AUGUSTA (AP) — A new report from the National Center for Learning Disabilities shows Maine has a higher number of special education students than the national average. 
 
The report finds 9,416 children with specific learning disabilities in the state, with 16 percent of public school students in Maine having received special education in the 2013-2014 school year. The national average is 12 percent.

The report also finds that unlike 38 states, Maine lacks a law addressing reading by the third grade. But the report found the 14 percent drop-out rate for Maine students with learning disabilities is below the national 18 percent.

That’s higher than the dropout rate for all students, which sits at 6.5 percent.