Special Education Teachers, Secondary School: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Education, Training, and Library · SOC 25-2058 · O*NET 25-2058.00
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.
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School fall under the Education, Training, and Library category in the U.S. occupational classification. Special Education Teachers, Secondary School earn a median salary of $69,590 per year, ranking in the top 33% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -1.6% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do special education teachers, secondary school earn?
The median annual wage for special education teachers, secondary school is $69,590. That puts special education teachers, secondary school at #271 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $47,930 |
| 25th percentile | $58,180 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $69,590 |
| 75th percentile | $87,140 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $106,050 |
Is special education teachers, secondary school a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for special education teachers, secondary school is -1.6%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 164K positions in 2024 to 161K in 2034, a net change of -3K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do special education teachers, secondary school do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working special education teachers, secondary school, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- 2.Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- 3.Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
- 4.Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
- 5.Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
- 6.Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
- 7.Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
- 8.Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine students' strengths and needs.
Top skills for special education teachers, secondary school
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become special education teachers, secondary school?
The standard path into special education teachers, secondary school begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- Law Teachers, Postsecondary$126,650 median
- Economics Teachers, Postsecondary$119,980 median
- Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary$106,120 median
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$105,620 median
- Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary$101,480 median
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$101,390 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about special education teachers, secondary school
What is the median salary for special education teachers, secondary school?
The median annual salary for special education teachers, secondary school is $69,590 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is special education teachers, secondary school a growing career?
BLS projects -1.6% growth for special education teachers, secondary school from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become special education teachers, secondary school?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to special education teachers, secondary school?
Related occupations within the Education, Training, and Library category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.