Number of US Disabled Schoolchildren Reaches Record High

Author: Pavel Kuljuk
Published: 2025/08/29
Publication Type: Informative
Category Topic: Youth and Disability - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This report presents critical data on the growing population of disabled students in US schools, revealing that their numbers have reached a record high of 7.5 million students (15% of all students) in the 2022-23 school year, up from 6.4 million in 2012-13. The information is particularly valuable for parents, educators, and policymakers as it highlights significant challenges in special education, including an alarming 15% dropout rate among disabled students compared to just 5.3% for all students. The report provides essential state-by-state breakdowns of school preparedness for disability education and announces the first federal funding study in 25 years, making it a crucial resource for families seeking appropriate educational placement and advocacy groups working to improve outcomes for students with disabilities - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

Almost 15% of disabled students fail to graduate from school. In this situation, the US government is preparing to conduct a new study on funding for the education of disabled students for the first time in 25 years. The data from this study will be published in 2028.

Main Content

The Number of Schoolchildren with Disabilities is Increasing

Summer is ending and a new school year is beginning. The number of disabled children studying in US schools is growing. This value has increased from 6.4 million in the 2012/2013 school year to 7.5 million in the 2022/23 school year. The result has become a record in the history of statistics! During this time, the national share of disabled students has grown from 13% to 15%. This figure is highest in Puerto Rico. There, 37% of all students have disabilities. There is also a large percentage of such children in Pennsylvania, New York and Maine. There, 21% of all students are disabled. The smallest share of disabled students is in Idaho and Hawaii. There, the share of these students is 12%.

The following types of disabilities are common among disabled schoolchildren:

• specific learning disabilities 32%;
• speech or language impairments 19%;
• other health impairments 15%;
• autism 13%;
• developmental delays 7%;
• intellectual disabilities 6%;
• emotional disturbances 4%.

All other types of disability account for 2% or less.

Almost all disabled students attend regular schools. This is the case for 95% of disabled students. Only 2% of students were enrolled in separate schools (public or private) for students with disabilities. The same percentage of students were enrolled in regular private schools. Another 1% of disabled students were educated in hospitals, separate residential institutions (public or private), or correctional institutions.

In the 2021/22 school year, 464,000 disabled students graduated from school. However, only 75% of these students received a diploma from a regular high school. Another 10% received an alternative certificate. 1% reached the maximum age of 16 for special education and/or related services; and less than half a percent died. 15% of disabled students were unable to complete their education. In official statistics, such children are referred to as "dropped out".⁽¹⁾ And this is a very large figure. After all, the share of "dropped out" in the total number of students is three times smaller and amounts to only 5.3%.⁽²⁾

The Darkness in Disability Education

The reasons for such a large proportion of "dropped out" disabled students are unknown. But this is not surprising. After all, the sphere of school education for disabled people is characterized by low information transparency. The last study on this topic was done almost 25 years ago! Then it was found that national spending on the education of disabled people amounted to 50 billion dollars or 8080 dollars for each disabled student. Then this amounted to 21% of federal spending on public schools.

It is not known how much these expenses currently amount to. While the funding volumes are not known, there is no way to improve the education of disabled people. And judging by the data on the large proportion of "dropouts", it is necessary to improve education. The government understands this. Therefore, for the first time in 25 years, a new national study of funding for the education of disabled schoolchildren is being prepared.⁽³⁾

The $5.2 million initiative will be conducted in 1,200 school districts and will study 15,000 students in the 2025-26 school year. The results of the study will be published in 2028. But conclusions and funding improvements will come later. Perhaps when the current generation of students graduates.

Landmarks in the Current Situation

The US Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975.⁽⁴⁾ The Education for All Handicapped Children Act regulates the education of disabled people in the K-12 system. This law provides funding for the education of disabled people at a level of 40% of the average national cost of education per student in the K-12 system. Although the amount of funding is not known, the fact is that funds for these purposes are allocated not only from the federal budget. The budgets of individual states and even school districts also provide funds for these purposes. In different places this is done with varying degrees of effectiveness. Because it is known that schools in different states are prepared differently for educating disabled people. Considering that almost all disabled students study not in special but in regular schools, this is very important information. This is especially important for those parents who can change their place of residence for the sake of educating their own disabled child.

Here is a list of schools in individual states that meet the requirements for educating students with disabilities.⁽⁵⁾

Schools in the following states fully meet the requirements: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Needs Assistance (for only one year): Arkansas, Federated States of Micronesia,Idaho, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, West Virginia.

Needs Assistance (for two or more consecutive years): Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Delaware, District Of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan.

Needs Substantial Intervention: Bureau of Indian Education.

In addition to these official data, there are many private sources that indicate ratings of the best schools for the disabled. The reliability of such data is difficult to verify. But the fact is that the best support for a student is loving parents. They will help the child to achieve success in any school and any state. Have a successful year for you and your children!

Check List

• 1) https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg/students-with-disabilities
• 2) https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=16
• 3) https://ies.ed.gov/use-work/evaluations/national-study-special-education-spending
• 4) https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#:~:text=On%20November%2029%2C%201975%2C%20President,and%20locality%20across%20the%20country.
• 5) https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/2024-determination-letters-on-state-implementation-of-idea/

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Author Credentials: Pavel Kuljuk's articles and poems are published in Australia, North America, and Europe. In recent years, he has been constantly collaborating with Australian Rural & Regional News (Australia), Red Hook Daily Catch and OpEd News (USA), and Disabled World (Canada). Kuliuk's individual publications are in Forbes (Kazakhstan), Rural 21 (Germany), London Loves Business (UK), Karrep (India), RealClearDefense (RCD), Change Links, Daily Caller (USA), and many others. Explore Pavels' complete biography for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.