Find Teaching Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Special Education Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Special Education Schools in California

34 Colleges
$59,751 Avg Salary
$17,326 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, special education was ranked 3rd in California. In fact, 2,861 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

Today's teaching students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Special Education Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 34 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for teaching students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Special Education Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Saint Mary’s College of California the best school in California for special education students. Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Saint Mary’s College of California

#2

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brandman University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Read More…

Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Fresno Pacific University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fresno.

Full Special Education at Fresno Pacific University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Point Loma Nazarene University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Point Loma Nazarene University Report

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in California list. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read full report on Special Education at California State University - Los Angeles

Notre Dame de Namur University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Belmont, NDNU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Special Education at Notre Dame de Namur University Report

#8

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in California ranking. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Special Education at Loyola Marymount University Report

California State University - San Marcos came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in California ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

Read full report on Special Education at California State University - San Marcos

#10

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA

University of Redlands landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Redlands

Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 238
Oregon 234
Nevada 215
Hawaii 49
Alaska 52

Special Education is one of 14 different types of teaching programs to choose from.

Special Ed Concentrations

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

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.

Featured Schools

Find Teaching Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited education & teaching schools across the U.S.