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Student Data Program

Each year, TSBVI makes two counts on behalf of the Texas Education Agency related to students with visual impairments and who are deafblind in Texas. These are known as the Registration of Students in Texas with Visual Impairment and the Texas Deafblind Child Count.

The student Data Program plays an important role for students with visual impairments and who are deafblind in Texas. In January each year, two important counts are made on behalf of the Texas Education Agency related to these students by TSBVI. These are known respectively as the Registration of Students in Texas with Visual Impairment  (SPED and 504) and the Texas Deafblind Child Count.

On the first Monday of January each year, information is gathered on every student in Texas who is identified as blind, visually impaired, low vision, or who is deafblind.  This includes students who are enrolled in a public, private, or charter schools. The kind of information that is gathered includes information about the degree and cause of the visual impairment, age of the child, location of the school, and type of program where the child or student receives their education whether or not the child uses braille or large print and other information.

This student information is completely confidential. However, summary demographic data is used for long-term planning and identifying trends and issues for students with visual impairment and who are deafblind at Texas Education Agency, the twenty Education Service Centers, Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Blind Children’s Program, Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECI), Texas Education Agency and Outreach Programs. Other agencies and organizations may request specific information to help them advocate for services for individuals with visual impairment and who are deafblind at all age levels.

Additionally, the number of students counted each year on the VI Registration generates funds based on the number of students who are legally blind. These funds are used to purchase materials from the American Printing House for the Blind for local districts through the APH Materials Loan Program.

Student Data Quick Links

Registration of Students in Texas with Visual Impairments & 504 Summary

Texas Deafblind Child Count

Registration of Students in TX with Visual Impairment & 504 Summary

2026 Statewide VI SPED Results

NOTE:  “Braille Instruction” indicates the number of students receiving braille instruction in each region.  The question pertaining to braille instruction is asked if and when braille is not listed as a primary or secondary reading medium for a student.  “Total Braille” is the combined number of primary reading medium, secondary reading medium and students receiving instruction in each region.

“Not Legal Blind Meets IDEA Def.” indicates the number of students whose Level of Vision is recorded as NLB but are noted as meeting the following IDEA definition.

IDEA Definition: “Visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.” (34 CFR§300.8(c)(13))

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ESC VI SPED DB ONLY AGES 0-2 AGES 3-5 AGES 6-22 BRAILLE PRIMARY BRAILLE SECONDARY BRAILLE INSTRCUTION VISUAL PRIMARY VISUAL SECONDARY AUDITORY PRIMARY AUDITORY SECONDARY PRE READER SYMB COMM LEGAL BLIND NOT LEGAL BLIND MEETS IDEA DEF. VI ONLY ASSIST TECH OM EVAL OM SERV
1 624 43 19 41 564 17 10 55 402 7 36 242 70 99 350 273 157 605 588 359
2 157 13 9 24 124 3 2 9 95 1 4 45 28 27 92 65 30 152 148 93
3 110 15 5 17 88 4 1 8 52 3 4 11 31 19 49 59 17 99 107 63
4 1,667 202 44 132 1,491 67 24 132 901 17 90 337 274 335 859 782 393 1,488 1,580 877
5 133 13 4 16 113 3 5 11 76 0 5 52 29 20 83 44 34 118 111 22
6 368 44 15 38 315 13 2 18 213 4 9 98 81 52 178 189 90 289 353 257
7 444 44 13 38 393 12 7 36 240 6 18 134 75 99 214 229 109 367 435 264
8 70 6 4 4 62 1 0 5 37 0 7 5 18 7 36 34 12 51 63 52
9 166 9 3 17 146 3 1 4 110 0 1 47 40 12 54 111 35 129 165 20
10 1,130 148 41 118 971 53 29 144 564 8 62 268 200 251 670 455 270 955 1,093 636
11 839 109 54 84 701 42 10 86 456 7 50 202 135 156 408 422 222 712 797 461
12 311 20 12 34 265 4 5 21 155 5 16 41 71 65 173 136 58 245 280 184
13 681 71 41 81 559 15 19 52 327 15 38 136 147 154 499 173 123 610 633 475
14 136 14 2 11 123 5 2 12 96 1 2 37 25 8 43 83 45 114 132 40
15 155 9 4 17 134 4 1 6 95 0 1 51 21 34 50 85 34 94 154 57
16 132 10 5 10 117 3 3 6 70 1 10 45 31 18 57 74 32 114 130 46
17 157 6 3 17 137 9 2 15 79 1 6 20 14 49 76 80 41 119 153 46
18 123 12 7 13 103 2 2 5 64 0 4 27 24 29 71 51 28 72 110 38
19 235 15 15 24 196 3 2 5 102 3 20 55 47 63 125 106 43 213 221 95
20 768 95 54 72 642 28 10 49 363 11 29 165 150 198 491 273 161 676 732 427
TSBVI 128 18 0 0 128 33 19 49 43 5 23 66 9 20 128 0 28 128 127 127
TSD 16 16 0 0 16 0 0 4 16 0 0 0 0 0 5 11 0 16 16 15
TOTAL 8,550 932 354 808 7,388 324 156 732 4,556 95 435 2,084 1,520 1,715 4,711 3,735 1,962 7,366 8,128 4,654
TOTAL % 10.90% 4.14% 9.45% 86.41% 3.79% 1.82% 8.56% 53.29% 1.11% 5.09% 24.37% 17.78% 20.06% 55.10% 43.68% 22.95% 86.15% 95.06% 54.43%

2026 Statewide VI 504 Results

NOTE:  “Braille Instruction” indicates the number of students receiving braille instruction in each region.  The question pertaining to braille instruction is asked if and when braille is not listed as a primary or secondary reading medium for a student.  “Total Braille” is the combined number of primary reading medium, secondary reading medium and students receiving instruction in each region.

“Not Legal Blind Meets IDEA Def.” indicates the number of students whose Level of Vision is recorded as NLB but are noted as meeting the following IDEA definition.

IDEA Definition: “Visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.” (34 CFR§300.8(c)(13))

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ESC 504 AGES
0-2		 AGES
3-5		 AGES
6-22		 BRAILLE PRIM BRAILLE
SEC		 BRAILLE
INST		 VISUAL PRIM VISUAL SEC AUD
PRIM		 AUD
SEC		 PRE READER SYMB COMM LEGAL BLIND NOT LEGAL BLIND MEETS IDEA DEF. ASSIST TECH OM
EVAL		 OM
SERV.
1 88 0 0 88 0 0 0 88 0 0 9 0 0 13 11 42 0 0
2 46 0 0 46 0 0 0 46 0 0 7 0 0 4 30 11 3 0
3 26 0 0 26 0 0 0 26 0 0 2 0 0 1 20 5 1 0
4 404 0 3 401 0 0 0 400 2 3 45 1 0 24 196 31 8 0
5 17 0 1 16 0 1 0 17 0 0 10 0 0 1 14 14 6 0
6 116 0 0 116 0 0 0 116 0 0 15 0 0 2 69 18 4 0
7 75 1 2 72 0 0 0 72 0 0 14 2 1 3 30 11 6 1
8 13 0 0 13 0 0 0 13 0 0 2 0 0 2 5 2 0 0
9 13 0 0 13 0 0 0 13 0 0 4 0 0 1 5 1 2 0
10 499 1 8 490 0 0 0 496 0 1 20 2 0 13 272 41 6 0
11 225 0 3 222 0 0 1 217 0 7 18 1 0 7 113 75 11 0
12 78 0 0 78 0 0 0 77 0 1 2 0 0 3 40 3 2 0
13 307 1 2 304 0 0 0 306 0 0 21 1 0 23 136 100 5 1
14 5 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
15 18 0 0 18 0 0 0 18 0 0 6 0 0 0 7 5 4 0
16 32 0 0 32 0 0 0 31 1 1 1 0 0 3 6 2 0 0
17 27 0 0 27 0 0 0 27 0 0 2 0 0 1 4 5 2 0
18 16 0 0 16 0 0 0 16 0 0 11 0 0 3 8 3 3 0
19 51 0 0 51 0 0 0 51 0 0 10 0 0 0 21 0 2 0
20 247 0 5 242 0 0 0 246 0 0 16 1 0 7 133 32 6 0
TSBVI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TSD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 2,303 3 24 2,276 0 1 1 2,281 3 13 215 8 1 111 1,120 402 71 2
TOTAL % 0.13% 1.04% 98.83% 0.00% 0.04% 0.04% 99.04% 0.13% 0.56% 9.34% 0.35% 0.04% 4.82% 48.63% 17.46% 3.08% 0.09%

VI Registration & 504 Count Totals

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Counts # of Students % of Students
VI Registration 8,550 78.78%
504 Count 2,303 21.22%
COMBINED TOTAL: 10,853

Selected Age Groups

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Age Groups 504 # 504 % VIR # VIR %
Age 0 - 2 Years 3 0.13% 354 4.14%
Age 3 - 5 Years 24 1.04% 808 9.45%
Age 6 - 22+ Years 2,276 98.83% 7,388 86.41%
COMBINED TOTAL: 2,303 8,550

Ethnicity & Race

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Ethnicity 504 # 504 % VIR # VIR %
Hispanic or Latino 848 36.82% 3,869 45.25%
Not Hispanic or Latino 1,455 63.18% 4,681 54.75%
COMBINED TOTAL: 2,303 8,550
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Race 504 # 504 % VIR # VIR %
American Indian or Alaskan Native 46 2.00% 132 1.54%
Asian 98 4.26% 414 4.84%
Black or African American 224 9.73% 1,284 15.02%
Hispanic or Latino 332 14.42% 2,301 26.91%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 11 0.48% 38 0.44%
Two or More Races 69 3.00% 242 2.83%
Unknown 6 0.26% 33 0.39%
White 1,517 65.87% 4,106 48.02%
COMBINED TOTAL: 2,303 8,550

Level of Vision

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Level of Vision 504 # 504 % VIR # VIR %
MDB - Meets Definition of Blindness 56 2.43% 2,932 34.29%
FDB - Meets Functional Definition of Blindness 55 2.39% 1,779 20.81%
NLB - Not Legally Blind (Meets IDEA Def.) 1,120 48.63% 3,735 43.68%
NLB - Not Legally Blind (Does NOT Meet IDEA Def.) 1,072 46.55% 104 1.22%
TOTAL 2,303 8,505

Reading Medium

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Reading Medium for VI SPED Count Visual Auditory Braille Pre-Reader Symbolic Communicator
Primary Reading Medium # 4,556 435 324 1,520 1,715
Secondary Reading Medium # 95 2,084 156 NA NA
Braille Instruction (Regardless of Prim or Sec Medium) NA NA 732 NA NA
TOTAL 4,651 2,519 NA 1,520 1,715
PERCENTAGE 54.40% 29.46% NA 17.78% 20.06%
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Reading Medium for VI 504 Count Visual Auditory Braille Pre-Reader Symbolic Communicator
Primary Reading Medium # 2,281 13 0 8 1
Secondary Reading Medium # 3 215 1 NA NA
Braille Instruction (Regardless of Prim or Sec Medium) NA NA 1 NA NA
TOTAL 2,284 228 NA 8 1
PERCENTAGE 99.17% 9.90% NA 0.35% 0.04%

Disability Conditions

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Disability Conditions Primary Secondary Tertiary Quaternary Total
Visual Impairment 3,733 2,573 1,068 278 7,652
Other Health Impaired 1,657 950 348 192 3,147
Intellectual Disabilities 1,215 619 277 140 2,251
Deafblind 503 168 39 10 720
Autism 394 190 54 43 681
Orthopedic Impairment 246 283 201 184 914
Traumatic Brain Injury 207 27 11 8 253
Specific Learning Disability 167 208 50 8 433
Non-Categorical Early Childhood 100 18 4 3 125
Speech or Language Impairment 62 1,167 2,360 412 4,001
Deaf / Hard of Hearing 57 80 50 26 215
Emotional Disturbance 44 40 13 5 102
Under Age 3 with No Disability Condition Listed 165 --- --- --- 165
504 --- --- --- --- 2,303
DB or Any Combo of DB, VI + D/HH, & Documented Loss --- --- --- --- 932

Texas Deafblind Child Count

Recent Year Totals

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Year Total
2026 932
2025 898
2024 873
2023 846
2022 778

Students Numbers by ESC Region

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Region 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
1 Edinburg, Rio Grande Valley, Laredo 43 35 38 37 37
2 Corpus Christi 13 15 19 17 16
3 Victoria 15 14 15 14 10
4 Houston 201 204 189 176 162
5 Beaumont 13 11 10 7 9
6 Huntsville, Bryan, Conroe 43 41 36 34 27
7 Kilgore, Tyler, Lufkin 44 46 46 42 39
8 Pittsburg, Texarkana, Paris, Sulphur Springs 6 5 7 9 9
9 Wichita Falls 9 7 9 8 8
10 Richardson, Dallas 151 146 139 138 124
11 Fort Worth 108 106 108 116 109
12 Waco 20 20 22 21 17
13 Austin (Minus TSBVI & TSD) 71 62 61 53 49
14 Abilene 14 9 9 9 10
15 San Angelo 9 11 10 8 8
16 Amarillo 10 11 10 9 9
17 Lubbock 6 4 6 7 6
18 Midland 12 13 10 12 9
19 El Paso 15 13 18 18 15
20 San Antonio 95 92 77 72 71
Texas School for the Deaf 16 16 18 16 16
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired 18 17 16 23 18
Statewide Totals 932 898 873 846 778

Selected Age Groups

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Ages Groups 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Birth - 2 years old 46 37 27 30 21
3 -5 Years Old 114 106 114 99 103
6 - 12 Years Old 379 368 351 331 291
13 - 15 Years Old 153 156 166 183 167
16 Years and Older 240 231 215 203 196
TOTAL: 932 898 873 846 778

Ethnicity & Race

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Race 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Hispanic or Latino 424 399 381 371 334
Not Hispanic or Latino 508 499 492 475 444
TOTAL 932 898 873 846 778
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Race 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
American Indian or Alaskan Native 19 20 19 20 18
Asian 55 46 45 36 24
Black or African American 120 125 116 112 106
Hispanic or Latino (As per NCDB, this selection is no longer available.) NA NA NA 212 186
White (not Hispanic) 651 627 605 434 414
Pacific Islander 2 3 4 2 2
Two or More 38 34 36 23 21
Unknown / Missing 47 43 48 7 7
TOTAL 932 898 873 846 778

Other Impairments

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Impairments 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Behavior 51 51 51 55 60
Cognitive 529 502 515 526 466
Complex Health Care 471 452 434 420 360
Physical 538 511 492 481 435
Speech 788 743 725 694 623

Degree of Hearing Loss

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Hearing Loss 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Mild (up to 40 dB) 147 137 129 123 105
Moderate (41-55 dB) 228 227 222 212 190
Moderately Severe (56-70 dB) 165 150 148 136 142
Severe (71-90 dB) 104 90 98 97 69
Profound (91+ dB) 213 208 188 201 193
Documented Functional Hearing Loss 41 52 49 36 42
Further Testing Needed 34 34 39 40 37
Progressive Hearing Loss 93 89 80 79 66

Additional Hearling Loss Information

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Additional Hearing Information 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Auditory Neuropathy 45 47 46 45 40
Central Auditory Processing Disorder 28 30 31 26 17
Cochlear Implant 172 170 163 160 149
Hearing Aides / Listening Devices 584 552 539 513 477
Hearing in One Early Only 102 90 96 79 66

Degree of Vision Loss

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Degree of Vision Loss 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Low Vision (better than 20/200) 417 386 384 370 313
Legally Blind 212 224 236 242 275
Light Perception Only 48 46 38 34 23
Normal/Near Vision with Progressive Loss Expected 35 38 33 30 22
Totally Blind 36 43 47 52 34
Documented Functional Vision Loss 147 134 109 95 95
Further Testing Needed 37 27 26 22 16
Progressive Vision Loss 126 131 108 96 98

Additional Vision Information

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Additional Vision Information 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) 264 261 250 253 236
Vision in One Eye Only 42 42 42 42 40
Uses Corrective Lenses 546 520 507 485 461

Interveners & RDSPD

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Miscellaneous 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
Has Designated Intervener (Certified) 13 15 11 13 19
Has Designated Intervener (Non-certified) 98 93 83 82 71
Receives Services from RDSP 378 369 338 308 269

Common Etiologies

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Etiologies 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
CHARGE Syndrome 93 96 87 89 85
Complications of Prematurity 68 69 76 74 65
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) 19 16 15 16 15
Dandy Walker syndrome 10 8 8 7 4
Down Syndrome 44 43 40 38 33
Goldenhar Syndrome 15 13 13 12 9
Hydrocephaly 16 20 17 14 16
Meningitis 9 10 10 10 10
Microcephaly 4 4 5 9 10
No Determination of Etiology 90 92 91 103 100
Other Post-natal Complications 35 31 33 31 28
Other Pre-natal/Congenital 25 23 19 24 13
Tumors 9 10 10 9 10
Usher 1 Syndrome 22 18 15 14 16
Usher 2 Syndrome 11 11 8 14 10
Usher 3 Syndrome 2 2 4 3 3