Over the past decade, the number of students with disabilities in American schools has exploded. In San Diego County, the trend has been particularly acute. For example, La Mesa Spring Valley Schools served 1,424 students with disabilities in 2015, but by 2025, that number had increased to 2,225.

Causes of the Increase

Several factors are driving the increases in special ed enrollment. One big reason is that the definitions of some disabilities have expanded, meaning a whole new slate of kids now meet the criteria to be considered disabled. Other reasons are societal, like the lingering impacts of the pandemic on kids’ mental health and a broader destigmatization of disabilities.

According to Deann Ragsdale, the assistant superintendent of education services at La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools, ‘I don’t think any district is going to be able to sustain the pace of growth and the lack of funding.’ Tom Bevilacqua, the assistant Superintendent of South Bay Union School District, noted that being diagnosed with a disability has become much less stigmatized than in past years.

Financial Challenges

The trend has been devastating to districts’ bottom lines. School districts are funded based on the number of children they educate. That means when they have fewer students, both the state and federal government send them less money. However, districts’ responsibility to students with disabilities remains unchanged. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates school districts ensure all children, regardless of disability, have what services they need to access a ‘free appropriate public education.’

Rebecca Burton, the deputy superintendent of Lemon Grove Schools, said the pandemic significantly sped up the growth of the number of students with disabilities. ‘A massive reason for some of the ballooning numbers and needs are because of this really, really intense mental health pandemic for our young people,’ Burton said.

Original reporting: Voice of San Diego — read the source article.