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NEA Issue Explainer

Special Education

All students deserve an education that sparks their curiosity and desire to learn. Special education fits our most vulnerable students’ unique needs.
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By: National Education Association
Published: January 21, 2026
This issue explainer originally appeared on NEA.org

Public schools across the nation provide special education services to more than 7.5 million students with disabilities—about 15 percent of all public school students.

November 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The law reflects the federal government’s commitment to provide a free appropriate public education to students with disabilities and pay 40% of the average per pupil cost for special education. That commitment remains unfulfilled. Meanwhile, the Trump administration wants to take oversight of IDEA away from the Department of Education, limiting access to the services and experts that support students’ growth and enrichment. 

We must ensure that America fulfills its promise to students with disabilities: that they can participate fully in learning opportunities that enable them to reach their potential.

Key Facts About Funding IDEA

Public School Students

14%

Public schools across the country today provide special education services to more than 7 million youngsters or 14 percent of public school students.
Federal Government's Commitment

40%

The federal law has always included a commitment to pay 40 percent of the average per student cost for every special education student. In the 2019 fiscal year, the federal government provided less than half of the full funding level for states.
Federal share of the average per student cost

13%

The federal share of the average per student cost was 13 percent in the 2020 fiscal year, the smallest share since the 2000 fiscal year.
Funding Gap

$23.6 billion

In the school year 2020-21, the federal appropriation was $23.6 billion less than full funding, which states and districts had to cover.
Filling the Gap

A burden on local communities

This shortfall creates a burden on local communities and denies full opportunity to all students—with and without disabilities.

A History of Progress

1973

1973

President Nixon signs the Rehabilitation Act, which replaces the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, to emphasize services to expand federal responsibilities and training programs for individuals with disabilities.
1975

1975

President Ford signs the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The law guarantees access to a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment to every child with a disability. The law promises that the federal government will cover 40 percent of the extra cost of special education.
1990

1990

The Individuals with Disabilities Act replaces the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The law includes a requirement that public schools create an Individualized Education Program that specifies the services to be provided and how often, as well as accommodations and modifications to be made. Pres. George H.W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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