Texas: Districts see major increases in SPED students; "dyslexia, autism are the most common disorders"
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Friendswood and Alief ISDs had the largest percentages of students with dyslexia and autism across the Greater Houston area, according to Texas Education Agency data released March 13 and April 9.The overview Community Impact analyzed 30 local school districts across the Greater Houston region to determine which schools have the most students enrolled in special education programs.
According to the data, the districts with the largest total of students receiving special education services in 2025-26 are:
Houston ISD with 21,430 students
Katy ISD with 18,443 students
Cy-Fair ISD with 17,584 students
When looking at the number of students receiving special education services as a percentage of total enrollment, some different school districts emerged as the largest populations. The districts with the highest percentage of students enrolled in special education programs in the 2025-26 school year are:
Bryan ISD with 20.8%
Deer Park ISD with 20.4%
La Porte ISD with 19.5%
Katy ISD with 19.4%
Alief ISD with 18.4%
Dyslexia and autism are the most common disorders measured in students in the state and in Regions 4 and 6—which covers most of the Greater Houston area and beyond—according to TEA data released March 13 and April 9.I
In Regions 4 and 6, 38,172 students with autism and 76,003 with dyslexia were enrolled during the 2025-26 school year.
The districts with the highest raw numbers for students with dyslexia are:
Katy ISD with 9,066 students
Houston ISD with 7,232 students
Conroe ISD with 6,198 students
The districts with the highest raw numbers for students with autism are:
Houston ISD with 5,212 students
Katy ISD with 4,438 students.
Fort Bend ISD with 3,255 students
When looking at the number of students with dyslexia or autism as a percentage of total enrollment, some different school districts emerged as the largest populations.
The districts with the largest percentages of students with dyslexia are:
Friendswood ISD with 11.4%
Humble, Magnolia and Montgomery ISDs each with 11%
The districts with the largest percentages of students with autism are:
Alief ISD with 5%
Katy and La Porte ISDs each with 4.7%
The data also shows that the districts have higher percentages of students diagnosed with dyslexia than students with autism, except for Spring ISD.
Fort Bend ISD with 12,688 students
Conroe ISD with 11,239 students
When compared to the 2024-25 school year, 28 of the 30 school districts saw an increase in the number of students receiving special education services, with Friendswood and Pasadena ISDs being the two exceptions. The districts with the biggest changes for special education student enrollment from 2024-25 to the 2025-26 school years are:
Conroe ISD with 1,262 students
Katy ISD with 1,215 students
Cy-Fair ISD with 955 students
Houston ISD with 944 students
Humble ISD with 915 students
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