Private school funding for Indianapolis students with IEPs

What funding is there for a child with an IEP at an Indianapolis private school?

Two routes: the Indiana Education Scholarship Account, worth up to $20,000 a year for a student with an Indiana IEP, service plan or CSEP, or a Choice Scholarship with the Choice school named as the special education provider. A student cannot hold both at once.

Our file has 44 schools on IDOE's August 31, 2026 list of approved ESA school providers or flagged as special-education schools in the federal survey; 30 of them are also on the Choice list.

How does special education work under the Choice voucher?

When the school applies, the parent names either the Choice school or the public school district as the special education service provider. A Choice school that is named and agrees to serve the student can receive state special education funding on top of the voucher.

Statewide in 2025-26, families named the Choice school 1,243 times and the public district 5,086 times, according to IDOE's annual report. Choice schools received $3,651,203.65 in special education payments for 2024-25.

When is an ESA better than the voucher?

When services, not just tuition, are the bigger cost. The ESA adds the full special education funding from the student's plan to the base amount and pays approved therapists, tutors and aides directly, which the voucher never does.

The voucher can be simpler when the private school itself provides the services and the student's needs are modest.

What has to be in place before applying for an ESA?

An active Indiana IEP, service plan or CSEP from an Indiana public school evaluation, Indiana residence, and an age of five to 22 on October 1. The application opened March 1 for 2026-27 and closed September 1, with a priority window to April 15.

If your child is already in a private school and has no plan, ask your home district, or the district where the private school sits, how to request an evaluation.