Occupations · Educational Instruction and Library
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 25-2057.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 6% between 2019 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $88,380 | 9,070 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $63,790 | 6,140 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $74,960 | 3,190 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $78,560 | 3,110 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $75,980 | 2,710 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $97,030 | 2,570 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $76,710 | 2,060 |
| Cleveland, OH | $76,640 | 2,030 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $82,110 | 1,970 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $64,410 | 1,860 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $61,110 | 1,490 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $77,810 | 1,190 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
- 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.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2025-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2025-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Track students' progress on computer-based programs, such as reading fluency and comprehension.
O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2020
Comparing O*NET release 25.1 (2020-11-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 2 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 9
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| special educational needs itinerant teacher | 2352.1.4 | close |
| learning support teacher | 2352.1.3 | close |
| special educational needs teacher | 2352.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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