Special Education Teacher salary
From 782 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 25-2056: Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
- Also filed as: Elementary Special Education Teacher
At a glance
- Mostly Level I (entry-level). 73% of Special Education Teacher filings are Level I, compared with 19% across all H-1B filings.
- Top filer: Dallas Independent School District. 40 filings (5% of the total), median $65,000.
- Median up 9% since FY2020. From $56,300 in FY2020 to $61,370 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Special Education Teacher H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 782 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Special Education Teacher jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 25-2056, Special Education Teachers, Elementary School). The median base salary is $60,000, 51% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $53,160 and $68,789. The most common wage level is Level I (entry-level), at 73% of filings. San Francisco, CA has the most filings (44), and Dallas Independent School District is the employer that files the most (40).
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Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Top employers for Special Education Teacher
Employers with the most Special Education Teacher filings. Bar: share of all Special Education Teacher filings. Figure: median base salary.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 73% of filings
Mid-level · 16% of filings
Senior · 6% of filings
Expert · 4% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $55,844 | 352 |
| Level II · Qualified | $61,425 | 79 |
| Level III · Experienced | $64,398 | 30 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $74,940 | 18 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Special Education Teacher pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 20 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $87,506 | 44 |
| Dallas, TX | $65,000 | 41 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $68,250 | 35 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $58,547 | 31 |
| San Jose, CA | $72,051 | 27 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $55,340 | 25 |
| Savannah, GA | $59,079 | 24 |
| Topeka, KS | $59,150 | 24 |
| Columbia, SC | $62,412 | 22 |
| Salinas, CA | $67,229 | 21 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $59,075 | 20 |
| Baltimore, MD | $81,145 | 17 |
| Washington, DC | $65,000 | 17 |
| Atlanta, GA | $60,000 | 15 |
| Denver, CO | $63,244 | 15 |
| Charlotte, NC | $47,050 | 14 |
| Hobbs, NM | $63,024 | 13 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $72,977 | 12 |
| Houston, TX | $87,333 | 11 |
| Roanoke Rapids, NC | $41,000 | 11 |
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Special Education Teacher does
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.
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
Preparation
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
O*NET occupation: Special Education Teachers, Elementary School (25-2056.00). This section includes information from the 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.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $47,050 |
| 25th | $53,160 |
| 50th (median) | $60,000 |
| 75th | $68,789 |
| 90th | $83,684 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $56,300 | $48,320 | $62,479 | 98 |
| FY2021 | $56,198 | $49,543 | $60,727 | 107 |
| FY2022 | $52,000 | $46,703 | $60,619 | 175 |
| FY2023 | $56,460 | $50,340 | $65,120 | 266 |
| FY2024 | $57,820 | $50,000 | $66,403 | 447 |
| FY2025 | $59,095 | $53,000 | $68,154 | 486 |
| FY2026 | $61,370 | $54,472 | $69,923 | 296 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Special Education Teacher make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Special Education Teacher jobs is $60,000 (782 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $53,160 and $68,789.
What does an entry-level Special Education Teacher earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $55,844. Level I accounts for 73% of Special Education Teacher filings.
Which employers file the most H-1B applications for Special Education Teachers?
Dallas Independent School District (40), West Contra Costa Unified School District (29) and Savannah Chatham County Public School System (24) filed the most Special Education Teacher LCAs in FY2025–FY2026.