Many education choice programs are designed specifically for students with special needs, which makes sense; students with special needs can particularly benefit from individualized, flexible education.
That’s a broadly shared perspective too: public schools must provide Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) under federal law. But when families need something beyond what their public school can offer, they need quality, affordable options.
Enter education choice programs.
According to 2026 research by EdChoice, there are at least 208,499 private school choice students with disabilities (the report notes this is a very low estimate), suggesting that some families are choosing private options to meet their unique educational needs. Importantly, the report also notes that the number of private school choice students with disabilities is thousands more than last year, suggesting a trend may be coming.
And though enrollment in public schools has been declining, the number of students eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has jumped significantly in recent years.
All of this suggests more families may also seek education choice programs in the future to help their students with special needs. Lawmakers will need to respond.
Luckily, Utah provides two private school choice opportunities for families in this situation: the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship, designed for and limited to students with special needs, and the Utah Fits All Scholarship program, for any student, subject to funding limitations.
Utah Fits All Scholarship continues to have a significant waitlist, meaning the state will need to increase funding for its choice programs to meet an ever-growing demand.
A story with Utah Fits All Scholarship
One Utah mother, Paige, shared her experience using the Utah Fits All Scholarship, which is one story among a collection of similar ones posted through the Empowered Parents website (you can read more stories here). Her story shows the power of the program to increase academic success and self-confidence for her children, who have unique challenges in their education.
Paige shared:
“If you looked at my thirteen-year-old son’s learning profile on paper, you would see what looks like a mountain of challenges: dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. In a traditional public school setting, trying to keep up with that pace while facing intense peer pressure caused his self-esteem and emotional stability to hit rock bottom. It broke my heart to watch. But minds simply don’t all learn the same way, and these scholarship funds allowed us to pivot and throw him a lifeline. Quite literally, we would not be able to afford or provide what his mind truly needs without this financial support. Because of these funds, we are able to look beyond local boundaries and connect with highly specialized teachers across the country who virtually instruct my children and deeply understand how their brains process information. To see him get that direct, expert instruction and finally ‘get it’ has been nothing short of a miracle for our family. His confidence has completely soared, and he is genuinely thriving in core, foundational areas like reading, language arts, and math. I cannot even begin to express how deeply grateful we are; it didn’t just fix an academic problem, it gave me my happy, confident boy back.”
This story highlights how devastating even more common learning disabilities can be. Today, roughly 15%-20% of the population show signs of dyslexia, a learning disability that makes it difficult to learn to read. In an age when literacy rates and reading scores are low across the nation and in Utah, we should be as open as possible to finding education solutions for students who are struggling to read for any variety of reasons.
Paige shared how the scholarship program helped her other son too.
“Similarly, the program has been revolutionary for my other son, who struggles with severe anxiety to the point where attending a large, traditional classroom daily simply was not a viable option; it heavily impacted his daily life and overall well-being. Transitioning him out of that environment and utilizing these funds to place him in a small, tight-knit, two-day-a-week hybrid school completely changed everything. With a minimal student-to-teacher ratio, he has been able to heal emotionally, grow, and successfully focus his energy on his core academic subjects. These funds are not a luxury or an entitlement used for non-essential extras; they are the exact mechanism that allows my children to access the foundational, primary education they deserve. I am profoundly grateful that Utah provides these vital alternative options, ensuring that children with diverse mental and emotional needs are not left behind.”
Conclusion
Education choice programs can change the course of a child’s life, expanding their knowledge and increasing their confidence, especially after a season of struggle with profound challenges. Utah should expand its education choice programs and offerings so more families have these experiences and more children can thrive.
