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Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $65,120 Median per year Most earn $49,350–$103,010

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
  • 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.
  • Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
  • Guide or counsel students with adjustment problems, academic problems, or special academic interests.
  • Establish and communicate clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects to students.

Job outlook

United States
About the same number of jobs by 2035, little or no change · about 16,400 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't break this career out by industry.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Most people don't start in this job straight out of school. You usually need a bachelor's degree plus a teaching license, and many first gain 1 to 2 years of hands-on experience with students who have disabilities. Reaching this career often takes about 5 to 7 years in total, counting school and experience.

  1. Bachelor's degree in special education (with teacher licensure)

    4 years

    You learn how students with disabilities learn, how to write individualized plans, and how to teach reading and math in adapted ways. Student teaching in a real classroom and state licensure prepare you for the next step.

  2. Special Education Teaching Assistant

    1-2 years

    You work alongside a certified teacher, supporting students one-on-one or in small groups. This builds the classroom skills and experience that schools usually expect before they hire a lead teacher.

  3. Special Education Teacher, Elementary School

    Career

    You lead your own classroom, plan lessons, and work with families and other staff to support each student's academic, social, and life skills.

Where it can lead

  1. Special Education Coordinator

    5+ years as a special education teacher of experience first

    You oversee special education services across a school or district, helping other teachers with plans, testing, and compliance. It usually requires strong experience and often an added certificate or master's degree in administration or special education leadership.

  2. Assistant Principal

    3-5 years of teaching experience of experience first

    You help run a school, including discipline, staff supervision, and curriculum. Many schools want leadership coursework or an administrator license before they hire for this role.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take psychology, child development, or human biology classesThese courses help you understand how children grow and learn, which is the foundation of special education.
  • Volunteer with children or people with disabilitiesWorking at a summer camp, after-school program, or community organization gives you real experience and helps you see if this work fits you.
  • Join a peer tutoring or mentoring program at schoolHelping classmates learn builds patience and teaching skills that you will use every day as a teacher.
  • Get a job as a camp counselor or childcare aideHands-on work with kids over a summer or weekends builds experience and a reference for college applications.

In college

  • Major in special education or educationA degree in special education with a teacher licensure track is the most direct route to this career.
  • Work as a teaching assistant or classroom aidePaid or volunteer work in a school gives you real classroom experience and often counts toward the experience schools ask for.
  • Join a campus education or disability awareness clubStudent groups let you meet people with similar goals, build leadership skills, and learn about issues in special education.
  • Take courses on behavior support, assistive technology, or teaching readingThese topics are commonly used in special education classrooms and can help you stand out when applying for jobs.
  • Seek a student teaching placement in a special education classroomStudent teaching is often required for licensure, and choosing a special education placement gives you targeted practice early.

Tips for getting started

  • Get classroom experience early. Volunteering or working with kids with disabilities, even a few hours a week, shows schools you are committed and helps you learn what the job really involves.
  • Talk to a current special education teacher about their day. Ask what surprises them, what they wish they'd known, and what training helped most.
  • Look up your state's teacher licensing requirements now, since they can shape which courses and student-teaching placements you need.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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