Can my child get IEP services if they're homeschooled?

There are four ways to legally homeschool your child in California:

• Public charter homeschool program
• Private school affidavit (PSA)
• Private school satellite program (PSP)
• Independent study program through a public school

Of these options, only public charter homeschool programs and independent study programs provide an IEP with services from the school district. Students who go to charter schools (including public charter homeschool programs) are entitled to receive the same type of special education they would receive in public schools, including access to services written in their IEP.

If you’ve established a private school in your home (through a public school affidavit), this means all teaching and services formally required by your child’s IEP are your responsibility or that of a teacher you hire, not the school district's responsibility. However, you could continue to have your child's triennial assessments done through district, and they will usually offer 20-30 minutes a year of consultation with a special education teacher for private school students. Education advocate Lisa Carey recommends doing triennial assessments if your homeschooled child plans to get a high school diploma.

For more detail about each of these options, see our article Homeschooling 101.