According to an analysis recently released by the Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE), written state complaints increased while mediation requests hit an all-time high as shown by 2024-25 data. In fact, special education state complaints have continued its year-over-year increase nationwide, jumping 7% between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years alone. What’s more, between 2014 and 2024 the tally spiked by 113%. Formally called “written state complaints,” they often trigger state-led investigations into special education-related concerns brought forward by anyone. Some 10,610 written state complaints were filed during the 2024-25 school year, up from 9,927 the year before.
As reported by K-12 Dive, the states of Texas, Massachusetts and California accounted for 26% of the nation’s written state complaints in 2024-25. For more from K-12 Dive, click here.