least the grades reflect a willingness to do the work).
Well, you probably won’t find anything conservative on the east coast 
Try the University of Ohio. That’s actually a good school that is considered a safety school for Ohio State rejects.
I can tell you plenty of schools in Texas. Texas schools are good about free speech and usually won’t tolerate viewpoint discrimination. It’s because of a high number of conservative students that go there.
Tarleton State(I went there for my master’s, part of the Texas A&M system). Super good school that has amazing professors and small classes. Small town feel and VERY conservative.
Texas State - It’s a bigger school, but not too competitive to get into. Considered a safety school for Univ of TX rejects.
UTSA - AWESOME! I went there for my undergraduate. Fairly big school, but great professors and not too terribly competitive
UTEP - Has the highest acceptance rate and he falls well within the grade/ACT stats.
St Lawrence
High Point University
Wheaton College (MA)
Hartwick College
Rowan University
Plymouth State University
Franklin Pierce University
Roanoke College
Hobart and Williams Smith
Roger Williams University
Some may be a little small…
The article posted by @calmom is #32 has a lot of great options… not all are test optional, but some are, and those that are not will look at the entire child, not just GPA and test scores.
To find out about class size, besides talking with colleges, check each college’s CDS (Common Data Set). This is where all the statistical information about a college comes from.
You can google “college name CDS” or use the search box on the college website.
Section I (letter I not number 1) of a CDS (they are standardized) shows a detailed breakdown of class sizes and breakout sections. This was a very useful tool for us during my D’s college search. A few colleges do not make their CDS public.
You will definitely find that small schools may have a few large classes, then you could ask the school if you S would be able to avoid those classes. I don’t know if you have a strict upper limit for class size, but it is unusual to find a school with all class sizes under 30, for example. But I agree with comment above, that beyond intro courses, classes tend to be small, at least in my limited knowledge.
Another reason to check the facts, not rely on anecdotal information (or even on what someone in Admissions might say): per their CDS, Salisbury University has 12 classes with over 100 students. And another 46 classes with 50-99 students.
In the CDS, the other breakdowns for class size are in units of 10 (40-49, 30-39, etc.)
Thanks to everyone for their help with this! Your advice has been really helpful. 
There is NO such place.
Do you mean The Ohio State University (in Columbus) or do you mean Ohio University (in Athens)?
It looks like you mean Ohio University…and actually for some schools it is NOT a safety at all. For allied health professions, and even journalism, it’s not a safety.
Marist is a great option with a great disability program
My S is deciding between Quinnipiac, Marist and Ithaca and has anxiety issues as well