Knox Co, TN: 1,300 more SPED students, general enrollment down by 1,159 over 5 yrs

Sept 15, 2026, WATE, Knoxville, TN:  Knox County, TN Schools unveils plan to improve special education

Knox County Schools is working to improve how it serves students receiving special education services, according to a new plan released on Tuesday.

This new plan explains that instead of having two separate services for general education and special education services, which have been operating with compliance-based programming and pull-out services, the new Performance, Accountability, Collaboration, and Transitions (P.A.C.T.) approach will be working to fully embed special education services into general education.

Over the last five school years, the number of students with individualized education plans has increased by more than 1,300, while KCS’s total enrollment has declined by 1,159.

Around 70% of the increase in IEPs, KCS said, has been concentrated in certifications for autism and ADHD.

In that same time frame, the number of students testing proficient in ELA and Math has risen from around 7 percent to 12.1% and 11.2%, respectively. KCS also noted that from 2021 to 2026, the graduation rates for students with IEPS climbed from 67.9% to 82.9%, compared to the change from 89.8% to 92.7% of all of KCS’s students. . . .

Although the plan does not explain the exact steps the school system will be taking, it does lay out the extensive planning that has led to the P.A.C.T. plan, with 2025-2026 being the pilot and planning year. . . .

Earlier this year, 6 News spoke with one parent who broke down some of the issues in KCS’s special education system, which serves a little under 12,000 students. Cortney Piper is a contributor on 6 News’ Sunday political talk show “Tennessee This Week” and has three children with IEPs and was part of a Special Education Task Force that helped inform the P.A.C.T. plan.