1 Data throughout this indicator represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia unless otherwise noted.
2 Totals presented in this indicator include imputations for states for which data were unavailable. See reference tables in the Digest of Education Statistics for more information.
3 For general technical notes related to data analysis, data interpretation, rounding, and other considerations, please refer to the Reader’s Guide.
4 Data were not available for American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Palau.
5 Disability type refers to the specific disability for which a child is receiving services under IDEA. If a child has multiple types of disabilities but is receiving services under IDEA for only one type of disability, then the child is categorized under that specific disability. If a child is receiving services for more than one type of IDEA-defined disability, then the child is categorized under “multiple disabilities.”
6 A specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. Please see title 34 for more information.
7 Speech or language impairment is defined as a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Please see title 34 for more information.
8 Other health impairments include having limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems such as a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes. Please see title 34 for more information.
9 Although federal law does not require that states/entities and local education agencies categorize students according to developmental delay, if this category is required by state law, they are expected to report these students in the developmental delay category.
10 Starting in the school year 2020-21 data collection, school-age students include 6- to 21-year-olds and 5-year-olds enrolled in kindergarten.
11 Refers to students who are enrolled by their parents or guardians in regular private schools and have their basic education paid for through private resources but receive special education and/or related services at public expense.
12 For fall 2012 through fall 2018, school-age students include students ages 6-21. Due to changes in reporting requirements in the fall 2019 data collection, the number of school-age students served may include some 5-year-olds enrolled in kindergarten in that year. Starting in the fall 2020 data collection, school-age students include 6- to 21-year-olds and 5-year-olds enrolled in kindergarten.
13 School year 2021-22 data for students ages 14-21 served under IDEA who exited school are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia as well as a small (but unknown) number of students from other jurisdictions. Data from prior years included data for students from Bureau of Indian Education schools, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
14 “Dropped out” is defined as students who were enrolled at some point in the reporting year, were not enrolled at the end of the reporting year, and did not exit for any of the other reasons described.
15 Refers to students who received a certificate of completion, modified diploma, or some similar document but did not meet the same standards for graduation with a regular high school diploma. For school year 2021-22, the number of students who received an alternative certificate includes 1,553 students from six states who exited an educational program through receipt of an alternate diploma.
16 Each state determines its maximum age for receiving special education and/or related services. At the time these data were collected, the maximum age across states generally ranged from 20 to 22 years old.