Occupation salary profile

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

SOC 25-2052 BLS OEWS May 2025
National median · BLS
$65,120
▲ +3.37% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$72,650
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
260,870
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$49,350
25th$59,710
Median (50th)$65,120
75th$80,280
90th — top pay$103,010

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

BLS projects employment of special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school to decline 0.4% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 16,400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
259,100 → 258,100
-900 jobs
Projected change
-0.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
16,400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
0.2% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Speaking4.1
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Instructing4.1
  • Learning Strategies4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Social Perceptiveness3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Writing3.7
  • Monitoring3.6
  • Active Learning3.6
Top knowledge areas
  • English Language4.6
  • Education and Training4.5
  • Psychology3.8
  • Mathematics3.7
  • Customer and Personal Service3.5
  • Computers and Electronics3.4
  • Administrative3.3
  • Administration and Management3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordAmerican Sign Language BrowserChildren's educational softwareDrawing softwareEasyCBMEmail softwaregoQ WordQIndividualized Educational Program IEP softwareNuance Dragon NaturallySpeakingRethink EdScientific Learning Fast ForWordScreen magnification softwareScreen reader softwareSynapse outSPOKEN

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school do

BLS reports pay for this group as one occupation. The details below combine O*NET's 2 detailed occupations: Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten; Special Education Teachers, Elementary School.

  • 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.
  • Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or school or state requirements.
  • Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
  • Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
  • Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
  • Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
  • Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development.
Also called
Deaf TeacherHearing Impaired Itinerant Teacher (HI Itinerant Teacher)Special Education Resource TeacherSPED Teacher (Special Education Teacher)Emotional Disabilities TeacherK-1 SPED Teacher (Kindergarten through First Grade Special Education Teacher)Kindergarten SPED Teacher (Kindergarten Special Education Teacher)Life Skills TeacherSpecial Education Inclusion TeacherSpecial Education Kindergarten TeacherLearning Support TeacherResource Program Teacher
More job titles for this occupation (64)
Academic InterventionistAdapted Physical Education TeacherAPE Teacher (Adapted Physical Education Teacher)Behavior InterventionistBehavior SpecialistBlind TeacherBraille TeacherCross-Categorical Special Education TeacherCross-Categorical SPED Teacher (Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher)Developmentally Delayed Special Education Teacher (DD Special Education Teacher)Early Childhood Special EducatorEarly InterventionistElementary Classroom InstructorElementary Classroom TeacherElementary School SPED Teacher (Elementary School Special Education Teacher)Elementary SPED Teacher (Elementary Special Education Teacher)Elementary TeacherEmotional Support TeacherExceptional Needs TeacherHearing Impaired TeacherHome Therapy TeacherInclusion Special Education TeacherInclusion TeacherIntegrated Program TeacherInterventionistLBD Teacher (Learning and Behavioral Disabilities Teacher)Learning and Behavioral Disabilities TeacherLearning Disabilities TeacherLearning Disabled TeacherLearning SpecialistLip Reading TeacherLong Term Sub SPED Teacher (Long Term Substitute Special Education Teacher)Long Term Substitute Elementary Teacher (Long Term Sub Elementary Teacher)Math Interventionist (Mathematics Interventionist)Mentally Retarded TeacherMildly Disabled Student Special Education TeacherMildly Disabled Student Special Education Teacher (Mildly Disabled Student SPED Teacher)Multi-Handicapped Students Special Education TeacherMulti-Handicapped Students Special Education Teacher (Multi-Handicapped Student SPED Teacher)Physically Impaired TeacherPrimary Special Education TeacherPrimary Special EducatorPrimary SPED Teacher (Primary Special Education Teacher)Profound Mental Handicaps Special Education TeacherProfound Mental Handicaps SPED Teacher (Profound Mental Handicaps Special Education Teacher)Public School TeacherReading SpecialistResource Room Special Education TeacherResource Room SPED Teacher (Resource Room Special Education Teacher)Resource SpecialistSelf Contained Special Education TeacherSelf-Contained Special Education Teacher (Self-Contained SPED Teacher)Severe EBD Teacher (Severe Emotional Behavioral Disorders Teacher)Severe Emotional Behavioral Disorders TeacherSevere Mental Handicaps Special Education TeacherSevere Mental Handicaps SPED Teacher (Severe Mental Handicaps Special Education Teacher)Sign Language TeacherSpecial Needs TeacherSPED Associate (Special Education Associate)SPED Clerk (Special Education Clerk)SPED Instructor (Special Education Instructor)SPED Life Skills Teacher (Special Education Life Skills Teacher)SPED Specialist (Special Education Specialist)Teacher

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.