2023 Best Special Education Schools
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
With 36,792 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for teaching students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Special Education Schools ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 694 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for teaching students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Special Education Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Special Education Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Special Education
Our analysis found Western Washington University to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. WWU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bellingham.
Special Ed majors at WWU take out an average of $26,870 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $168.
Out of the 694 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Gonzaga University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, special ed graduates from Gonzaga take out $25,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lebanon Valley College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools list. LVC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Annville.
On average, special ed graduates from LVC take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $313.
Read full report on Special Education at Lebanon Valley College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Washington University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools list. Located in the distant town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public college with a large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Central Washington University
The College of New Jersey ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools list. TCNJ is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Ewing.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at TCNJ accumulate an average of around $26,458 in student debt.
With a ranking of #7, Towson University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the city of Towson, Towson is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Special Ed majors at Towson take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $216, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Hope College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Holland, Hope is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Teachers College at Columbia University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Special Education at Teachers College at Columbia University Report
Johns Hopkins University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Johns Hopkins University
Bank Street College of Education came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Bank Street College of Education is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Read full report on Special Education at Bank Street College of Education
York College of Pennsylvania ranked #12 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of York.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from YCP carry an average student debtload of $28,000.
Read full report on Special Education at York College of Pennsylvania
Saint Mary’s College of California came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Moraga.
Full Special Education at Saint Mary’s College of California Report
Baylor University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waco.
Brandman University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Brandman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
Juniata College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools list. Located in the distant town of Huntingdon, Juniata is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Dakota State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Madison, Dakota State is a public college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Dakota State accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.
Illinois State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.
Special Ed majors at Illinois State take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $201, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #19 on the list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $21,875 in student debt.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #21 on the list. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Minnesota State Mankato accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
Fresno Pacific University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.
Saint Martin’s University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools list. Located in the small city of Lacey, Saint Martin's is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #25 on the list. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Special Education Schools
Additional Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Special Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 694 different United States special education schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students that almost earned our Best Special Education Schools award.
Special Education by Region
View the Best Special Education Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Special Education Rankings
Special Education Related Rankings by Major
One of 14 majors within the teaching area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Special Ed Focus Areas
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Special Education | 24,497 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs | 3,111 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities | 1,789 |
| Elementary Special Education | 1,625 |
| Other Special Education & Teaching | 1,227 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism | 1,133 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs | 655 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities | 540 |
| Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented | 504 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments | 415 |
| Education of the Deaf | 363 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances | 226 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed | 222 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs | 181 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness | 134 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities | 122 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic & Other Physical Health Impairments | 47 |
| Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries | 1 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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