According to U.S. Education Department data, the percentage of U.S. students aged 3 to 21 classified as learning disabled dropped from 6.1% in 2000-01 to 5.2% in 2007-08 (the latest year for which national data are available). Learning disabled students make up 40% of all students receiving special education. About 80% get the label because of difficulty reading. Experts attribute the drop to various factors, including improvements in reading instruction, early intervention, and “fudging” by school officials hoping to avoid accountability penalties and costly special education mandates. “Learning-Disabled Enrollment Drops After Long Climb,” Education Week, September 15, 2010.
In the 2009-10 school year, 4.3% of Connecticut students received special education because of learning disabilities. (In Connecticut, as nationally, students with learning disabilities are the largest group of special education students.) Since 2006-07, the proportion of Connecticut students receiving special education has remained constant at about 12% of the state’s total public school enrollment. Data on Connecticut’s special education students is available on the State Department of Education’s website.
