Free Resources

Here are trusted public sources and free printables to help you research and compare. We link to official and widely used sources. We don’t receive anything for these links.

Printable checklists

Download our free printables (PDF):

  1. School Visit Checklist: Questions and observation prompts for tours (from Step 5 of How to Choose).
  2. Choosing a School: Family Worksheet: Child profile, family needs, and priorities ranking.
  3. Options Comparison Grid: A blank version of the comparison table for up to four schools.
  4. Enrollment Deadline Tracker: A calendar template for lotteries, applications, and transfers.
  5. IEP/504 Questions for a New School: What to ask about services, staffing, and transitions.
  6. Federal Tax Credit Quick Sheet: The one-page “donor vs. scholarship family” explainer.
  7. Questions to Ask a School: A fuller list of questions for tours, calls, and open houses.
  8. College Search Checklist: Steps for exploring, applying, and paying for college.
  9. Financial Aid Offer Comparison: Line up college costs and aid offers side by side.
  10. CTE & Training Program Checklist: Compare CTE pathways, apprenticeships, and trade and technical schools.
  11. FAFSA Walkthrough (2027–28): Step-by-step help with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Find and compare schools

  • California School Dashboard (caschooldashboard.org): State performance data for public and charter schools.
  • California Department of Education: School Directory (cde.ca.gov/SchoolDirectory): Public, charter, and district information.
  • CDE Private School Directory (cde.ca.gov, Private Schools section): Private schools that have filed the annual affidavit. A filing is not an endorsement or accreditation.
  • CDE Charter Schools (cde.ca.gov, Charter Schools section): The state’s charter overview and data.
  • NCES School Search (nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch and the Private School Search): National public and private school directories.

Special education and learning differences

  • Center for Parent Information and Resources (parentcenterhub.org): Finds your state’s Parent Training and Information Center.
  • U.S. Department of Education: IDEA (sites.ed.gov/idea): Federal special education law and parent guides.
  • Understood (understood.org): Plain-language articles on learning and thinking differences.

Homeschool and independent study

  • CDE: Homeschooling and Independent Study (cde.ca.gov): California’s official guidance on the Private School Affidavit and independent study rules.

Tax credit and funding

  • IRS: Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (irs.gov, “Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC)”) and the participating states list.
  • Federal Register: proposed and temporary rules (federalregister.gov, published Oct. 2, 2026).