Special Education Teachers, Middle School

Median salary

$66,810

Average salary

$73,780

Employment

95,200

Projected growth

1.9% decline

Annual openings

6,300

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Special Education Teachers, Middle School Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 0.3%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 4.5/5
Education and Trainingimportance 4.4/5
Mathematicsimportance 4.0/5
Administrativeimportance 3.8/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.6/5
Psychologyimportance 3.5/5
Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.3/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
Conflict Situations4.6/5
Physical Proximity4.5/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.3/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors99% skill match
Tutors99% skill match
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education98% skill match
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors98% skill match
School Psychologists98% skill match
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education98% skill match
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term98% skill match
Credit Counselors97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
Instructingimportance 4.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.9/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
Time Managementimportance 3.8/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.6/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
Persuasionimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Empathy
Cooperation
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Self-Control
Integrity
Optimism

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialHigh
ArtisticMedium
InvestigativeMedium
ConventionalMedium
RealisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where special education teachers, middle school make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).