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The Special Education Observatory · Staffing

Special Education Staffing by State

Across the 50 states and DC, the share of special education teachers who are not fully certified ranges from 0.1% in Rhode Island to 31.7% in Indiana (OSEP, IDEA Section 618 personnel, 2023-24), among the states reporting a share above zero. Students with IEPs per special education teacher range from 8.5 in District of Columbia to 44.9 in Indiana (2023-24). School psychologists per 1,000 students range from 0.26 in Oklahoma to 2.17 in Connecticut (NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25). Students with IEPs per school psychologist range from 78.4 in Connecticut to 634.4 in Oklahoma (IDEA child count and NCES staff, 2024-25).

Indiana reported 3,983 FTE school-age special education teachers for 178,908 students with IEPs. An independent federal count (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023) shows the same pattern: about twice as many students per special education teacher as Massachusetts or Ohio. Counts include students whose only service is speech-language therapy. Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, IDEA Section 618 Part B personnel and students with IEPs, state level, 2023-24; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2023, Indiana; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2023, Massachusetts; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2023, Ohio.

Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey and North Dakota: 0.0% (as reported). Reported as zero. States classify temporary, provisional and out-of-field credentials differently; public state data shows teachers on such credentials in each of these states where data exists. Source: Learning Policy Institute, State Teacher Shortages 2024.

The people who serve students with IEPs, state by state, from federal data. Each column says where its figures come from and which school year they describe.

School psychologists: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25 · Data retrieved October 28, 2026

Share of special education teachers not fully certified

One square per state, darker for a higher figure. Every square prints its figure; the table below gives each one again with its rank.

Share of special education teachers not fully certified
  1. Alaska: 10.4%
  2. Maine: 2.2%
  3. Vermont: 11.7%
  4. New Hampshire: 0.0% (as reported)
  5. Washington: 3.0%
  6. Idaho: 1.2%
  7. Montana: 7.3%
  8. North Dakota: 0.0% (as reported)
  9. Minnesota: 17.7%
  10. Illinois: 1.7%
  11. Wisconsin: 2.9%
  12. Michigan: 8.7%
  13. New York: 18.2%
  14. Rhode Island: 0.1%
  15. Massachusetts: 11.2%
  16. Oregon: 17.2%
  17. Nevada: 6.4%
  18. Wyoming: 13.9%
  19. South Dakota: 8.8%
  20. Iowa: 0.0% (as reported)
  21. Indiana: 31.7%
  22. Ohio: 3.7%
  23. Pennsylvania: 5.1%
  24. New Jersey: 0.0% (as reported)
  25. Connecticut: 6.0%
  26. California: 6.6%
  27. Utah: 4.7%
  28. Colorado: 7.0%
  29. Nebraska: 10.0%
  30. Missouri: 8.0%
  31. Kentucky: 1.9%
  32. West Virginia: 20.8%
  33. Virginia: 8.6%
  34. Maryland: 13.6%
  35. Delaware: 27.3%
  36. Arizona: 7.6%
  37. New Mexico: not published
  38. Kansas: 14.4%
  39. Arkansas: 13.7%
  40. Tennessee: 2.5%
  41. North Carolina: 5.1%
  42. South Carolina: 1.7%
  43. District of Columbia: 27.6%
  44. Oklahoma: 2.1%
  45. Louisiana: 28.3%
  46. Mississippi: 0.6%
  47. Alabama: 1.4%
  48. Georgia: 3.8%
  49. Hawaii: 5.1%
  50. Texas: 24.7%
  51. Florida: 0.0% (as reported)
  52. Puerto Rico: 17.6%, set apart

Every state

Select a column heading to sort. Ranks are among the 50 states and DC that have the figure; Puerto Rico is shown and set apart.

Special education staffing by state. Select a column heading to sort. Not published and not loaded yet always sort last.
Alabama5,33127th of 501.4%42nd of 4518.613th of 50Not publishedNot published
Alaska1,052.550th of 5010.4%16th of 4518.115th of 500.6034th of 48240.314th of 48
Arizona8,094.519th of 507.6%22nd of 4517.818th of 501.0520th of 48128.137th of 48
Arkansas4,525.830th of 5013.7%12th of 4515.828th of 500.3847th of 48383.42nd of 48
California41,575.12nd of 506.6%25th of 4519.012th of 501.3410th of 48101.745th of 48
Colorado6,016.524th of 507.0%24th of 4518.017th of 501.1416th of 48112.941st of 48
Connecticut6,133.523rd of 506.0%27th of 4513.838th of 502.171st of 4878.448th of 48
Delaware1,097.948th of 5027.3%4th of 4523.74th of 501.2213th of 48152.427th of 48
District of Columbia1,721.341st of 5027.6%3rd of 458.550th of 501.922nd of 4881.046th of 48
Florida19,539.27th of 500.0% (as reported)21.48th of 500.4844th of 48308.56th of 48
Georgia20,376.66th of 503.8%32nd of 4511.147th of 500.5142nd of 48259.110th of 48
Hawaii2,098.138th of 505.1%29th of 458.749th of 500.5836th of 48192.319th of 48
Idaho1,48343rd of 501.2%43rd of 4525.23rd of 501.536th of 4878.647th of 48
Illinois22,789.54th of 501.7%40th of 4512.242nd of 501.1714th of 48130.634th of 48
Indiana3,982.831st of 5031.7%1st of 4544.91st of 500.5439th of 48329.34th of 48
Iowa5,575.725th of 500.0% (as reported)12.243rd of 500.5340th of 48247.612th of 48
Kansas4,62229th of 5014.4%10th of 4516.027th of 501.1119th of 48137.330th of 48
Kentucky7,153.221st of 501.9%39th of 4514.337th of 500.7032nd of 48226.316th of 48
Louisiana4,862.628th of 5028.3%2nd of 4516.325th of 500.4146th of 48292.68th of 48
Maine2,086.239th of 502.2%37th of 4516.724th of 500.8726th of 48168.223rd of 48
Maryland9,629.314th of 5013.6%13th of 4511.146th of 500.9623rd of 48127.638th of 48
Massachusetts8,149.218th of 5011.2%15th of 4521.77th of 501.517th of 48130.035th of 48
Michigan11,512.210th of 508.7%19th of 4516.821st of 500.7131st of 48192.318th of 48
Minnesota9,776.313th of 5017.7%8th of 4514.834th of 500.9624th of 48176.622nd of 48
Mississippi5,546.126th of 500.6%44th of 4512.144th of 50Not publishedNot published
Missouri8,19017th of 508.0%21st of 4514.436th of 500.5637th of 48233.415th of 48
Montana1,086.349th of 507.3%23rd of 4519.211th of 501.0022nd of 48125.339th of 48
Nebraska3,062.636th of 5010.0%17th of 4516.822nd of 501.1417th of 48134.531st of 48
Nevada3,940.832nd of 506.4%26th of 4515.830th of 500.5438th of 48245.713th of 48
New Hampshire1,732.940th of 500.0% (as reported)17.120th of 501.378th of 48131.432nd of 48
New Jersey19,462.58th of 500.0% (as reported)12.241st of 501.554th of 48111.542nd of 48
New MexicoNot publishedNot publishedNot published0.5935th of 48376.53rd of 48
New York52,752.41st of 5018.2%7th of 459.448th of 501.903rd of 48105.844th of 48
North Carolina11,023.411th of 505.1%30th of 4518.016th of 500.4943rd of 48264.79th of 48
North Dakota1,103.647th of 500.0% (as reported)14.833rd of 500.9125th of 48141.829th of 48
Ohio14,400.79th of 503.7%33rd of 4518.214th of 501.2611th of 48128.736th of 48
Oklahoma3,405.935th of 502.1%38th of 4535.42nd of 500.2648th of 48634.41st of 48
Oregon3,49534th of 5017.2%9th of 4523.55th of 500.8328th of 48180.921st of 48
Pennsylvania22,136.45th of 505.1%28th of 4515.331st of 501.1515th of 48202.417th of 48
Puerto RicoSet apart, not ranked4,35417.6%20.03.21115.2
Rhode Island1,526.942nd of 500.1%45th of 4515.232nd of 501.545th of 48114.840th of 48
South Carolina6,418.722nd of 501.7%41st of 4516.723rd of 500.8229th of 48162.026th of 48
South Dakota1,239.345th of 508.8%18th of 4517.719th of 500.7730th of 48191.720th of 48
Tennessee8,601.715th of 502.5%36th of 4514.635th of 50Not publishedNot published
Texas36,095.13rd of 5024.7%5th of 4520.410th of 500.4745th of 48300.87th of 48
Utah3,881.833rd of 504.7%31st of 4522.66th of 500.5141st of 48252.211th of 48
Vermont1,309.344th of 5011.7%14th of 4511.245th of 501.2212th of 48146.628th of 48
Virginia10,835.312th of 508.6%20th of 4515.829th of 500.8427th of 48166.024th of 48
Washington7,178.620th of 503.0%34th of 4520.69th of 501.1218th of 48130.633rd of 48
West Virginia2,871.237th of 5020.8%6th of 4516.026th of 500.6533rd of 48324.15th of 48
Wisconsin8,551.116th of 502.9%35th of 4513.639th of 501.369th of 48107.843rd of 48
Wyoming1,106.446th of 5013.9%11th of 4513.040th of 501.0021st of 48162.525th of 48

How this is counted

Special education teachers, full-time equivalent

Full-time equivalent special education teachers employed to serve students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21, all qualification statuses. Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, IDEA Section 618 Part B personnel, state level, 2023-24 school year.

Share of special education teachers not fully certified

The part of those full-time equivalents that OSEP reports as not fully certified, divided by all of them. OSEP's own category; it does not mean a teacher is unqualified to teach. Source: IDEA Section 618 Part B personnel, 2023-24.

Students with IEPs per special education teacher

School-age students with IEPs on the IDEA child count, divided by special education teacher full-time equivalents, both for the 2023-24 school year and both for students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21. A different year or age range is never divided. Source: IDEA Section 618 Part B child count and personnel, state level.

School psychologists per 1,000 students

School psychologist full-time equivalents that districts reported to NCES, per 1,000 students enrolled, summed over the districts that reported both. A district that reported none is counted with none; one that reported nothing is left out. Source: NCES Common Core of Data, district staff and membership, 2024-25 school year.

Students with IEPs per school psychologist

School-age students with IEPs on the 2024-25 IDEA child count, divided by the school psychologists the same districts reported to NCES for 2024-25, over the districts that reported both. Sources: IDEA Section 618 Part B child count, district level; NCES Common Core of Data, district staff, both 2024-25.

A state’s school psychologist figures are shown only where districts holding at least half of its enrollment reported one or more school psychologists to NCES, or where regional service agencies reported at least half of its school psychologists. Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi do not meet it in the 2024-25 data, so their school psychologist figures read not published. A district that reported no school psychologists reads “None reported”: it may contract for evaluations or have a regional agency report them.

Questions about special education staffing

Which states have the highest share of special education teachers who are not fully certified?
In 2023-24, the highest shares were in Indiana (31.7%), Louisiana (28.3%), District of Columbia (27.6%), and the lowest in Rhode Island (0.1%), Mississippi (0.6%), Idaho (1.2%), among the 50 states and DC reporting a share above zero. Source: OSEP, IDEA Section 618 Part B personnel. Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey and North Dakota: 0.0% (as reported). Reported as zero. States classify temporary, provisional and out-of-field credentials differently; public state data shows teachers on such credentials in each of these states where data exists. Source: Learning Policy Institute, State Teacher Shortages 2024.
How many school psychologists are there per student in each state?
In the 2024-25 school year, districts reported between 0.26 (Oklahoma) and 2.17 (Connecticut) school psychologists per 1,000 students enrolled. Districts report school psychologists to NCES; one that contracts for evaluations may report none. Source: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
How many students with IEPs are there per school psychologist?
Across the 50 states and DC, the number of school-age students with IEPs per school psychologist ran from 78.4 in Connecticut to 634.4 in Oklahoma in 2024-25. Both counts are for the same school year. Sources: IDEA Section 618 child count and NCES Common Core of Data.

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