A growing number of students in the nation’s public schools are identified as having disabilities, according to comprehensive new federal data that also highlights a deeply concerning trend: these children are significantly more likely to experience physical restraint, seclusion, and other forms of harsh disciplinary action compared to their non-disabled peers.
The findings are part of the latest civil rights data collection released by the U.S. Department of Education, offering a sweeping look at the state of public education across the country. According to the data, students with disabilities now account for 19 percent of the nearly 50 million children enrolled in public schools nationwide. This represents a notable increase from previous reporting cycles, signaling that schools are identifying and serving a larger population of students with diverse learning and medical needs than in years past.
A closer examination of the numbers reveals how these students receive support within the educational system. Approximately 15 percent of all public school students are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, commonly known as IDEA, which provides federal funding and mandates specialized educational services and individualized learning plans for children with qualifying conditions. Meanwhile, another 4 percent of students receive accommodations and services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which ensures that students with physical or mental impairments that substantially limit a major life activity have equal access to an education.
The newly published figures are derived from comprehensive reports submitted by 17,591 school districts, encompassing more than 97,000 individual schools across the United States during the 2023 through 2024 academic year. While the Education Department initially released raw numbers to the public in August, the agency has now published a detailed report reflecting key findings and localized trends from across the country.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights routinely conducts this massive data collection effort every two years. The initiative requires all public schools, school districts, charter networks, alternative learning environments, juvenile justice facilities, and other educational entities receiving federal financial assistance to report a wide array of information. This includes metrics on student enrollment, equitable access to rigorous academic courses and certified teachers, chronic absenteeism, and disciplinary practices.
The share of students with disabilities captured in the latest report demonstrates a clear upward trajectory when compared with historical data. In the previous civil rights data collection cycle, students with disabilities accounted for 17 percent of total public school enrollment. The rise to 19 percent reflects a continuing national trend of increased identification, greater awareness among parents and educators, and broader utilization of federal support programs.
When breaking down the raw numbers, the Department of Education’s latest report indicates that roughly 7.6 million students with disabilities, ranging from preschool age through high school, were served under IDEA during the 2023-2024 academic year. The demographic breakdown of this population reveals that about two-thirds of the students receiving IDEA services are boys, a long-standing pattern in special education identification.
However, alongside the rising enrollment numbers, the federal data exposes stark and persistent disparities in how these children are treated when behavioral challenges arise or when school disciplinary policies are enforced. Although children with individualized education programs, or IEPs, account for just 15 percent of the overall public school student population, they bear a disproportionate and alarming brunt of the most extreme forms of school discipline.
According to the federal report, students receiving services under IDEA represent an astonishing 68 percent of all children who experience seclusion, a practice where a student is involuntarily isolated in a room or area from which they are prevented from leaving. Furthermore, these same students account for 73 percent of all children who are subjected to physical restraint by school personnel.
The disparities extend well beyond seclusion and physical restraint into traditional exclusionary discipline practices. Students with IEPs account for approximately a quarter of all students who receive either in-school or out-of-school suspensions. Additionally, they make up 23 percent of all student expulsions nationwide, highlighting a system where behavioral interventions for disabled students frequently rely on exclusion rather than support.
These findings have drawn sharp criticism and deep concern from advocacy organizations and civil rights watchdogs who monitor compliance with federal education laws. Denise Marshall, the chief executive officer of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, commonly known as COPAA, a prominent national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil and legal rights of students with disabilities and their families, did not mince words when assessing the new data.
Marshall emphasized that the data demonstrates systemic failures that have persisted for years without adequate correction. She pointed out that students with disabilities, alongside Black students, continue to be subjected to disproportionately high rates of exclusionary discipline, physical restraint, and involuntary seclusion across the nation’s classrooms.
Every single time a school resorts to suspending, restraining, or secluding a child, Marshall noted, that child is fundamentally denied the opportunity to learn, signaling that the educational program has failed to meet their needs. She stressed that education professionals and school administrators are well aware that there are far better, evidence-based alternatives available to manage behavior and support students, and that these alternative strategies must be actively implemented rather than ignored. Simply reporting out the data and acknowledging the disparities is no longer enough to address the crisis, according to advocacy groups calling for urgent systemic reform at the federal, state, and local levels.
