ToolPorch / Due Date Calculator
Evaluation Due Date Calculator that knows your school calendar
Count any timeline — 15, 30, 45, 60 days — forward from a referral, consent, or meeting date, in calendar days or in school days with your district's breaks skipped.
Why this exists
Special education runs on deadlines that are easy to state and annoying to compute: sixty days from signed consent, ten school days to convene, thirty days from eligibility to IEP. Calendar-day counting is simple until the count crosses winter break and someone asks whether the due date "feels right." School-day counting is worse — it requires the actual district calendar, which is why most people count squares on a printed calendar with a pencil. This tool does the pencil work: paste your no-school days once at the start of the year, and every timeline after that is two fields and a glance.
A worked example
Consent signed Friday, December 4, 30 school days to count, district closed December 21 through January 1. Day counting starts Monday the 7th; fourteen school days remain in December before break; the count resumes January 4 and lands sixteen school days later — Monday, January 25. In calendar-day mode the same timeline would end January 3, in the middle of break, which is exactly the kind of nonsense date that gets a timeline missed. Same start date, same "30 days," three weeks apart — which is why knowing which rule your state uses matters more than the arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
Calendar days or school days — which do I use?
It depends on your state and the specific timeline. Federal IDEA sets a 60-calendar-day default for initial evaluations, but many states substitute their own timeframe, and several count school days instead. District policies add more. Use whichever your state rule specifies — this calculator does both, but it cannot tell you which applies. When in doubt, ask your special education director.
How does school-day counting handle breaks?
School-day mode skips every Saturday and Sunday automatically. For everything else — fall break, winter break, PD days, snow days — paste the no-school dates into the breaks box (one per line, like 2026-11-26) and they’re skipped too. Your break list is saved on your device so you only type the school calendar once a year.
Does day one start on the start date or the day after?
The day after, which is the common convention: a 60-day timeline starting from consent signed on the 1st is due on the 61st calendar day. If your state counts the start date itself as day one, subtract one day from the result.
Is this legal advice?
No. It’s arithmetic — accurate arithmetic, with your calendar — but the governing timeline is defined by your state regulations and district policy. Verify which rule applies before relying on a date.