How Long Is a Student Eligible for Special Education?
Updated: December 11, 2025. Reviewer: Dr. Rose Sebastian, Ed.D.
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Re-evaluations, exits, and eligibility
Once a student qualifies for special education, there is an IEP meeting at least once a year to set new goals and check on progress. Then, every three years, the team has to decide if the student still qualifies for special education or if the student needs to be exited.
In theory, and in practice at most elementary schools, new assessments are done every three years. So a new permission to evaluate form goes home and gets signed, new evaluations are done, and a new evaluation summary meeting is held. The assessments are often less thorough than the first time. Unless something has changed, the new assessments most likely will be more targeted as you already understand the student pretty well. New academic assessments will get done to check for academic growth– but some of the other assessments might not happen or be less intense than for the initial evaluation. This is all at elementary schools.
At middle and high schools, sometimes the evaluations are waived and not updated. IEP teams might choose to do this because they think the old evaluations are still valid, because they want a student to continue to get services but are worried they will test out, or because they are tired and don’t want to do new assessments– or don’t want to pull students out for the amount of time new assessments take. If a student is going to college, it is important to have new assessments done so the college gets the most current information. And if the team thinks anything has shifted or changed for the student, those assessments are incredibly important too. But it is completely legal under IDEA to waive new evaluations– at some point, the new testing is just a waste of time for the student and the evaluator and IDEA recognizes that this can occur and does not mandate new assessments every three years.
In addition to “testing” out of special education, students’ services can end because they hit 22, get a high school diploma, or get pulled out of services by a parent. Learn more about this on the When Does Special Education End? page.
Re-evaluations and re-determining eligibility
How often does a student get reevaluated for special education?
Per IDEA, districts must reevaluate a student every three years. At that time, new eligibility dates are entered into the online system and the student is good for three more years.
In Section 34 C.F.R. § 300.303(b)(2) IDEA states that re-evaluations:
(2) Must occur at least once every 3 years, unless the parent and the public agency agree that a reevaluation is unnecessary.
How often can parents ask for new assessments?
The rule of thumb is not more than once a year. The reality is more complicated. If the student is being served under SLD and the parent is worried that the child also has Autism, the new assessments for Autism could get done less than a year after the SLD assessments were done if the district agrees and the new assessments aren’t the exact same. A lot of norm-referenced, formal assessments aren’t useful or valid if done too often.
In Section 34 C.F.R. § 300.303(b)(1) IDEA states that reevaluations:
(1) May occur not more than once a year, unless the parent and the public agency agree otherwise; and
Do districts have to test students every 3 years?
The short answer is no, IEP teams can waive new evaluations. IDEA says that evaluations have to happen every three years unless the team thinks that the new assessments are “unnecessary.” That gives teams the right to waive assessments or do only limited assessment.
In Section 34 C.F.R. § 300.303 IDEA states:
(a) General. A public agency must ensure that a reevaluation of each child with a disability is conducted in accordance with §§300.304 through 300.311—
(1) If the public agency determines that the educational or related services needs, including improved academic achievement and functional performance, of the child warrant a reevaluation; or
(2) If the child’s parent or teacher requests a reevaluation.
(b) Limitation. A reevaluation conducted under paragraph (a) of this section—
(1) May occur not more than once a year, unless the parent and the public agency agree otherwise; and
(2) Must occur at least once every 3 years, unless the parent and the public agency agree that a reevaluation is unnecessary.
What's the point of reevaluating a student?
Students change and grow over time. Maybe the old disability category doesn’t fit the student any more. Maybe the student doesn’t need services any more.
Typically, the later is why new assessments are done. If a student has grown and is able to manage their disability (because disabilities do not just go away) without the extra support, that is amazing– the goal of special education is to exit students to live wonderful, independent lives.
Can districts just kick a student out of special education?
Districts cannot just stop special education services. If they want to end services, they have to do new evaluations and those evaluations have to show that the student is no longer eligible for services.
What IDEA says in Section 34 C.F.R. § 300.305(e)(1):
(e) Evaluations before change in eligibility.
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, a public agency must evaluate a child with a disability in accordance with §§300.304 through 300.311 before determining that the child is no longer a child with a disability.
