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New Jersey lags behind in including young students with disabilities

Critics call the state's failure to integrate young students with disabilities 'disconcerting.' Can New Jersey turn the tide on special education inclusion?

,   and  Administrator
2 min read
The image shows a man standing in front of a classroom full of students. He is wearing a black...
The image shows a man standing in front of a classroom full of students. He is wearing a black blazer, white shirt, and black pants, and is holding a microphone in his hand. The students are seated in chairs around tables with bags and other objects on them. In the background, there is a whiteboard, a flag, a banner attached to the wall, window blinds, a projector, and lights on the ceiling.

New Jersey lags behind in including young students with disabilities

New Jersey has the lowest inclusion rate for young students with disabilities in the US. Fewer than half of 6- and 7-year-olds in special education spend most of their day with classmates without disabilities. This contrasts sharply with the national average, where nearly three-quarters of students with disabilities learn alongside their peers for at least 80% of the school day.

Federal law mandates that students with disabilities should learn with their non-disabled peers as much as possible. Yet in New Jersey, only 48.5% of 6- and 7-year-olds with disabilities spend the majority of their day in general education classrooms. Nationwide, 68% of students with disabilities meet this threshold.

The state's poor performance has drawn criticism. Senator Vin Gopal described the figures as 'extremely disconcerting' and demanded 'fundamental changes'. His remarks follow years of underperformance: between 2016 and 2023, nearly a third of New Jersey school districts failed to justify student placements in special education, breaking state law. Meanwhile, demand for support is growing. The New Jersey Inclusion Project, which helps schools improve inclusion, received applications from three times as many districts as it could accommodate. A state advisory group will now review inclusion practices for young children with disabilities. Other regions show progress is possible. Hawaii increased its inclusion rate by 10 percentage points over a decade, rising from 45.6% to 55.6%. Germany, however, has seen little change since 2010, with only 20-30% of students with disabilities spending at least 80% of their time in regular classes across most federal states.

New Jersey's low inclusion rates highlight ongoing challenges in special education. The state's advisory group will now assess how to improve opportunities for young children with disabilities. Meanwhile, federal law continues to require schools to prioritise inclusive learning environments.

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