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Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

Teach academic, social, and life skills to elementary school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

Median salary (BLS)

$65,120

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$49k – $103k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $85,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

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Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$40,100–$150,700

Time to qualify

4.3 yr

Renewal

$20/yr

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    State teaching certification

    License

    Approved educator-prep program, pedagogy & subject exams, background check, and a state application.

    $100–$700 · 3 months · varies by state · renews every 5 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Special Education Teachers, Elementary School" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

    Entry / Junior

    $49,350

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

    Established

    $65,120

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

    Senior

    $84,065

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Instruct students with disabilities in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs.
  • •Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
  • •Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
  • •Modify the general elementary education curriculum for students with disabilities.
  • •Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Education

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.