Special Education Teacher (Preschool) salary
From 49 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 25-2051: Special Education Teachers, Preschool
At a glance
- Median up 36% since FY2020. From $50,040 in FY2020 to $67,910 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Special Education Teacher (Preschool) H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 49 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Special Education Teacher (Preschool) jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 25-2051, Special Education Teachers, Preschool). The median base salary is $64,789, 47% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $53,250 and $71,770.
Is your Special Education Teacher (Preschool) offer competitive?
Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with certified H-1B filings for Special Education Teacher (Preschool) jobs, nationally or in one metro area.
Enter a salary to see where it falls.
Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 100% of filings
Mid-level · 0% of filings
Senior · 0% of filings
Expert · 0% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $67,350 | 22 |
| Level II · Qualified | – | 0 |
| Level III · Experienced | – | 0 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | – | 0 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Special Education Teacher (Preschool) pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 1 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $71,200 | 13 |
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Special Education Teacher (Preschool) does
Teach academic, social, and life skills to preschool-aged 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
- Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
- Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
- 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.
- Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, or changing their diapers.
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
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, Preschool (25-2051.00). 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.
H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers
Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Special Education Teachers, Preschool), the median annual wage was $64,830 in May 2025, with 29,510 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $64,789, 0% lower.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,752 | $45,620 |
| 25th percentile | $53,250 | $52,210 |
| Median | $64,789 | $64,830 |
| 75th percentile | $71,770 | $91,660 |
| 90th percentile | $82,724 | $130,040 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $46,752 |
| 25th | $53,250 |
| 50th (median) | $64,789 |
| 75th | $71,770 |
| 90th | $82,724 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $50,040 | $47,444 | $65,348 | 22 |
| FY2021 | $52,499 | $52,120 | $60,181 | 23 |
| FY2022 | $53,250 | $47,084 | $61,309 | 27 |
| FY2023 | $69,484 | $58,550 | $79,367 | 32 |
| FY2024 | $64,789 | $59,277 | $81,877 | 49 |
| FY2025 | $64,696 | $50,000 | $69,453 | 33 |
| FY2026 | $67,910 | $55,125 | $75,521 | 16 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Special Education Teacher (Preschool) make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Special Education Teacher (Preschool) jobs is $64,789 (49 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $53,250 and $71,770.
What does an entry-level Special Education Teacher (Preschool) earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $67,350. Level I accounts for 100% of Special Education Teacher (Preschool) filings.
Do H-1B Special Education Teacher (Preschool)s earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($64,789) is 0% lower than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($64,830, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.