Special Education Teachers, Middle School
Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle 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.
Also called: Exceptional Children Teacher (EC Teacher) · Exceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher) · Inclusion Teacher · Intervention Specialist · Learning Disabilities Teacher (LD Teacher) · Learning Support Teacher
Median pay (national)
$64,880
$48,070–$102,730 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
95,330
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-1.9%
~6,300 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for special education teachers, middle school shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $102,730 versus $48,070 at the bottom 10% — 2.1x. The median of $64,880 leaves roughly 58% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -1.9% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 6,300 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 52 states with released data, California pays the most for this role (median $99,270, +53% vs the national median), while West Virginia sits lowest at $47,050 — a 111% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Active Learning as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and instructional technology.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
- Collaborate with other teachers that provide instruction to special education students to ensure that the students receive appropriate support.
Tools & technology
- Apple macOS
- Blackboard software
- Common Curriculum
- EasyCBM
- Flipgrid
- Google Classroom
- Hand held spell checkers
- Padlet
- Pear Deck
- Schoology
- Screen magnification software
- Screen reader software
- Seesaw
- Text to speech software
- Video editing software
- Voice activated software
Knowledge areas
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Public Safety and Security