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How To: School Questions for Older Children

Choosing a School: Questions for Families with Older Children

Before you start looking at schools, it’s a good idea to think about what your child needs. This section of the guide will help you to think about:

School Type: Public. Private, Center-based or Homeschool

The Support Your Child Needs

Cost and Funding Sources

Transportation

Future Educational Plans

Public, private, center-based or homeschool?

Begin by deciding whether your family feels most comfortable with a public, private, center-based or homeschool education. Each of these categories has pros and cons:

School Type

Pros

Cons

Public

Free
Must follow IDEA and educate all students
Diploma track
Often close to family home
May offer specialized education (gifted, vocational, etc.)
May allow open enrollment

May have larger class sizes and fewer resources, depending on district

Private

May offer specialized education (gifted, vocational, etc.)
May have smaller class sizes and more resources

May require out-of-pocket tuition
May decline students
May not offer high school/diploma classes
May require transportation

Center-Based Program

Designed to help students with higher support needs
Include specialized therapeutic interventions

Tend to focus less on academics
Can be costly
May require outplacement from the home school district
May not offer high school/diploma classes
May require transportation

Homeschool

Family chooses curriculum and pace of learning
Can allow more time for therapies or services

Some families may have difficulty getting started
Some families may have difficulty teaching their own child

Note: Each category has its own variations. For example, public schools can include traditional public schools, public charters/community schools and eSchools.

Public

Traditional Public School
Public Charter/Community School
Public eSchool

Private

Non-Public Charter
Private Religious School
Private Disability-focused School

Center-Based Program

ABA Centers
Day Treatment Programs

Homeschool

Parent-led instruction
Tutor/professional-led instruction
Co-ops/Pod instruction

Student Support Needed?

Some students need a little bit of support in school. Others need more. Not all schools are set up to offer the same support, so it’s important to think about what your child needs. Some questions you can ask yourself are:

Does your child have behavior or mental health concerns?
Are your child’s independent living skills similar to their peers?
Does your child need gifted or accelerated education services?
Does your child have a disability that requires an IEP or 504 plan?
Does your child need specialized services, like occupational therapy (PT), physical therapy (PT) or speech?
Does your child need nursing or other professional healthcare services?

If your child already has an IEP, 504 plan or a written education plan (WEP), it can help to look at these documents. Your child’s school communication binder can also help you to think about support.

Public schools in Ohio are graded with a Special Education Public Profile. This profile can help families to see how special education services compare across districts.

Cost?

The next big question for many families is cost. No matter which option you choose, families may need to pay fees and other costs. Costs to consider include:

Student fees (public and private schools)
Tuition (center-based programs and private schools)
Transportation (center-based programs and private schools)
Uniforms (some public and private schools)
Curriculum (homeschool)
Parent time away from work (homeschool and transportation time some schools)
Learning materials (all schools)
Private therapies/tutoring (all schools)

Scholarships, grants and community resources can make some options more affordable. Some center-based programs may also bill health insurance to offset costs (for example, an ABA provider may bill insurance for time spent in therapy).

When a student’s IEP team agrees that the student is unable to receive a free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the public school system, the district may pay for that student to be placed in another school. Often this is the only way for families to access more intensive therapeutic settings.

Distance?

When transportation is not offered by a school, distance can be a deciding factor. Families should ask:

How far can you travel to/from your child’s school? Don’t forget your return trip!
Are carpool options available? For example, does a neighbor’s child also go to that school?
Are there other adults who can drive your child? (grandparent, older sibling, etc.)

Some families are able to get transportation services with the Autism or Jon Peterson scholarships. Others may have transportation included as part of a district placement.

Diploma Track?

Some schools – like center-based programs – may not offer a diploma track. Students who attend these types of programs still work on academics, but the focus is on behavior, social skills and independent living. For example, students still study math, but learning may focus on using money or counting items for a job.

If a school does not offer a diploma track, ask yourself:

Is a diploma part of your child’s “big picture?” Programs like Charting the LifeCourse, offered through Ohio Family 2 Family and others can help guide you.
If a diploma is part of your child’s plan, how does the center work to transition your child back to public school?

Back to the main guide.

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