IEPNotes
Our free platform for parents to keep their child’s IEP records, evaluations and school communication organized in one secure place.
Advocacy starts with a complete IEP record.
The National Fair Learning Initiative (NFLI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds IEPNotes, a free tool for keeping a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) and school records in one place. We help families of children with disabilities understand and take part in their child’s special education.
Built by a 501(c)(3).
Your child’s recordsExample
- 2022–23IEPEvaluation
- 2023–24IEPProgress report
- 2024–25IEPEmail from school
- 2025–26IEP meeting notesService log
Every IEP, evaluation and email, sorted by school year.
Why we exist
More than 7.5 million U.S. students get special education services, about twice as many as in 1976–77.
We support children with disabilities and their families as they work to get the education they’re entitled to under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The IEP process creates a huge amount of paperwork: evaluations, progress reports, meeting notes, emails, service logs and legal letters. Parents are often left to organize it all on their own, while juggling work, caregiving and their child’s daily needs. When records are scattered or incomplete, it’s much harder to show when a child’s services are missing, aren’t working, or don’t fit their needs.
Families with lower incomes, families who speak a language other than English, and families in rural areas face the biggest barriers. Too often, the support a child gets depends on what the family can afford, not on what the child needs.
More students need special education, and schools are struggling to hire the teachers to serve them.
Students ages 3 to 21 who get special education
Millions of students, 1976–77 to 2022–23
The number of students rose from 3.7 million in 1976–77 to 7.5 million in 2022–23. That’s 15 out of every 100 public school students.
Show the numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Share of public school students |
|---|---|---|
| 1976–77 | 3.7 million | 8.3% |
| 1980–81 | 4.1 million | 10.1% |
| 1990–91 | 4.7 million | 11.4% |
| 2000–01 | 6.3 million | 13.3% |
| 2010–11 | 6.4 million | 13.0% |
| 2019–20 | 7.3 million | 14.3% |
| 2020–21 | 7.2 million | 14.5% |
| 2021–22 | 7.3 million | 14.7% |
| 2022–23 | 7.5 million | 15.2% |
74%
of elementary and middle schools with a special education opening had trouble filling it with a fully certified teacher in fall 2024.
39 states and DC
list special education as a teacher shortage area for the 2026–27 school year.
Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 204.30 (2023), students ages 3 to 21 served under IDEA; National Center for Education Statistics, School Pulse Panel (2024); U.S. Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas (2026–27).
When teachers are stretched thin, a child’s history can get lost between years and classrooms. We exist to close that gap, with one secure place where families and the professionals who support them keep, organize and share IEP records.
Our mission
To empower parents of children with disabilities, and the educators, advocates, attorneys and support professionals who work alongside them, by providing a free, secure, comprehensive tool that simplifies managing Individualized Education Program (IEP) and advocacy records, in support of every child’s right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
What we do
Training and resources
We are building plain-language guides, videos and webinars that explain the IEP process and special education terms.
Partnerships
We work with advocacy groups, educators, attorneys and disability-led organizations so IEPNotes reaches the families who need it most.
What we built: IEPNotes
IEPNotes is a secure online tool where parents keep their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), evaluations, school records and conversations in one place. It is free for parents and guardians, and professionals who work with families can use it too. A Spanish version is coming soon.
The tools parents, educators and professionals need, in one place.
Keep every IEP document organized
One secure place for every IEP, evaluation and report, so you’re not digging through folders, binders or old emails when it matters most.
Understand progress toward IEP goals
Track each goal in one place, so you can see what’s working, what isn’t, and what to ask for next.
See services and timelines clearly
Follow your child’s whole educational journey. Compare the first IEP with one written years later: every evaluation, service, meeting and change.
Take part with confidence
Templates and plain-language guides help you use your child’s records to speak up in IEP meetings.
Keep a clear record of communication
Log every email, call and meeting with the school and providers, so you never lose track of a conversation.
Catch problems early
Spot missed services, delays and changes early, so you can ask about them before they grow.
Coming soonFor special education teachers, case managers, general education teachers and school-based therapists
You inherit the IEP. IEPNotes gives you the history behind it.
Caseloads keep growing, and every new student arrives with years of records spread across binders, inboxes and old files. When a family shares their IEPNotes records with you, the whole story comes with the student.
Know the student before day one
When a family shares their records with you, you see every past IEP, evaluation and accommodation. Start the year knowing what worked, not guessing.
See what changed, year by year
Goals, accommodations, modifications and service minutes side by side, so you can spot what was added or dropped before the next meeting.
Start meetings on the same page
A shared log of calls, emails and meetings with the family, so everyone works from one record of what was said and agreed.
Show the minutes you deliver
Log each session next to the minutes the IEP promises, including make-ups, so your service records are ready when anyone asks.
Coming soonProgress reports in less time
Draft progress reports from the data you already logged, in English and Spanish, then review and edit before you send.
Coming soonHelp subs and aides get it right
A free one-page profile with a student’s strengths, needs and supports, ready to hand to a substitute, aide or new teacher.
Coming soonCase preparation and records
Every document, evaluation and message for each family you support, organized and secure. Less time hunting for records, more time helping.
Progress you can measure
Charts of growth, regression and services delivered help you spot trends and gaps, and back your work with data instead of anecdotes.
Coming soonIEP service timelines
Every evaluation, service, amendment and meeting on one timeline, so gaps and delays stand out.
Complete communication records
Every message with schools, providers and families, dated and in one place, ready if a case goes to mediation, a complaint or due process.
Reusable advocacy documents
Create, upload and reuse your own templates and checklists, so every case gets your best work with less paperwork.
Compliance and equity insights
Combine service data across cases to find missed deadlines and patterns that point to bigger problems, and use them to push for change.
Coming soonFeatures marked Coming soon are in development and may change before release.
How we built IEPNotes
We started with the hardest part of the IEP process for families, and built around it.
We started with families
Schools use software to manage IEPs. Families usually can’t use it, so they rely on binders, paper folders, email threads and screenshots. IEPNotes is built for the family’s side of the table first.
We followed the IEP itself
Records are organized the way an IEP is written: present levels, goals, accommodations, modifications and services, year by year. That makes changes easy to spot.
We brought in many kinds of expertise
We have a board of directors, and we’re expanding it to bring in more expertise from technology, special education, psychology, therapy, law and disability advocacy, including autistic self-advocates and people who use AAC to communicate.
Our goals and how we’ll achieve them
As a nonprofit, we answer to the families we serve. These are the commitments we hold ourselves to.
Keep a free plan for every family.
Cost should never stand between a child and effective advocacy. Every family can use IEPNotes free, and grants, donations, partnerships and professional plans keep it that way.
Protect families’ sensitive information.
IEP records contain some of the most personal information a family has. We’ll maintain strong encryption, strict access controls and clear privacy policies, and families will always control who sees their child’s records.
Make IEP records easier to manage and understand.
We’ll keep building features that help parents organize documents, track services and deadlines, log communication with schools and prepare for IEP meetings, designed with direct input from parents and advocates.
Strengthen collaboration across a child’s support team.
We’ll make it simple for parents to securely share records with educators, advocates, attorneys and therapists, so everyone works from the same accurate information.
Reach the families who need it most.
We’ll partner with Parent Training and Information Centers, disability advocacy organizations, schools and community groups to put IEPNotes in the hands of families, especially in under-resourced communities.
Get involved
IEPNotes stays free for families because people and organizations support it.
Donate
Your gift helps keep IEPNotes free for parents and helps us reach more families. NFLI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and donations go through PayPal.
Sponsor families
Attorneys, therapists, hospitals, credit unions and anyone who works with children with disabilities can sponsor IEPNotes. Sponsors pay for family grants and can choose the area, state or disability they want to help. Everyone who sponsors in 2026–27 joins our Founding Circle.
Volunteer
We’re looking for grant writers and social media marketers. We also welcome help with education, technology, law, therapy and outreach, and stories from families about their own experience. We’re also growing our board of directors.
Partner with us
Schools, clinics, advocacy groups and companies can help bring IEPNotes to more families.
Shop
Show your support for fair learning with National Fair Learning Initiative merchandise.
Follow our work
Read our blog, and follow IEPNotes on TikTok and YouTube for news, tips and how-to videos.
Questions families ask
Is IEPNotes really free?
Yes. Every family can use IEPNotes free for up to 2 children, with no card and no time limit. Families with more children, and professionals such as advocates and attorneys, can choose a paid plan.
Who can see my child’s records?
Only you and the people you invite. When you share with a teacher, advocate or attorney, you choose view-only or edit access and when it ends.
Do you sell my information or use it to train AI?
No. We don’t sell personal information, and we don’t use it to train artificial intelligence (AI).
Does IEPNotes give legal advice?
No. IEPNotes helps you organize and understand your child’s records. For legal questions, talk with a special education attorney, an advocate, or your state’s Parent Training and Information Center.
Is IEPNotes available in Spanish?
A Spanish version is coming soon.
How is NFLI funded?
The National Fair Learning Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Grants, donations, partnerships and professional plans pay for our work, and every dollar goes back into the mission.
Contact us
Questions, ideas or press requests: contact@iepnotes.com