Every year, state and national governments spend between $80 and $110 billion on special education programs. The exact number is difficult to pinpoint because the definition of special education varies from state to state. In total, special education programs serve approximately 6 million students, or 14 percent of the total student population. Special education costs a lot because it's resource-intensive. Students need extra individual attention, access to therapists, separate classroom space and a host of other services. These costs are expected to rise due to the increasing prevalence of conditions like autism in the general public.
Sending special education students to regular classrooms reduces costs, at least in the short-term. The practice of mainstreaming is already widespread. According to the Wall Street Journal, about 60 percent of disabled students already spend roughly 80 percent of their time in regular classes. This strategy reduces the need for special education teachers and the demand for additional classroom space, saving money. However, the true cost of special education cannot be reduced to annual classroom expenditures.
Although sending special education students to regular classes does reduce financial costs, it can also harm the quality of education for all students. Special education students typically require more attention from teachers. Since teachers only have so much time every day, the extra attention paid to special education students trades off with attention to other students. It is impossible to estimate the cost of these factors precisely, but given that 14 percent of all students have some special needs, the impact could be quite large.
A realistic analysis of costs and benefits of special education must include the long-term social impacts of the programs. Good special education programs cost a lot, but they can also save taxpayers in the long run by helping special education students to flourish in society. One of the primary goals of special education programs is to give students life skills to allow them to function independently. Students who leave public school unprepared for the workforce may end up receiving public assistance like welfare benefits and Medicaid for their entire lives. Over the course of an average lifespan, these costs could easily outweigh the added expense of special education programs. In other words, eliminating or reducing special education spending via mainstreaming might end up costing more money.