The number of students with disabilities spending some of their school day in general education classrooms steadily increased over the past decade, driven by a rise in students who spend at least 80% of their time learning alongside their peers without disabilities, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Between the 2012-13 and 2023-24 school years, the portion of students with disabilities in general education classes for much of their day increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
However, state data varied, with some states like North Dakota and Ohio seeing decreases in the portion of students with disabilities who spend at least 40% of their day in general education classrooms over that same time period.
GAO researchers also found certain characteristics of districts that had a higher percentage of students with disabilities who spent at least 40% of their day in general education classrooms. Those include:
- Districts with higher and lower levels of poverty. Students with disabilities who attended schools in lower and higher poverty districts had higher rates of placement in general education classes for at least 40% of their day compared to districts in middle poverty ranges.
- Districts without a standalone special education school. Districts without standalone special education schools had a 5.2 percentage point increase in the percentage of students with disabilities in general education classes for at least 40% of their day, relative to districts with a special education school on average.
- Districts with lower per-pupil revenue. These school systems had a higher percentage of students with disabilities in general education for at least 40% of the day.
The largest portion of students with disabilities who spent at least 40% of their school day in general education classrooms in 2023-24 were students with specific learning disabilities. Students with deafblindness spent the least amount of time in general education classrooms.
At the same time that the number of students with disabilities learning in general education classrooms for much of the day increased by 25%, the overall number of students with disabilities increased by 21% from the 2012-13 to 2023-24 school years, according to the report.
More recent data shows a continued rise in the number of students with disabilities. About 8.2 million students ages 3-21 qualified for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2024. That's a 12.6% increase between 2019 and 2024, according to The Advocacy Institute’s analysis of data collected by the U.S. Department of Education.
IDEA, the nation's special education law, requires districts to consider the "least restrictive environment" for students with disabilities, meaning those students should be learning in general education classrooms as much as possible. However, each student’s educational placement is based on their individual needs and guided by decisions by local educators and parents.
Advocates for inclusive education say the more time students with disabilities spend in general education classes, the more access they'll have to the general education curriculum and be expected to meet those standards.
GAO's researchers also explored the successes and challenges to inclusion by interviewing school, district and state officials and educators. GAO also sent a questionnaire to current and former students with disabilities.
A principal from one unnamed school, for example, adjusted class schedules so students with disabilities could attend classes better aligned with their individualized goals. The schedule was based on students’ interests and availability, ensuring career and technical education and physical education classes were scheduled when both students with and without disabilities could participate, according to the report.
One of the factors that influenced the educational placement of students with disabilities was the availability of resources, said the interviewed educators. Most of the district and school representatives interviewed told GAO that a lack of staffing affected their ability to provide special education services.
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