National Longitudinal Transition Study Wave 1 & 2 Data Files

NLTS, launched in 1987, is the first in a series of studies conducted to examine the characteristics and school experiences of a nationally representative sample of youth with disabilities transitioning from secondary school to early adulthood. This original longitudinal study includes a nationally representative sample of over 8,000 secondary special education students ages 13 to 21 (in the 1985-86 school year), drawn to represent youth in each of the federal special education disability categories. NLTS data were first gathered in 1987 (wave 1) and again in 1990-91 (wave 2) to examine youths' experiences through secondary school and into their early adult years. In this data set, data are mapped to the original data collection instruments and recoded to their original format to make it possible to examine trends across studies.