Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) salary
From 419 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 25-2058: Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
- Also filed as: High School Special Education Teacher, Secondary Special Education Teacher
At a glance
- Mostly Level I (entry-level). 65% of Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) filings are Level I, compared with 19% across all H-1B filings.
- Top filer: San Jose Unified School District. 20 filings (5% of the total), median $70,000.
- Median up 10% since FY2020. From $57,294 in FY2020 to $63,012 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 419 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 25-2058, Special Education Teachers, Secondary School). The median base salary is $60,450, 51% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $51,869 and $69,628. The most common wage level is Level I (entry-level), at 65% of filings. Atlanta, GA has the most filings (29), and San Jose Unified School District is the employer that files the most (20).
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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 (Secondary School)
Employers with the most Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) filings. Bar: share of all Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) filings. Figure: median base salary.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 65% of filings
Mid-level · 19% of filings
Senior · 9% of filings
Expert · 7% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $55,500 | 184 |
| Level II · Qualified | $62,018 | 55 |
| Level III · Experienced | $65,227 | 26 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $73,705 | 19 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 9 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | $64,276 | 29 |
| San Jose, CA | $70,000 | 23 |
| Jackson, MS | $50,100 | 16 |
| Topeka, KS | $55,950 | 16 |
| Columbia, SC | $67,934 | 14 |
| San Francisco, CA | $91,426 | 14 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $66,038 | 10 |
| Savannah, GA | $69,941 | 10 |
| Washington, DC | $65,000 | 10 |
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) does
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.
Typical tasks
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
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, Secondary School (25-2058.00). 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, Secondary School), the median annual wage was $74,260 in May 2025, with 163,930 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $60,450, 19% lower.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,000 | $49,800 |
| 25th percentile | $51,869 | $60,180 |
| Median | $60,450 | $74,260 |
| 75th percentile | $69,628 | $93,730 |
| 90th percentile | $79,843 | $109,100 |
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 | $47,000 |
| 25th | $51,869 |
| 50th (median) | $60,450 |
| 75th | $69,628 |
| 90th | $79,843 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $57,294 | $48,518 | $60,496 | 67 |
| FY2021 | $55,640 | $48,048 | $59,291 | 74 |
| FY2022 | $56,000 | $44,920 | $63,818 | 115 |
| FY2023 | $56,977 | $48,466 | $68,468 | 152 |
| FY2024 | $57,225 | $49,836 | $65,000 | 202 |
| FY2025 | $60,400 | $51,297 | $67,451 | 259 |
| FY2026 | $63,012 | $53,110 | $71,370 | 160 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) jobs is $60,450 (419 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $51,869 and $69,628.
What does an entry-level Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $55,500. Level I accounts for 65% of Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) filings.
Which employers file the most H-1B applications for Special Education Teacher (Secondary School)s?
San Jose Unified School District (20), Jackson Public School District (16) and Edu Infotech International Resources (13) filed the most Special Education Teacher (Secondary School) LCAs in FY2025–FY2026.
Do H-1B Special Education Teacher (Secondary School)s earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($60,450) is 19% lower than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($74,260, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.