VERMONT: Enrollment down, SPED on the rise; 'intensity, complexity of needs could be increasing'

Oct 5, 2025, Vt Digger: Number of Vermont students with disabilities is on the rise, despite declining overall enrollment

https://vnews.com/2025/10/05/vermont-special-education-report 

The percentage of students with disabilities in Vermont’s education system is on the rise, while many school districts lack the capacity to meet their needs, according to a new report released this week by the state Agency of Education.

While overall student enrollment in Vermont’s schools has decreased, the number of students on individualized education programs, or IEPs, has increased at a rate outpacing the nation since the 2019-20 school year, the report said.

The analysis presented in the report paints “a complex picture of special education in Vermont,” the report reads. Students with IEPs in Vermont are spending more of their time in regular classroom settings — a positive finding in the report, experts said.

But at the same time, school districts in Vermont are sending more students with IEPs to out-of-district schools at a rate more than double the national average. Meanwhile, the gap in four-year high school graduation rates between students with and without IEPs increased to 19 percentage points in 2024.

The rise in students with disabilities is, in part, due to increases in the number of students diagnosed with autism since 2019, according to the report. Students who are labeled as having emotional disturbances are also a “key driver” in the increase “due to its higher-than-average prevalence in Vermont.”

The report noted that more students are also now qualifying for the state’s extraordinary cost reimbursement, a program that provides financial assistance to districts and supervisory unions who serve students with disabilities that are more expensive to address.

This, the report said, indicates “not only that more students are being identified, but that the intensity and complexity of their needs could be increasing.”

Many school districts, the report said, “lack the in-house capacity, staffing, and specialized resources to respond effectively.” This is adding financial pressures on to the state’s education system, particularly in tuition to speciality schools and transportation to those institutions. . . .

While the cause of the increase in students with IEPs is not entirely clear, the report suggested the COVID-19 pandemic has likely contributed to the rise in emotional and behavioral challenges among students and influenced special education classification numbers both in Vermont and nationwide.

Another contributing factor to the rise in students with disabilities could be the state’s “comprehensive and proactive approach to mental health and special education,” the report said.

Vermont’s policies may be more apt to identify students with emotional and behavioral challenges earlier than other states, “potentially leading to a higher classification rate,” according to the report.” . . .