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Q:

How large is the disabled student population in the South?
A:

Background:

Students with disabilities are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  The number of students served under this program has grown faster than total school enrollment, resulting in greater percentages of students eligible to receive special services though schools.  In the 1990-1991 school year, 11.6 percent of students in the South were served under IDEA.  By the 2005-2006 school year, this figure had grown to 13.4 percent of all students, slightly below the national average.  The number of students served through IDEA has grown by 44.6 percent in the South, ahead of the national average (due to greater increases in the general student population.


Number and percentage of children (aged 3-21 years) served under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, by age group and state or jurisdiction: Selected years, 1990-91 through 2005-06

State
1990-91
As a percent of public school enrollment,
1990-1991
2005-06
As a percent of public school enrollment,
2005-2006
Percent change in number served,
1990-91 to 2005-06
Alabama
94,601
13.1
92,635
12.5
-2.1
Arkansas
47,187
10.8
67,314
14.2
42.7
Florida
234,509
12.6
398,916
14.9
70.1
Georgia
101,762
8.8
197,596
12.4
94.2
Kentucky
78,853
12.4
108,798
16.0
38.0
Louisiana
72,825
9.3
90,453
13.8
24.2
Maryland
88,017
12.3
110,959
12.9
26.1
Mississippi
60,872
12.1
68,099
13.8
11.9
Missouri
101,166
12.4
143,204
15.6
41.6
North Carolina
122,942
11.3
192,820
13.6
56.8
Oklahoma
65,457
11.3
96,601
15.2
47.6
South Carolina
77,367
12.4
110,219
15.7
42.5
Tennessee
104,853
12.7
120,122
12.6
14.6
Texas
344,529
10.2
507,405
11.2
47.3
Virginia
112,072
11.2
174,640
14.4
55.8
West Virginia
42,428
13.2
49,677
17.7
17.1
SLC
1,749,442
11.6
2,529,465
13.4
44.6
United States
4,710,089
11.4
6,712,605
13.7
42.5

Note: Percentage of students with disabilities is based on the total enrollment in public schools, prekindergarten through 12th grade.  Prior to 1994, children and youth with disabilities were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, and Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In October 1994, funding for children and youth with disabilities was consolidated under IDEA, Part B. Data reported in this table for years prior to 1994 include children served under Chapter 1. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, selected years, 1992 through 2005, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) database, retrieved on September 25, 2006, from http://www.ideadata.org/PartBdata.asp. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 2003-04 and 2004-05.