Dartmouth High School’s newest sport is uniting students with special needs through athletics.

The high school’s unified athletics program added bowling to its existing track and basketball programs this spring with a grant from the Special Education Parent Advisory Council. Established two years ago, the program has grown in popularity, said coach John Breault, who runs the program along with teachers Mike Cappello and Deb August.

The bowling league includes 20-25 students. Teams of special needs students are paired with non-special needs partners. Teams compete against each other once a week at the Wonder Bowl in New Bedford, and at the end of the year Breault plans an awards ceremony.

“There is a little competitive edge to it, but it’s a little more unique than traditional sports,” Breault said, adding that the program does build camaraderie like traditional sports, but it also gives a diverse group of students access to athletics they might not have otherwise had access to.

Breault noted the program creates lifelong relationships that students might not have had otherwise, and has even steered some former athletes towards a career in special education.

Combined with a new unified sound music program, Breault is already eyeing an expansion of unified athletics into Dartmouth Middle School in the future.