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Education

Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

Teach academic, social, and life skills to secondary 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)

$74,260

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$50k – $109k

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, Secondary School

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

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, Secondary 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, Secondary School

    Entry / Junior

    $49,800

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

    Established

    $74,260

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

    Senior

    $91,680

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
  • •Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
  • •Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
  • •Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
  • •Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Education

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