Sample Letter: Requesting Your Child’s School Records

Because differences are our greatest strength

You have a legal right to see your child’s educational records. Many school districts have a standard form to fill out for requesting records. You can ask the principal or school secretary for it.

If the school doesn’t have a form, you can use this sample letter.

Sample letter: Request a copy of your child’s school recordsPDF

Customize it with information about your child, and keep these points in mind:

If it would be hard for you to come to the school to view the records, add a sentence to the letter explaining why.
Ask the school to mail you a copy of your child’s records.
Be sure to specify where you’d like the copies to be sent.
You also can make a request via email. Sometimes that’s the quickest option, and it makes it easy to keep a record of the communications.

Related downloads

Download sample letters for requesting evaluations.
If your child has an IEP, explore printable downloads to help manage the IEP.
If need be, use these sample letters for dispute resolution, including a letter to discuss a problem with the school.

About the author

Lexi Walters Wright is the former community manager at Understood. As a writer and editor, she helps parents make more informed choices for their children and for themselves.