Texas has been in the news recently because of a 8.5% cap or limit the Texas Education Agency may or may not have implemented in 2004 concerning the number of students in special education programs. If a cap was implemented, then the special ed student population should have gone down from 2004 to the present day. In most school districts, special ed enrollment did indeed go down.
Below are three lists of Dallas - Ft. Worth area school districts ranked by: (1) the percent change of special ed students between the 2003-2004 school year and the 2015-2016 school year; (2) the percentage of students in special ed in 2003-2004; and (3) the percentage of students in special ed in 2015-2016.
For more information, read The Houston Chronicle's investigative piece about the issue.
Houston Chronicle - Denied Special Education
1st List - % Change, No. of Students in Special Ed 2004 compared to 2016
No. of Students in Special Ed Increased from 2003-2004 to 2015-2016
% Increase - District (most of these ISDs were already under the cap in 2004)
2.8 - Sunnyvale ISD
1.4 - Keller ISD
.4 - Lake Worth ISD
.2 - Burleson ISD
.2 - Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
.1 - Eagle Mountain - Saginaw ISD
.1 - Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
No. of Students in Special Ed Decreased from 2003-2004 to 2015-2016
% Decrease - District
-7.2 - Terrell ISD
-7.0 - Howe ISD
-6.9 - Community ISD
-6.9 - Everman ISD
-6.6 - Anna ISD
-6.3 - Sanger ISD
-6.0 - Pottsboro ISD
-6.0 - Prosper ISD
-6.0 - Royse City ISD
-5.2 - Celina ISD
-5.2 - Ennis ISD
-5.0 - Crandall ISD
-5.0 - Midlothian ISD
-4.6 - Little Elm ISD
-4.5 - Birdville ISD
-4.3 - Sherman ISD
-4.2 - Denison ISD
-4.2 - Forney ISD
-4.2 - Melissa ISD
-4.2 - Mesquite ISD
-4.0 - Grand Prairie ISD
-3.9 - Waxahachie ISD
-3.2 - Argyle ISD
-3.1 - Coppell ISD
-3.0 - Carroll ISD
-3.0 - Denton ISD
-2.9 - DeSoto ISD
-2.9 - Garland ISD
-2.8 - Lancaster ISD
-2.7 - Duncanville ISD
-2.7 - Northwest ISD
-2.6 - Lake Dallas ISD
-2.6 - Van Alstyne ISD
-2.5 - Cedar Hill ISD
-2.5 - Mansfield ISD
-2.4 - Farmersville ISD
-2.3 - Irving ISD
-2.3 - Princeton ISD
-1.9 - Richardson ISD
-1.8 - Fort Worth ISD
-1.8 - Wylie ISD
-1.6 - HEB ISD
-1.5 - Arlington ISD
-1.3 - Lovejoy ISD
-1.2 - Rockwall ISD
-1.1 - Frisco ISD
-1.1 - Greenville ISD
-1.0 - Plano ISD
-.8 - Allen ISD
-.8 - Lewisville ISD
-.7 - MCKinney ISD
-.6 - Highland Park ISD
-.5 - Dallas ISD
2nd List - % of Students in Special Education in 2003-2004 School Year by District
18.9 - Denison ISD
16.3 - Sanger ISD
16.1 - Anna ISD
16.0 - Community ISD
15.8 - Ennis ISD
15.8 - Howe ISD
15.7 - Terrell ISD
15.6 - Sherman ISD
15.2 - Pottsboro ISD
15.0 - Waxahachie ISD
14.7 - Everman ISD
14.0 - Royse City ISD
13.9 - Mesquite ISD
13.9 - Midlothian ISD
13.5 - Denton ISD
13.4 - Birdville ISD
13.3 - Prosper ISD
13.1 - Lake Dallas ISD
13.1 - Princeton ISD
13.0 - National Average of Special Education students
12.8 - Crandall ISD
12.7 - Celina ISD
12.7 - Grand Prairie ISD
12.6 - Farmersville ISD
12.5 - Melissa ISD
12.4 - Desoto ISD
12.4 - Richardson ISD
12.2 - Little Elm ISD
12.1 - Forney ISD
11.9 - Duncanville ISD
11.6 - Texas State Average for 2003-2004
11.4 - Argyle ISD
11.4 - Greenville ISD
11.4 - Plano ISD
11.1 - Garland ISD
10.9 - Allen ISD
10.9 - Lancaster ISD
10.9 - Lewisville ISD
10.9 - Wylie ISD
10.8 - Northwest ISD
10.7 - Cedar Hill ISD
10.7 - Mansfield ISD
10.6 - McKinney ISD
10.6 - Van Alstyne ISD
10.3 - HEB ISD
10.1 - Rockwall ISD
9.8 - Frisco ISD
9.7 - Arlington ISD
9.7 - Carroll ISD
9.7 - Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
9.6 - Irving ISD
9.5 - Fort Worth ISD
9.0 - Lake Worth ISD
8.7 - Highland Park ISD
8.5 - TEA suggests Special Ed cap at 8.5%
8.3 - Coppell ISD
8.2 - Eagle Mountain - Saginaw ISD
8.2 - Lovejoy ISD
8.0 - Burleson ISD
7.8 - Dallas ISD
7.5 - Keller ISD
7.2 - Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
6.1 - Sunnyvale ISD
3rd List - % of Students in Special Education in 2015-2016 School Year by District
14.7 - Denison ISD
13.0 - National Average of Special Education students
11.3 - Sherman ISD
11.1 - Waxahachie ISD
10.8 - Princeton ISD
10.6 - Ennis ISD
10.5 - Denton ISD
10.5 - Lake Dallas ISD
10.5 - Richardson ISD
10.4 - Plano ISD
10.3 - Greenville ISD
10.2 - Farmersville ISD
10.1 - Allen ISD
10.1 - Lewisville ISD
10.0 - Sanger ISD
9.9 - Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
9.9 - McKinney ISD
9.7 - Mesquite ISD
9.5 - Anna ISD
9.5 - Desoto ISD
9.4 - Lake Worth ISD
9.2 - Duncanville ISD
9.2 - Pottsboro ISD
9.1 - Community ISD
9.1 - Wylie ISD
8.9 - Birdville ISD
8.9 - Keller ISD
8.9 - Midlothian ISD
8.9 - Rockwall ISD
8.9 - Sunnyvale ISD
8.8 - Howe ISD
8.7 - Frisco ISD
8.7 - Grand Prairie ISD
8.7 - HEB ISD
8.6 - State Average for 2015-2016
8.5 - TEA suggested cap on Special Ed enrollment
8.5 - Terrell ISD
8.3 - Eagle Mountain - Saginaw ISD
8.3 - Melissa ISD
8.2 - Argyle ISD
8.2 - Arlington ISD
8.2 - Burleson ISD
8.2 - Cedar Hill ISD
8.2 - Garland ISD
8.2 - Mansfield ISD
8.1 - Highland Park ISD
8.1 - Lancaster ISD
8.1 - Northwest ISD
8.0 - Royse City ISD
8.0 - Van Alstyne ISD
7.9 - Forney ISD
7.8 - Crandall ISD
7.8 - Everman ISD
7.7 - Fort Worth ISD
7.6 - Little Elm ISD
7.5 - Celina ISD
7.3 - Dallas ISD
7.3 - Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
7.3 - Prosper ISD
7.3 - Irving ISD
6.9 - Lovejoy ISD
6.7 - Carroll ISD
5.2 - Coppell ISD
Sources - TEA website, Houston Chronicle, Washington Post