What is Tennessee's IEA program?

The Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program is a state-funded education savings account for Tennessee K-12 students with certain qualifying disabilities. Instead of enrolling in their zoned public school, the family directs the student's state education funding toward an approved mix of private school tuition, therapies, tutoring, curriculum, and other allowable expenses — including home schooling.

Can I use an IEA to homeschool my child?

Yes. Unlike the Education Freedom Scholarship, the IEA Program allows a participating family to educate the student at home and use account funds for curriculum, tutoring, therapies, and approved technology. You still have to satisfy Tennessee's underlying home school registration and reporting law, plus the IEA program's own receipt and reporting requirements.

Who qualifies for an IEA?

A Tennessee student who has an active IEP identifying one of the program's qualifying disability categories, who meets the prior-year public school enrollment requirement or an exception to it, and who is of K-12 age. The qualifying-disability list is narrower than the full IDEA list, so check the current handbook before assuming your child's category is covered.

Does taking an IEA give up my child's IDEA rights?

It suspends the district's obligation to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) while the student participates. You keep the right to return to public school at any time, at which point the district's IDEA obligations resume, generally after a fresh evaluation and IEP process.

Can a student receive both an IEA and an Education Freedom Scholarship?

No. Tennessee treats the IEA and the Education Freedom Scholarship as separate, non-duplicative programs. A family has to choose one.

Tennessee's Individualized Education Account (IEA) program

The IEA is Tennessee's education savings account for students with disabilities — and it is the one state program that will actually fund home schooling. If your child has an IEP, this is usually the funding conversation worth having first.

Reviewed September 2026 against Tennessee Department of Education guidance for the 2026-27 school year. IEA rules, amounts, and deadlines are set annually — confirm current details in the official IEA handbook before you act on them.

At a glance

Who it's for

Tennessee K-12 students with an active IEP in one of the program's qualifying disability categories.

What it's worth

The state and local per-pupil funding the student would have generated, including special-education weighting — so awards vary by disability category.

What it pays for

Participating private school tuition, home school curriculum, tutoring, licensed therapies, testing fees, approved technology, and more.

The trade-off

While the student participates, the school district is no longer obligated to provide a free appropriate public education under IDEA.

How the IEA actually works

The Individualized Education Act (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 49-10-1401 through 49-10-1406) lets the parent of an eligible student sign an agreement with the state, after which the student's share of state education funding is deposited into a restricted-use account in quarterly installments. The parent — or the student, once they reach 18 — spends from that account on an approved list of educational goods and services and submits documentation for every purchase.

That structure is what makes the IEA flexible. A family can enroll in a participating non-public school and pay tuition from the account, homeschool and buy curriculum and tutoring, or build a hybrid of school classes, therapy, and at-home instruction. It's also what makes it demanding: you are running a small compliance operation, with receipts, deadlines, and an annual renewal.

The trade is real and worth stating plainly. Signing the IEA agreement means acknowledging that your district is no longer on the hook for FAPE under IDEA while your student participates. You can return to public school at any time and those obligations resume, but the day-to-day procedural protections of an IEP delivered by the district do not follow the money.

IEA or EFS?

Tennessee now runs two major school-choice programs, and families mix them up constantly. The Education Freedom Scholarship is universal but can only be used at an EFS-registered non-public school — it does not fund home schooling. The IEA is limited to students with qualifying disabilities but is far more flexible in what it will pay for. A student cannot use both.

See the full comparison

Everything in this guide

"Does the IEA cover ___?"

Direct answers on the specific purchases families ask about most, with the documentation that makes each one approvable.

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Common questions

What is Tennessee's IEA program?: The Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program is a state-funded education savings account for Tennessee K-12 students with certain qualifying disabilities. Instead of enrolling in their zoned public school, the family directs the student's state education funding toward an approved mix of private school tuition, therapies, tutoring, curriculum, and other allowable expenses — including home schooling.
Can I use an IEA to homeschool my child?: Yes. Unlike the Education Freedom Scholarship, the IEA Program allows a participating family to educate the student at home and use account funds for curriculum, tutoring, therapies, and approved technology. You still have to satisfy Tennessee's underlying home school registration and reporting law, plus the IEA program's own receipt and reporting requirements.
Who qualifies for an IEA?: A Tennessee student who has an active IEP identifying one of the program's qualifying disability categories, who meets the prior-year public school enrollment requirement or an exception to it, and who is of K-12 age. The qualifying-disability list is narrower than the full IDEA list, so check the current handbook before assuming your child's category is covered.
Does taking an IEA give up my child's IDEA rights?: It suspends the district's obligation to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) while the student participates. You keep the right to return to public school at any time, at which point the district's IDEA obligations resume, generally after a fresh evaluation and IEP process.
Can a student receive both an IEA and an Education Freedom Scholarship?: No. Tennessee treats the IEA and the Education Freedom Scholarship as separate, non-duplicative programs. A family has to choose one.

Find providers in Tennessee

Tutors, therapists, and schools listed in this directory are a starting point. Confirm with each provider that they can invoice or receipt an IEA purchase before you commit.

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