Students Classified as Having Disabilities
What does this measure?
This data tracks the percentage and number of students aged 6–21 classified as having disabilities in public school districts across Orange County and the broader Hudson Valley region, over multiple school years. The top table shows trends by school district in Orange County from 2003–2004 through 2023–2024 (originally in percentage, later shifting to student counts). The bottom table provides county-level comparisons across the Hudson Valley.
Summary Statement
Across most Orange County school districts, the percentage of students classified as having disabilities rose steadily between the 2003–2004 and 2014–2015 school years. For example, Middletown City School District increased from 12.6% in 2003–2004 to 17% by 2023–2024. Similarly, Warwick Valley increased from 10.4% in 2003–2004 to 16% in 2023–2024. By 2022–2023 and 2023–2024, the metric transitioned from percentage to student count, with Dutchess County reporting 2,672 students with disabilities in 2022–2023 and 2,986 in 2023–2024 — the highest among the counties shown. In the broader Hudson Valley region, Orange, Dutchess, Sullivan, and Ulster counties all saw increases in both percentages and student counts. These trends reflect a consistent upward pattern in disability classifications across most districts and counties from the early 2000s through the 2020s.
Sources
Statistical Profiles of Public School Districts & the NYS Education Department School Report Card
New York State Department of Education, SEDCAR Information and Reporting Services
New York State Education Department School Report Card
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/SWD/swd2009/classif_rate.html
https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/Home.do?year=2010
New York State Department of Education, SEDCAR Information and Reporting Services
http://eservices.nysed.gov/sepubrep/mainservlet?f=county1112&county1112=44
NYSED Report Card, Counties Public School Enrollment Data