IDEA State Ratings

How is your state doing?

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education, through its Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), evaluates every state’s implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

These annual determinations examine whether states are meeting the requirements of IDEA and consider data related to the implementation of the law and outcomes for students with disabilities.

But behind every state determination are real children, real families, and real educational outcomes.

What does your state’s 2026 determination tell you?

And what do the actions and responses of your state education agencies and hearing officers tell you about how IDEA works when families seek enforcement of their children's rights?

• Are the state agencies responsible for oversight fulfilling their responsibilities? 

• Are state complaint investigators conducting thorough and impartial investigations in conjunction with federal law?

• Are Level I and Level II hearing officers providing a fair and impartial process that their positions require? 

• Are the rights and protections of students with disabilities guaranteed by IDEA meaningfully enforced?

Is your state meeting its responsibilities under IDEA? Are outcomes for students with disabilities improving? Does the federal determination reflect what families are actually experiencing in classrooms, schools, complaint processes, due process hearings, and at IEP tables across the state?

A determination letter is more than a federal designation. It is an opportunity to compare what is being reported with what families are experiencing—and to ask whether the systems created to protect students with disabilities are functioning as intended.

Are you satisfied with where your state stands—or should you expect more for students with disabilities?

Find your state. Read its determination. Look at the data. Look at how the system responds when families seek help. Ask questions. Know where your state stands.

2026 IDEA Determination Letters on State Implementation of IDEA  →

Why Does This Matter?

State determinations provide important information about how well a state's special education system is functioning.

The determination reflects statewide performance in areas such as:

• IDEA compliance

• Educational outcomes

• Federal reporting requirements

• Timely evaluations

• Early intervention services

• Graduation and dropout rates

• Transition planning

• Dispute resolution and corrective actions

• Other federally required performance indicators

These determinations are based on statewide data—not on a single student's experience or one school district.