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The number of students with disabilities ages 3-21 who qualify for special education services in the U.S. rose 3.8% — or by 301,991 students — in 2024 when compared to the year before, according to federal data analyzed by The Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
About 8.2 million students ages 3-21 qualified for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2024. There were increases for both pre-K and K-12 students.
IDEA also served 458,920 infants and toddlers through IDEA’s Part C early intervention services, according to The Advocacy Institute’ analysis of data collected by the U.S. Department of Education.
Nationally, the number of students ages 3-21 qualifying for IDEA Part B special education and related services rose 12.6% between 2019 and 2024, The Advocacy Institute analysis shows.
Overall public school enrollment, on the other hand, decreased slightly by 0.3% in the 2024-25 school year compared to the year before, according to separate Education Department data.
The enrollment data mirror trends that many local and state special and general education administrators have noted in recent years — that while their overall student counts are decreasing, the numbers of students with disabilities are on the rise.
There is likely no one cause pushing the rise in special education student counts. But education experts point to several influencing factors, including more awareness and earlier identification of conditions like autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the use of universal screeners for certain learning disabilities, and heightened attention to children’s mental well-being.
For instance,Texas saw a 10.5% special education enrollment increase from 2023 to 2024, The Advocacy Institute said. A new formula funding gives Texas schools an additional $1,000 for each initial special education evaluation conducted for any student who may have a disability, including those not enrolled in public schools, according to the state education agency.
While Texas had the highest year-over-year percent increase in students qualifying for special education, the Bureau of Indian Education and the District of Columbia had increases of 6.1% each. Montana was the only state to see a percent decrease, which was -0.9%, according to The Advocacy Institute analysis.
Here’s a look at other key data points from the research:
Number of IDEA-eligible students exceeds 8M
There was a 12.6% increase in the number of students qualifying for special education between 2019 and 2024.
Year-over-year changes in IDEA disability categories
Specific learning disabilities is the most common disability category under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
IDEA-eligible students mostly attend general education classes
The percentage of special education students learning in general education classrooms has increased over the years.
