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Education

Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$65,120

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$49k – $103k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $85,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

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Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

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Typical progression

  1. Junior Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

    Entry / Junior

    $49,350

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

    Established

    $65,120

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

    Senior

    $84,065

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

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