Special Education Teachers, Middle School earn a median of $66,810 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 0.4% through 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 25-2057
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Special Education Teacher, Middle School in four numbers
- Median pay
- $66,810a yearBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $49KTop 10% $103K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- -0.4%DecliningBLS EP, 2025–2035This career−0.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career −0.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 6,00094,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202594.8K
- Projected 203594.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 94.8K Projected 2035 94.4K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Some college0.3%
- Bachelor's82.5%
- Post-bacc certificate1.3%
- Master's15.5%
- Professional degree0.4%
Highest education held by special education teachers, middle school Segment Value Some college 0.3% Bachelor's 82.5% Post-bacc certificate 1.3% Master's 15.5% Professional degree 0.4%
Also advertised as: ED SPED Teacher (Emotional Disabilities Special Education Teacher), Interrelated SPED Teacher (Interrelated Special Education Teacher), Learning Disabilities Teacher (LD Teacher), Learning Support Teacher, Middle School Resource Teacher, MS SPED Teacher (Middle School Special Education Teacher).
Pay
How much do Special Education Teachers, Middle School make?
Every special education teacher, middle school in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$66,810
Middle half earn $60,000 to $82,800
- 10th
- $49,420
- 25th
- $60,000
- 75th
- $82,800
- 90th
- $102,510
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $49,420 |
| 25th | $60,000 |
| Median | $66,810 |
| 75th | $82,800 |
| 90th | $102,510 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $66,810
- Median hourly wage
- N/A
- Mean annual wage
- $73,780
- People employed
- 95,200
Versus all US occupations
At $66,810, Special Education Teachers, Middle School earn 31% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $15,830 a year.
Versus educational instruction and library occupations
The median is typical for the Educational Instruction and Library group, where the middle occupation pays $68,270.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $102,510 or more while the bottom 10% earn $49,420, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 41% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($101,530), but once local prices are taken into account Washington leads at $92,998 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Special Education Teachers, Middle School the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $101,530 | $91,700 | 4,860 |
| 2Washington | $99,520 | $92,998 | 1,550 |
| 3Rhode Island | $93,970 | $91,875 | 380 |
| 4New York | $93,820 | $86,934 | 7,870 |
| 5Connecticut | $92,900 | $89,663 | 1,260 |
| 6Massachusetts | $84,550 | $79,947 | 3,110 |
| 7Alaska | $81,000 | $79,133 | 200 |
| 8District of Columbia | $79,170 | $72,038 | 520 |
| 9New Jersey | $79,110 | $72,708 | 5,660 |
| 10Utah | $78,920 | $79,827 | 690 |
Job outlook
Is Special Education Teacher, Middle School a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Declining. -0.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School | −0.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Declining
BLS projects employment of Special Education Teachers, Middle School to change -0.4% over 2025–2035, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.5%. That is 400 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 6,000 openings are projected each year, 6.3% of the 94,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of special education teachers is projected to decline 0 percent from 2025 to 2035.
Despite declining employment, about 37,100 openings for special education teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Declining school enrollments may limit demand for special education teachers. However, these teachers are projected to still have some demand as children with disabilities are identified earlier and are enrolled into special education programs.
Getting in
How to become a Special Education Teacher, Middle School
Special education teachers in public schools are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree and a state-issued certification or license. Private schools typically require teachers to have a bachelor’s degree, but the teachers are not required to be licensed or certified.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as special education teachers, middle school.
- Bachelor's Degree82.5%
- Master's Degree15.5%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate1.3%
- First Professional Degree0.4%
- Some College Courses0.3%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 82.5% |
| Master's Degree | 15.5% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 1.3% |
| First Professional Degree | 0.4% |
| Some College Courses | 0.3% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Special Education Teacher, Middle School do?
Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle 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 work with students who have learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects to students with mild to moderate disabilities. They also teach basic skills to students with severe disabilities.
Day-to-day tasks
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Teach students personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy.
- Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
- Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
- Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.
- Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Special education teachers typically work during school hours. In addition to providing instruction during this time, they grade papers, update students’ records, and prepare lessons. They may meet with parents, students, and other teachers or specialists before and after classes.
Many work the traditional 10-month school year and have a 2-month break during the summer. They also have a short midwinter break. Some teachers work in summer programs.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Learning Strategies4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Learning4.0
- Monitoring4.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Learning Strategies | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Instructing4.1
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Service Orientation4.0
- Coordination3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Time Management3.8
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Persuasion3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Instructing | 4.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 |
| Service Orientation | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 |
| Time Management | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Computer based training software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Device drivers or system software
- Internet browser software
- Multi-media educational software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Special Education Teacher, Middle School?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Special Education Teacher, Middle School |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 2 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 7 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules.
- Social7.0
- Artistic4.0
- Investigative3.9
- Conventional3.3
- Realistic2.3
- Enterprising1.8
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Special Education Teacher, Middle School
O*NET related occupations
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Most earn $49K to $105K
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More educational instruction and library careers
Median annual pay, with special education teachers, middle school highlighted
- Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary$80,250
- Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$74,260
- Librarian$68,270
- Special Education Teacher, Middle School$66,810
- Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School$66,270
- Kindergarten Teacher$62,680
- Library Technician$44,580
- Tutor$43,350
- Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education$38,140
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary | $80,250 |
| Special Education Teacher, Secondary School | $74,260 |
| Librarian | $68,270 |
| Special Education Teacher, Middle School | $66,810 |
| Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School | $66,270 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $62,680 |
| Library Technician | $44,580 |
| Tutor | $43,350 |
| Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education | $38,140 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Special Education Teacher, Middle School appears on
Questions
Special Education Teacher, Middle School: frequently asked questions
How much do Special Education Teachers, Middle School make?
Special Education Teachers, Middle School earn a median of $66,810 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 31% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. The middle half earn between $60,000 and $82,800. The top 10% earn $102,510 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Special Education Teacher, Middle School?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Special Education Teachers, Middle School, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 82.5% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Special Education Teacher, Middle School a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 0.4% over 2025–2035, a loss of 400 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 6,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Special Education Teacher, Middle School do?
Special education teachers work with students who have learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. A core O*NET task: establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students. Employers most often ask for Document management software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Special Education Teachers, Middle School the most?
The highest state medians for Special Education Teachers, Middle School are California ($101,530), Washington ($99,520), Rhode Island ($93,970) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Washington moves to the top at $92,998.
What personality type suits a Special Education Teacher, Middle School?
O*NET scores Special Education Teachers, Middle School highest on the Social, Artistic and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFP, INFJ, INFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.