How Do Charter Schools Serve Students with Disabilities? Lessons from Michigan

January 12, 2026 | By Scott Imberman, Andrew Johnson

Students with Disabilities (SWDs) make up nearly 15% of the K-12 student population in the U.S. but have historically been underrepresented in charter schools, and charter schools may offer different special education services than traditional public schools (TPS), raising concerns that they may be less attentive to the needs of SWDs.
Using data from Michigan K-8 students from 2013 to 2018, we study how the educational setting and the attendance and academic outcomes of SWDs change after switching from a TPS to a charter school, as outcomes of SWDs are rarely the focus of research on charter schools.