"Number of students requesting special education services in U.S. has reached all-time high"

June 17, 2026, Atlanta News First: Georgia special education violations nearly triple as student needs rise

COBB COUNTY, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The number of Georgia school districts found out of compliance with special education law has nearly tripled in recent years, rising from 68 cases in 2021 to 190 last year, according to records from the Georgia Department of Education. . . .

The increase in compliance cases comes as the number of students requesting special education services in U.S. public schools has reached an all-time high, according to a 2024 report by the National Center for Education Statistics. The number rose from 6.4 million students a decade ago to 7.5 million today.

“I think there’s more awareness of disabilities. Therefore more diagnoses. And the second reason is we’re not sure why, but there just seems to be more kids with disabilities,” Reynolds said.

“[It’s] significant because we already have a strained system of resources. And now we’re putting more on those strained resources,” Reynolds said. . . .