What Are We Spending on Special Education in the U.S.

Abstract

The most recent comprehensive data on special education expenditures in the U. S. are now a decade old. For the 1987‐88 school year, states reported these expenditures to total $19.3 billion. The Center for Special Education Finance (CSEF ) has supplemented these data with a 1994‐95 state survey, and with analyses of extant cost data that adjust for inflation and consider rising special education enrollments. CSEF estimates the 1995-96 national expenditure for special education to be about $32.6 billion, which, compared to the 1987‐88 data, is not surprising in light of continued rising special education enrollments since implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975. The authors conclude that more uniform, refined data are required for more accurate estimates of special education expenditures, particularly as policymakers and educators are considering more inclusive models for meeting the needs of students with disabilities, as well as those with other special needs.