My Child Has Dyslexia and Goes to Private School — What Are My Options?

State dyslexia screening mandates apply to public schools. If your child attends private school, those laws likely don't apply to your situation — but federal law does, and it gives you more options than most private school families know they have. You can request a free evaluation from your local public school district, and depending on your private school's funding, your child may also be entitled to accommodations right where they are.

Here is what each of those options actually means, and how to use them.

Can I request a free evaluation even if my child goes to private school?

Yes. Under IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), every public school district is required to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with potential disabilities within its geographic boundaries — including children who attend private school. This is called the Child Find mandate, and it applies regardless of where your child is enrolled.

IDEA's Child Find obligations apply to children attending both public and private schools, including parochial schools — and the evaluation is free to your family. The responsible district is determined by where your child's private school is physically located, not necessarily where you live.

To request an evaluation, write directly to the special education director of the public school district where your private school is located. State that you suspect your child has a disability that is affecting their learning, and request a comprehensive evaluation. Submit the request in writing and keep a copy with a date. Districts are required to respond within a specific timeframe — typically 60 days, though this varies by state.

A Child Find evaluation is the same comprehensive process a public school student would receive. It typically covers reading, language processing, working memory, and related areas. The results belong to you and can be shared with your private school.

What services can my child actually receive after an evaluation?

This is where private school families need to understand an important distinction. Being evaluated is one thing. What happens after is different depending on where your child is enrolled.

No parentally placed child has an individual right to receive the services that child would receive if enrolled in the public school. If your child is found eligible through a Child Find evaluation, they are entitled to what IDEA calls "equitable services" — a proportionate share of federal special education funding allocated to private school students in the district. This is more limited than the full IEP (Individualized Education Program) entitlement a public school student receives.

In practical terms, equitable services might mean a reading specialist working with a small group of private school students for a set number of hours per week. It is not a guarantee of one-on-one structured literacy instruction five days a week. The specific services offered depend on the district and on how federal funds are allocated in your area.

If your child needs more intensive support than equitable services provide, enrolling in public school may be the most direct path to the full range of IDEA protections.

Does my private school have to provide accommodations?

It depends on whether your private school receives any federal funding — and the answer may surprise you.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects individuals from disability discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. As Section 504 is linked to federal funding, it applies to all public elementary and secondary schools, as well as some private ones.

The type of funding that can obligate a school to Section 504 responsibilities may be surprising — professional development, lunch or milk programs, and other funding that may seem "minor" or unrelated to instruction may count when it comes from the federal government. That means many private schools — including religious schools — are required to provide accommodations under Section 504 (the law behind 504 plans) even if families and administrators don't realize it.

Section 504 rules for private schools are less strict than for public schools. Private schools covered by Section 504 must provide access and minor accommodations, but they are not required to develop the same kind of formal 504 plan a public school would, and they are not required to provide specialized reading instruction.

Truly private schools with no federal funding have fewer obligations. If you are unsure whether your school receives federal funding, ask the administration directly.

How do I use evaluation results to work with my private school?

Even if your private school has limited legal obligations, an evaluation report is a powerful tool for advocacy. It gives you specific, professional documentation of your child's learning profile — their strengths, their areas for growth, and the instructional approaches most likely to work.

Bring the full evaluation report to a meeting with your child's teacher and the school's learning support coordinator if one exists. Ask specifically which recommendations in the report the school can implement, and which ones it cannot. Ask for any agreed accommodations in writing — even if it is not a formal 504 plan, a written record of commitments protects your child.

Many private schools will work with families when given clear, specific guidance from an evaluation. The report does that work for you.

What if my child needs more than what the private school can offer?

This is worth thinking through honestly. Private schools vary enormously in their capacity to support children who learn differently. Some have robust learning support programs with trained specialists. Others have very little.

If your child is not making meaningful progress — if reading at home is a nightly struggle, if they are falling further behind peers despite effort and support — the question of whether the private school is the right fit is worth asking directly. Some families choose to enroll in public school specifically to access full IDEA protections and a structured literacy program, and return to private school once the reading foundation is established.

That is not a failure. It is a decision in your child's interest.

What to do right now

If your child attends private school and has been flagged for dyslexia or identified as having reading difficulties, these are your immediate next steps:

Write a request for a Child Find evaluation to the public school district where your private school is located. Ask your private school administration whether the school receives any federal funding. Review whatever evaluation results you already have and request a meeting to discuss which accommodations the school can provide.

Your state's rights page on Stridable outlines the specific evaluation timelines and procedures that apply in your area — because even though state dyslexia screening mandates may not apply to your private school, the federal protections described here apply everywhere.