• News/Culture
    • Arts & Events
    • Great Reads
    • 2026 Atlanta 500 Nominations
    • Block by Block: Stories from the streets that connect us
  • Food & Drink
    • 50 of the Best Cheap Eats in Atlanta
    • 75 Best Restaurants in Atlanta
    • 123 Things to Eat on Buford Highway
    • 50 Best Bars
    • 50 Best Tacos
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • 50 Best Things to Do in Georgia
      • Hidden Georgia
      • North Georgia Mountains
    • Health & Wellness
    • 2024-2025 School Guide
    • Style
    • Buckhead Guidebook
    • Top Doctors
    • Top Dentists
    • Sponsored: Physician & Dentist Profiles 2024
    • Give Atlanta
  • Best of
    • Eat
    • Drink
    • Do
    • Buy
    • Readers’ Choice
  • Georgia Design
    • Georgia Design Digital Editions
    • Artists & Galleries
    • Design Advice
    • Design News
    • Gardens
    • Real Estate
    • Neighborhoods
    • Kitchens for a Cause
    • Georgia Design Awards 2025
  • Southbound
    • Southbound Digital Editions
    • Southbound Newsletter
  • GaBiz
    • GABiz Magazine
    • GaBiz Magazine Digital Editions
  • Events
    • Magazine Events
    • GrillFest 2025
    • Georgia Design Awards 2025
    • Atlanta Magazine’s Whiskey Festival 2025
    • Past Events
      • Georgia Design Awards 2024
      • Indulge 2024
      • Whiskey Festival 2024
      • Top Doctors Reception 2024 – Green Screen
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2022
      • 2020 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse
    • Event Photos
    • Partner Events
  • Magazine
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Purchase Single Issues
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • Contact Us
    • Pitch Us
    • Advertise
    • Custom Media
    • Employment
      • Careers
      • Internships
    • Archives
    • Where to Find
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Sign up
Welcome!Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • 2026 Atlanta 500 Nominations
  • Issue Archive
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Give Atlanta
  • Shop
  • Submit Your Entry for Georgia Design Awards 2025
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Create an account
Welcome! Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Atlanta Magazine Atlanta Magazine
Atlanta Magazine Atlanta Magazine
  • News/Culture
    • Arts & Events
    • Great Reads
    • 2026 Atlanta 500 Nominations
    • Block by Block: Stories from the streets that connect us
  • Food & Drink
    • 50 of the Best Cheap Eats in Atlanta
    • 75 Best Restaurants in Atlanta
    • 123 Things to Eat on Buford Highway
    • 50 Best Bars
    • 50 Best Tacos
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • 50 Best Things to Do in Georgia
      • Hidden Georgia
      • North Georgia Mountains
    • Health & Wellness
    • 2024-2025 School Guide
    • Style
    • Buckhead Guidebook
    • Top Doctors
    • Top Dentists
    • Sponsored: Physician & Dentist Profiles 2024
    • Give Atlanta
  • Best of
    • Eat
    • Drink
    • Do
    • Buy
    • Readers’ Choice
  • Georgia Design
    • Georgia Design Digital Editions
    • Artists & Galleries
    • Design Advice
    • Design News
    • Gardens
    • Real Estate
    • Neighborhoods
    • Kitchens for a Cause
    • Georgia Design Awards 2025
  • Southbound
    • Southbound Digital Editions
    • Southbound Newsletter
  • GaBiz
    • GABiz Magazine
    • GaBiz Magazine Digital Editions
  • Events
    • Magazine Events
    • GrillFest 2025
    • Georgia Design Awards 2025
    • Atlanta Magazine’s Whiskey Festival 2025
    • Past Events
      • Georgia Design Awards 2024
      • Indulge 2024
      • Whiskey Festival 2024
      • Top Doctors Reception 2024 – Green Screen
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2022
      • 2020 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse
    • Event Photos
    • Partner Events
  • Magazine
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Purchase Single Issues
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • Contact Us
    • Pitch Us
    • Advertise
    • Custom Media
    • Employment
      • Careers
      • Internships
    • Archives
    • Where to Find
Home Independent School Guide Special Needs? Special Schools.
Promotion

Special Needs? Special Schools.

Private school options are available for special education needs
By
Candy Waylock
-
October 30, 2015
1528

For parents of children with special needs, finding a private school which meets their child’s education goals can be a
frustrating search. Of the more than seventy accredited private schools in the metro Atlanta area, fewer than 10 percent have a student population centered on students with unique educational needs.

But thorough research by parents can turn up traditional private schools that offer learning support to students, either through the school itself or through a partnership with a public school.

Public schools are mandated by federal law to provide special education services to eligible students. Private school students, on the other hand, do not have the same legal rights to special education services.

“If your child is enrolled in a private school and has a learning disability, you can meet with the special education director of your public school district to find out what services your school district is currently offering to private school students,” explains Michele Hancock, author and owner of the “Understanding Special Education” parents’ guide.

Federal funds are available to public schools to develop Instructional Education Plans (ISP) for special education students who attend private schools. The money generally covers only the most basic services, notes Hancock, and it is up to public school administrators to decide what services they will provide.

It often comes down to the choice between public schools where special education services are provided at no cost, or private schools, where tuition can run into the tens of thousands of dollars over a K-12 curriculum.

Most private schools offer financial aid to eligible students, and Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) can also help with tuition for kids who move from public to private school.

Students must have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and meet attendance criteria to be eligible. Scholarship amounts vary, but range from $2,500 to $13,000, and can be used at one of nearly 260 state-authorized private schools.

Advertisement
  • TAGS
  • education
  • private school
  • school guide
  • special education
  • 2015-16
Beth Castle

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Graduates walking down the aisle at Spelman College

2025 Atlanta 500: Education & Healthcare

2024 Atlanta 500: Education & Healthcare

2024 Atlanta 500: Education & Healthcare

What's next for HBCUs?

What’s next for HBCUs?

Follow Us

69,386FansLike
144,836FollowersFollow
493,480FollowersFollow

NEWSLETTERS

Atlanta Magazine
Since 1961, Atlanta magazine, the city’s premier general interest publication, has served as the authority on Atlanta, providing its readers with a mix of long-form nonfiction, lively lifestyle coverage, in-depth service journalism, and literary essays, columns, and profiles.

Most recent

Photos: Wu-Tang Clan and Run the Jewels perform at State Farm Arena

June 13, 2025

Baker collaborates with Atlanta designer Susan Ferrier on a globally-inspired collection

June 12, 2025

The Sammy’s team plans to bring brisket and batched cocktails to South Downtown with Broad Street BBQ

June 11, 2025

GREAT READS

Chùa Quang Minh, Georgia’s oldest Vietnamese Buddhist temple, hosts a meditation service.

Fifty years after the fall of Saigon, a thriving Vietnamese community calls Atlanta home

May 29, 2025
Christopher Eubanks

Christopher Eubanks searches for the confidence that brought him to new heights at Wimbledon

April 16, 2025
Horace Reid stands on a tennis court

Atlanta’s Forgotten Tennis Pioneer: Horace Reid

April 16, 2025
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Issue Archive
  • Advertise
  • Business Forum
  • Privacy and Cookies Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • General Contest Rules
© 2025. All rights reserved.