A growing percentage of children enrolled in the nation’s public school system are identified as having disabilities, according to comprehensive new federal data that also underscores a troubling reality: these vulnerable students face disproportionately higher rates of physical restraint, seclusion, and other exclusionary forms of discipline compared to their non-disabled peers.
The findings are part of the U.S. Department of Education’s most recent civil rights data collection, which offers a nationwide look at equity, access, and discipline inside American classrooms. According to the report, students with disabilities now account for 19% of the nearly 50 million children attending public schools across the United States. This marks a notable increase from the 17% identified in the corresponding federal data collection cycle two years prior, signaling an ongoing shift in the demographics and support needs of the student population nationwide.
The newly released figures are derived from exhaustive reports submitted by 17,591 school districts, representing more than 97,000 individual schools during the 2023–2024 academic year. While the Education Department initially released raw numbers to the public in August, it has now published a comprehensive analytical report reflecting key findings and overarching trends from across the country.
The Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Education typically conducts this major civil rights data collection every two years. The extensive survey mandates that all public school districts, charter schools, alternative learning environments, juvenile justice facilities, and other educational entities receiving federal financial assistance report detailed information on student enrollment, access to advanced courses, teacher equity, disciplinary actions, and various other indicators of civil rights compliance.
A closer examination of the latest data reveals how educational services are distributed among the millions of students requiring specialized support. Roughly 7.6 million students with disabilities spanning preschool through high school were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, commonly known as IDEA, during the period covered by the report. Demographic breakdowns within this group show that approximately two-thirds of the students served under IDEA are boys.
Altogether, federal data shows that 15% of public school students receive specialized services governed under IDEA, which provides federal funding and mandates specific legal protections and individualized planning for students with qualifying conditions. Meanwhile, an additional 4% of the student population receive targeted accommodations and services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in programs receiving federal financial assistance. Combined, these two categories comprise the 19% of the nation’s public school enrollment that requires specialized educational plans or accommodations.
Despite making up less than one-fifth of the total student population, children with disabilities bear the brunt of harsh, exclusionary disciplinary practices. The figures detailing the use of physical restraint and seclusion are particularly stark. While children with individualized education programs—commonly referred to as IEPs—account for just 15% of all public school students, they represent an overwhelming 68% of all students who experience seclusion, where a student is involuntarily confined to a room or area from which they are prevented from leaving. Furthermore, these same students account for 73% of all children who are subjected to physical restraint by school personnel.
The disparities extend deep into traditional forms of school discipline as well. Students receiving services under IDEA account for approximately a quarter of all students who receive in-school suspensions or out-of-school suspensions, and they make up 23% of all student expulsions nationwide. Educational experts and civil rights advocates point out that these figures demonstrate systemic inequities in how behavioral challenges are managed within public schools, noting that students who require support the most are frequently subjected to practices that remove them from instructional settings.
These persistent disparities have drawn sharp criticism from advocacy organizations dedicated to protecting the rights of vulnerable students. Denise Marshall, the chief executive officer of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a national nonprofit organization known as COPAA that champions the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families, spoke out regarding the implications of the new federal data.
According to Marshall, the numbers confirm that systemic problems persist across the nation’s educational landscape, leaving marginalized groups highly vulnerable to harmful practices. She emphasized that students with disabilities, alongside students who are Black, continue to be subjected to disproportionately high levels of exclusionary discipline, physical restraint, and seclusion.
Marshall argued that every time a school administration resorts to suspending, restraining, or secluding a child, the fundamental mission of the educational program has failed. She noted that removing a child from the classroom environment directly impedes their ability to learn and grow, stressing that educational institutions must abandon reliance on punitive measures. Furthermore, Marshall pointed out that effective, evidence-based alternatives to exclusionary discipline already exist and are readily available for implementation, asserting that simply publishing the raw data is no longer sufficient to address a crisis of this magnitude.
