What ages does the IEP cover?

• A. Birth to three
• B. 3 through 21
• C. 4 through 18
• D. 5 through 22

Answer: (B)

IEP covers school-age students with disabilities from age three up to age twenty-one. This range aligns with how special education services are provided in most public schools during elementary through high school and into the transition years. Early intervention for younger children (birth through age two or three) is handled under a different process called an individualized family service plan (IFSP) and is part of Part C, not the IEP. So the standard IEP window starts at three, not at birth, and ends around twenty-one (with some variations by state or individual circumstances).