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Digest of Education Statistics
2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 504.30. Among special education students out of high school up to 8 years, percentage attending and completing postsecondary education, living independently, and working competitively, by type of disability: 2007 and 2009
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Year, postsecondary status and institution type, and living and employment status All disabili-ties1 Specific learning disabilities Speech or language impairments Intellectual disability Emotional disturbance Hearing impairments Orthopedic impairments Other health impair-ments2 Visual impairments Multiple disabilities Deaf-blindness Autism Traumatic brain injury
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
2007 (out of high school
   up to 6 years)
                                                                             
                                                                               
Ever attended
     institution
                                                                             
Any postsecondary 55.0   (2.62) 60.9   (3.88) 63.0   (3.77) 28.2   (3.65) 44.6   (4.36) 70.9   (4.61) 59.8   (4.59) 56.9   (4.14) 70.8   (5.23) 31.3   (5.28) 48.8   (6.83) 46.6   (5.25) 56.2   (7.49)
4-year 14.7   (1.87) 15.6   (2.89) 29.8   (3.57) 6.2 ! (1.96) 7.7 ! (2.34) 31.4   (4.71) 22.5   (3.91) 19.5   (3.31) 42.8   (5.70) 8.0 ! (3.08) 18.2   (5.28) 15.7   (3.82) 15.7 ! (5.49)
2-year 37.3   (2.55) 40.8   (3.91) 41.0   (3.84) 21.2   (3.32) 30.0   (4.02) 44.9   (5.05) 45.5   (4.66) 44.6   (4.16) 47.0   (5.74) 17.2   (4.29) 29.1   (6.21) 32.6   (4.93) 33.5   (7.12)
Vocational/technical 28.3   (2.37) 31.4   (3.69) 20.3   (3.14) 16.0   (2.97) 27.5   (3.92) 37.8   (4.92) 21.5   (3.84) 28.1   (3.76) 21.2   (4.71) 14.8   (4.04) 18.9   (5.35) 21.8   (4.35) 33.2   (7.11)
                                                                               
Graduation rate, by type
     of institution3
                                                                             
Any postsecondary 38.4   (4.41) 37.5   (6.13) 48.4   (6.64) 40.0   (10.17) 41.1   (7.55) 38.9   (8.80) 35.7   (7.55) 33.8   (6.09) 49.7   (9.35) 32.1 ! (10.55)   (†) 35.3   (10.36) 50.4   (12.59)
4-year 29.4   (8.30)   (†) 39.8 ! (12.46)   (†)   (†) 37.2 ! (13.80) 35.7 ! (16.18)   (†) 58.7   (13.84)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
2-year 29.7   (4.83) 29.4   (6.81) 40.2   (7.79) 28.1 ! (11.70) 26.7 ! (8.47) 30.6 ! (10.78) 23.1 ! (8.41) 32.6   (6.63) 42.9   (11.33)   (†)   (†) 33.0 ! (13.39) 24.8 ! (12.11)
Vocational/technical 54.6   (7.22) 55.1   (9.66) 69.8   (10.43) 50.3 ! (15.09) 56.5   (11.38) 33.0 ! (14.56) 44.4   (11.95) 47.1   (11.65) 50.9 ! (19.67)   (†)   (†) 49.2 ! (15.05)   (†)
                                                                               
Living
     independently4
35.7   (2.53) 40.6   (3.91) 30.4   (3.60) 21.2   (3.32) 34.4   (4.17) 28.5   (4.60) 14.0   (3.26) 30.8   (3.86) 31.3   (5.35) 10.6 ! (3.51) 13.7 ! (4.69) 11.8   (3.39) 24.8   (6.52)
                                                                               
Competitively
     employed5
                                                                             
Currently 61.1   (2.86) 70.4   (4.12) 61.4   (4.17) 31.6   (4.22) 53.2   (4.94) 49.4   (5.85) 26.2   (4.36) 60.3   (4.51) 34.4   (5.98) 31.6   (6.13) 15.0 ! (5.46) 32.7   (5.63) 32.6   (7.47)
In the past 2 years 78.6   (2.27) 85.9   (2.92) 78.8   (3.30) 49.8   (4.32) 78.9   (3.77) 70.3   (4.93) 42.8   (4.62) 78.8   (3.54) 54.6   (5.97) 41.0   (5.99) 26.4   (6.17) 44.1   (5.40) 63.6   (7.50)
                                                                               
2009 (out of high school
     up to 8 years)
                                                                             
                                                                               
Ever attended
     institution
                                                                             
Any postsecondary 59.2   (2.64) 65.3   (3.93) 67.0   (3.62) 29.5   (3.62) 53.0   (4.53) 74.8   (4.24) 62.0   (4.42) 65.2   (4.05) 70.7   (5.01) 33.2   (5.09) 56.8   (7.09) 44.2   (4.66) 60.4   (7.40)
4-year 18.4   (2.08) 20.9   (3.36) 30.9   (3.56) 6.2 ! (1.92) 11.0   (2.84) 34.7   (4.66) 23.5   (3.87) 19.1   (3.34) 41.5   (5.43) 7.3 ! (2.82) 23.7   (6.09) 17.4   (3.56) 18.5 ! (5.87)
2-year 44.4   (2.67) 49.7   (4.13) 46.5   (3.86) 19.7   (3.16) 38.0   (4.40) 53.4   (4.88) 50.9   (4.57) 53.2   (4.25) 51.2   (5.51) 21.7   (4.45) 36.9   (6.91) 32.2   (4.39) 42.1   (7.47)
Vocational/technical 31.3   (2.49) 34.1   (3.92) 28.5   (3.48) 17.2   (2.99) 33.0   (4.27) 40.3   (4.79) 26.5   (4.03) 33.1   (4.00) 25.6   (4.81) 17.6   (4.11) 21.6   (5.89) 22.1   (3.90) 34.5   (7.20)
                                                                               
Currently attending
     institution
                                                                             
Any postsecondary 15.1   (1.93) 17.3   (3.13) 20.1   (3.09)   (†) 12.9   (3.04) 25.0   (4.23) 23.3   (3.87) 16.1   (3.13) 25.0   (4.79) 8.2 ! (2.99) 24.5   (6.19) 14.0   (3.26) 14.6 ! (5.34)
4-year 5.2   (1.20) 5.9 ! (1.95) 10.6   (2.38)   (†) 3.9 ! (1.76) 15.0   (3.51) 8.0 ! (2.47) 3.1 ! (1.48) 15.1   (3.94)   (†) 9.1 ! (4.11) 5.3 ! (2.12)   (†)
2-year 9.0   (1.54) 10.3   (2.52) 8.3   (2.14)   (†) 8.6   (2.56) 11.6   (3.15) 13.2   (3.10) 10.9   (2.67) 8.9 ! (3.16)   (†) 16.7 ! (5.34) 8.2 ! (2.59) 9.2 ! (4.38)
Vocational/technical 2.2 ! (0.79)   (†) 2.7 ! (1.24)   (†)   (†)   (†) 5.5 ! (2.09) 2.9 ! (1.43)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
                                                                               
Graduation rate by type
     of institution3
                                                                             
Any postsecondary 47.6   (3.92) 47.8   (5.49) 53.5   (5.35) 39.8   (8.45) 45.9   (6.45) 58.7   (6.67) 45.3   (6.40) 44.8   (5.64) 58.4   (7.24) 58.9   (9.71)   (†) 50.7   (8.15) 61.8   (10.33)
4-year 45.3   (7.28) 47.7   (10.07) 60.1   (8.80)   (†)   (†) 49.5   (9.93) 48.8   (11.86) 30.6 ! (9.72) 63.1   (10.01)   (†)   (†) 59.0   (12.15)   (†)
2-year 37.2   (4.46) 38.2   (6.16) 39.2   (6.35) 28.2 ! (9.90) 33.3   (7.61) 42.5   (8.53) 32.9   (7.24) 35.1   (6.12) 45.9   (9.06) 44.3   (12.86)   (†) 43.3   (10.61) 35.7 ! (11.88)
Vocational/technical 54.6   (5.96) 52.7   (8.29) 64.3   (8.39) 51.2   (12.94) 62.5   (8.67) 63.8   (10.75) 50.7   (10.12) 58.7   (8.28) 47.3   (12.97) 46.5   (12.73)   (†) 53.2   (12.43) 73.9   (14.00)
                                                                               
Living
     independently4
44.7   (2.68) 51.0   (4.15) 38.7   (3.75) 25.7   (3.48) 44.3   (4.52) 40.3   (4.79) 24.9   (3.95) 39.2   (4.17) 41.4   (5.43) 11.2 ! (3.41) 20.5   (5.79) 7.1 ! (2.42) 24.0   (6.48)
                                                                               
Competitively
     employed5
                                                                             
Currently 53.1   (2.82) 62.4   (4.27) 58.5   (3.93) 25.7   (3.60) 40.9   (4.65) 47.4   (5.14) 26.4   (4.03) 53.8   (4.48) 34.1   (5.36) 21.5   (4.63) 23.1   (6.19) 24.2   (4.07) 41.7   (7.52)
In the past 2 years 70.1   (2.52) 78.1   (3.51) 77.2   (3.28) 38.7   (3.98) 68.6   (4.31) 65.0   (4.81) 40.2   (4.53) 72.2   (3.92) 47.2   (5.61) 32.1   (5.15) 34.9   (6.96) 33.9   (4.54) 53.3   (7.64)
† Not applicable.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡Reporting standards not met. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater.
1 Includes disability categories not shown separately.
2 Other health impairments include having limited strength, vitality, or alertness that is due to chronic or acute health problems (such as a heart condition, rheumatic fever, asthma, hemophilia, and leukemia) and that adversely affects educational performance.
3 Among students who had ever attended the type of institution specified, the percentage who received a diploma, certificate, or license.
4 Living independently includes living alone, with a spouse or roommate, in a college dormitory, in Job Corps housing, or in military housing as a service member.
5 Competitively employed refers to those receiving more than minimum wage and working in an environment where the majority of workers are not disabled.
NOTE: Data based on students who had been out of high school up to 6 years in 2007 and up to 8 years in 2009 and had attended special or regular schools in the 1999-2000 or 2000-01 school year. Apparent discrepancies in attendance and graduation percentages between 2007 and 2009 may be due to inconsistent reporting by respondents and smaller numbers of respondents for the 2009 survey wave. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research, National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), Waves 4 and 5, 2007 and 2009, unpublished tabulations. (This table was prepared July 2010.)

2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest