Reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Long, Ph.D. — Director of Special Education, 32 years in public schools.
In New Hampshire, the school generally has 60 calendar days from when the school receives your written consent to complete the evaluation and decide whether your child is eligible for special education (under N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed 1107.01(c)).
What this deadline covers. This deadline covers both the evaluation and the eligibility decision.
New Hampshire runs year-round, and the team must meet to write the IEP within 30 days — calendar days — of the eligibility decision.
Those 60 days cover more than the testing. New Hampshire defines the “evaluation process” to include the assessments, a written summary report, and a meeting of the IEP team to go through the results — and where the meeting is to decide eligibility, the eligibility decision as well (N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed 1107.01(c), Ed 1102.02(n)). So at day 60 you should have a report in your hands and a meeting behind you, not just testing that has finished.
There is no 30-day extension for a first evaluation. The extension in Ed 1107.01(e) applies to the 60-day limit required by Ed 1107.01(d), which is re-evaluations. If you are asked to sign an extension for your child’s first evaluation, ask which rule it comes from.
Under federal law (20 U.S.C. § 1414(a)(1)(C)) the default is 60 calendar days from the school's receipt of consent, but New Hampshire's own rule controls where it sets one.
The timeline generally begins when the school receives your signed written consent — write the deadline on your calendar that day so you can tell early and calmly if things slip. Try the deadline calculator →
"Calendar days," "school days," and "business days" differ sharply — school and business days exclude weekends and breaks, so the same number can mean very different real dates. New Hampshire uses the unit shown above.
A ready-to-send letter that formally requests a special education evaluation and starts the timeline. Just add your details. Enter your email and it's yours.
Every state has a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center that helps families for free. In New Hampshire, that's Parent Information Center of NH. For the official rules, see New Hampshire's special education office.
Start factually: "Our evaluation was due on [date] based on New Hampshire's timeline — can you give me an update?" Get the response in writing, and if it keeps slipping without a plan, it's reasonable to involve the special education director and consider a state complaint. Start by assuming it was a scheduling problem, not bad faith.
State special education rules change and are periodically updated. Confirm the current figure with New Hampshire's Department of Education or your district before relying on any exact date. This is educational information, not legal advice.
Dr. Long's Assistant answers your specific questions in plain language — built from Dr. Long's expertise, plus state and federal law read at the source — never the open internet.
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