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Note: Congress has reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the statute formerly known as No Child Left Behind. The new statute, Every Student Succeeds Act, was signed into law by President Obama on December 10, 2015.

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The No Child Left Behind statute is Public Law 107-110. Download statute, regulations, Federal Register, other legal resources.

No Child Left Behind is a comprehensive plan to reform schools, change school culture, empower parents, and improve education for all children. The law promises to raise standards for all children and to help all children meet these standards.

No Child Left Behind is based on four principles:

Because this statute will affect your child's education for years, you need to learn more about the law. Think about what this law means for you, your child and your child's teachers.

NCLB Deadlines

NCLB requires that all children be at the proficient level on state testing by the 2013-2014 school year.

Beginning in the fall of 2002, school districts must report the scores for statewide testing to parents. This is the district or school's report card. The district will report scores for each school as a whole. The scores will also be broken out into four subgroups: children with disabilities, limited English proficiency, racial minorities and children from low-income families. You will be able to compare the report card from your child's school to the report cards from other schools in your district and state.

Beginning in 2005, your school must test all children in grades 3-8 every year in math and reading. By Fall, 2007, science assessments are required. These test scores will determine if schools are making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) towards the goal of proficiency for all children by the 2013-2014 deadline.

If a Title 1 school fails to meet its AYP goal for two consecutive years, all children in the school may choose to attend a non-failing school in your school district. If a Title 1 School fails to reach its AYP goal for three years, the school will provide supplemental services to the children remaining there. These supplemental services include free tutoring, after-school programs, and summer school.

NCLB Clarifications

The Secretary of Education has issued several policy letters to clarify the No Child Left Behind statute. In August 2002, the U.S. Department of Education issued proposed regulations.

No Child Left Behind Statute, Regulations, Federal Register, Other Legal Resources

Regulations for the No Child Left Behind Act

State Contacts for the No Child Left Behind Act

No Child Left Behind Website

Policy Letters from the Secretary of Education

Letter about School Choice, Supplemental Services

Letter About Adequate Yearly Progress & School Improvement Options

More Useful Information

Fact Sheet: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

No State Left Behind: The Challenges and Opportunities of ESEA 2001 by the Education Commission of the States. Click on No State Left Behind to download the PDF publication

Major Changes to ESEA in the No Child Left Behind Act by Learning First Alliance.

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Implications for Special Education Policy and Practice, Selected Sections of Title I and Title II, by Council for Exceptional Children, September 2002

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, by Council for Exceptional Children