Special education is provided as required by law (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) and Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 56). The law guarantees a free appropriate public education (FAPE) which includes a continuum of services for students who are eligible for special education and related services.

A student is eligible to receive special education and related services from the ages of 3 to 20 after meeting the eligibility criteria for one of the disability categories. In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria for one of the disability categories, the student must demonstrate a need for special education and related services. The eligibility categories are:

• autism
• deaf-blindness
• deafness
• developmental delay
• emotional disturbance
• hearing impairment
• mental retardation
• multiple disability
• orthopedic impairment
• other health impairment
• specific learning disability
• speech-language impairment
• traumatic brain injury
• visual impairment, including blindness

The web site includes links to schools for children with special needs, rights, and much more.