The present investigation sought to understand the perceptions of, and attitudes toward, inclusive schooling in teacher and administrative candidates in the USA and Austria using items derived from the Index for Inclusion (Booth, T., and M. Ainscow. 2011. "Index for Inclusion: Developing Learning and Participation in Schools." Bristol: CSIE). Responses were analysed in terms of differences between institutions, past experience and certification area. Statistical findings were contextualised with responses to open questions designed to ascertain candidates' understanding of inclusion. Significant differences were found between candidates from different institutions and from different certification areas. Additional results found interesting contradictions between reported attitudes toward inclusion and pervasive notions of a deficit model of inclusion. Finally, this work conducted statistical analysis on items derived from the Index for Inclusion, demonstrating a different application of this work, thus providing a significant contribution to the literature.