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Special education and services, ages 3 to 22

The school years, and the information you need.

Find your school district's special education office, schools built for different learners, and the therapists and groups that help. Free, in all 50 states and DC.

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Enter your home address. We build a custom search for where you live: your district and its special education office, your state's parent center and advocates, and schools, therapists and services nearby. Download it and keep it.

Your address is only used to find your district and what is near you. We do not save it.

A smiling young girl in a yellow shirt standing in tall green grass
Ages 3 to 22, every state

Your Hall Pass: everything local, in one download.

What are you searching for?

Six ways in. Services for children and youth come from the Disability Atlas; school, district and state information is built here.

Schools that specialize in

All schools, by state. Also 7,916 public charter schools.

The School Journey, step by step

The same federal steps in every state. Open any step for what should happen, what to bring, what to ask, and the red flags.

  1. Child Find and referral
  2. Asking for an evaluation
  3. Giving consent
  4. The evaluation
  5. Eligibility decision
  6. Writing the IEP
  7. Placement and least restrictive environment (LRE)
  8. Services start and progress reports
  9. Annual IEP review
  10. Reevaluation at least every 3 years
  11. Transition planning by age 16
  12. Transfer of rights at age of majority
  13. Leaving school and the Summary of Performance

Not special education, but needs help? The 504 path

Does this sound right?

Things families hear at school, and what the law says.

  • We have to wait until RTI (or MTSS) is finished before we can evaluate.

    What the law says: You can ask for an evaluation at any time. RTI or MTSS cannot be used to delay or deny an evaluation. The federal timeline (60 days, or your state's timeline) starts when you give consent.

  • Your child gets good grades, so they cannot have an IEP.

    What the law says: A child can be eligible even while passing from grade to grade. Child Find includes these children. Eligibility is decided one child at a time. Under Section 504, grades alone are not enough to decide a student has no disability.

  • We do not offer that service, or not at this school.

    What the law says: The IEP must list the services your child needs, based on the evaluation and your child's needs. It is not limited to what a school already has. Placement is based on the IEP, and the school must have a range of options.

See all 19

Start now: adult services have wait lists.

Many Medicaid waiver wait lists take years. Families who apply during the school years are ready when school ends.

Waivers and wait lists on IDD Atlas

After 18: school can keep going to 22.

Transition plans, 18 to 22 programs, college programs, job training and what changes at 18. With links to Employment Atlas for work.

Plan the transition years

How to read a listing

  • Self VerifiedThe organization confirmed its own listing in the last 12 months.
  • Confirmed ProfileConnectIDD checked it against public sources.
  • Registry ListingFrom a public registry or member list. Nobody has confirmed it yet, so call first.
  • Public recordSchools and districts from federal school data (NCES).

Partner

SpecialEd Connect

Texas families: ARD meeting prep and help using Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) with special education providers.

Visit SpecialEd Connect

Schools, therapists and nonprofits

Check your listing, add ages and specialties, and mark yourself Self Verified. Free.

For organizations