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Digest of Education Statistics
2007 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 107. Number of students with disabilities exiting special education, by basis of exit, age, and type of disability: United States and other jurisdictions, 2003-04 and 2004-05
Age and type of disability Total exiting special education Graduated
with diploma
Received a certificate of attendance Reached maximum age1 No longer receives special education2 Died Moved, known to continue2  Moved, not known to continue Dropped out3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  2003–04
Total, 14 and over 396,169 214,751 51,881 5,130 1,909 44,079 78,419
Age                  
14 9,946 0 52 —  284 7,149 2,461
15 14,818 0 48 —  307 8,306 6,157
16 26,985 1,645 615 —  366 8,812 15,547
17 119,182 73,383 14,178 —  357 8,737 22,527
18 142,294 94,966 21,039 0 266 6,112 19,911
19 51,940 32,599 8,158 0 156 2,774 8,253
20 16,737 7,863 3,832 1,053 91 1,356 2,542
21 10,851 3,613 3,086 2,676 60 668 748
22 and over 3,416 682 873 1,401 22 165 273
                   
Type of disability                  
Specific learning disability 237,403 141,418 25,432 889 606 24,796 44,262
Mental retardation 49,522 18,899 14,642 2,267 330 4,693 8,691
Emotional disturbance 49,436 18,953 4,077 442 177 8,957 16,830
Speech or language impairment 9,126 5,579 779 55 37 1,225 1,451
Multiple disabilities 8,595 4,030 1,702 730 297 741 1,095
Other health impairment 25,506 15,409 2,651 118 253 2,598 4,477
Hearing impairment4  4,856 3,270 695 64 17 333 477
Orthopedic impairment 4,117 2,551 623 153 118 267 405
Visual impairment 1,702 1,236 189 43 18 79 137
Autism 3,560 1,984 810 287 24 199 256
Deaf-blindness 133 66 20 17 7 11 12
Traumatic brain injury 2,213 1,355 261 65 25 180 327
  2004–05
Total, 14 through 215  387,789 211,033 60,004 5,199 1,897 109,656
Age                  
14 7,086 128 41 263 6,654
15 11,645 51 44 334 11,216
16 24,563 1,718 632 393 21,820
17 124,885 78,786 16,074 389 29,636
18 142,116 91,080 24,930 703 255 25,148
19 50,510 28,891 10,600 412 141 10,466
20 16,321 7,344 4,241 1,169 74 3,493
21 10,663 3,035 3,442 2,915 48 1,223
22 and over
                   
Type of disability5                   
Specific learning disability 233,402 139,171 29,710 1,328 591 62,602
Mental retardation 46,571 16,338 16,544 1,915 348 11,426
Emotional disturbance 47,229 18,947 4,737 591 198 22,756
Speech or language impairment 8,670 5,630 789 37 26 2,188
Multiple disabilities 7,992 3,446 1,972 606 287 1,681
Other health impairment 27,637 17,095 3,331 144 252 6,815
Hearing impairment4  4,681 3,260 718 73 19 611
Orthopedic impairment 3,751 2,325 665 108 109 544
Visual impairment 1,799 1,302 243 36 14 204
Autism 3,830 2,129 974 291 21 415
Deaf-blindness 95 51 13 9 3 19
Traumatic brain injury 2,132 1,339 308 61 29 395
— Not available.
† Not applicable.
1 Students may exit special education services due to maximum age beginning at age 18 depending on state law or practice or order of any court.
2 Data are not reported for 2003–04 or 2004–05.
3 "Dropped out" is defined as the total who were enrolled at some point in the reporting year, were not enrolled at the end of the reporting year, and did not exit through any of the other bases described. Beginning in 2004–05, includes students previously categorized as "moved, not known to continue."
4 Includes deaf and hard of hearing.
5 Totals for 2004–05 do not include persons over the age of 21.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) database. Retrieved September 22, 2006, from https://www.ideadata.org/arc_toc6.asp#partbEX and https://www.ideadata.org/arc_toc7.asp#part bCC. (This table was prepared September 2006.)

2007 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest