Vermont: Nearly 20% of students have special needs; overall enrollment down 25%

July 16, 2026, Vermont not making the grade on educating students with disabilities, feds say | Vermont Public

Vermont is at risk of losing out on federal funding if it doesn’t improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

According to a new assessment from the U.S. Department of Education, Vermont is one of four states that “needs intervention” to come into compliance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It’s the lowest rating the department issued this year, and Vermont schools could lose up to $2.4 million annually if the state doesn’t improve its score in the next two years.

The assessment found that Vermont is meeting fewer than 60% of the accountability measures in federal law. Special educators say it highlights longstanding deficiencies that stem in part from “lack of leadership at the state level.”

The top special education post at the Agency of Education has experienced frequent turnover over the past seven years, and the job has been vacant since January, according to the agency.

“If we continue to not have leadership at the state level … we risk not meeting the needs of students with disabilities as we are obligated by law,” said Erin Maguire, executive director for secondary schools at the Essex Westford School District, and past president of the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators.

Though Vermont has seen student enrollment decline by about 25% over the past two decades, the number of students with “individualized education programs” has increased. Nearly 20% of Vermont students are on specialized learning plans for conditions such as autism, developmental delays, emotional disturbances and other “health impairments,” according to the AOE. Their education outcomes are substantially worse than their peers. . . .

While academic proficiency and graduation/drop out rates were the primary contributors to Vermont’s “needs intervention” rating, Davis said federal regulators also penalized the state for issues related to the validity of data and “longstanding noncompliance at the local level.”

She said the agency conducted an internal reorganization last year to improve special education delivery. It also published a three-year strategic plan in December, which aims to address “persistent gaps in outcomes” as well as federal compliance issues. . . .