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Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

138 Colleges
$51,373 Avg Salary
$25,770 Avg Student Debt

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 138 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for teaching students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Special Education Colleges.

Top 15% Best Special Education Schools

#1

Lebanon Valley College

Annville, PA

Our 2023 rankings named Lebanon Valley College the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for special education students. 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.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The College of New Jersey. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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.

Read full report on Special Education at The College of New Jersey

#3

Towson University

Towson, MD

Out of the 138 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Towson University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Towson, Towson is a public school with a very 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.

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Out of the 138 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Teachers College at Columbia University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#5

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Johns Hopkins University is a great place for special education students. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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Bank Street College of Education landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Bank Street College of Education is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

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York College of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the 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

#8

Juniata College

Huntingdon, PA

Juniata College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the town of Huntingdon, Juniata is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Juniata College Report

#9

University of Scranton

Scranton, PA

University of Scranton 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 small city of Scranton, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Scranton

#10

Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, PA

With a ranking of #10, Elizabethtown College did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Elizabethtown.

Read full report on Special Education at Elizabethtown College

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #11 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Special Ed majors at Ship take out an average of $28,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Special Education at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

#12

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Syracuse take out is $27,000.

Read full report on Special Education at Syracuse University

Millersville University of Pennsylvania came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Millersville is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Millersville.

After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Millersville carry an average student debtload of $29,750. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $205, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Special Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania

#14

Manhattan College

Riverdale, NY

Manhattan College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the city of Riverdale, Manhattan is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Manhattan carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Read full report on Special Education at Manhattan College

#15

Seton Hall University

South Orange, NJ

Seton Hall University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Seton Hall carry an average student debtload of $24,250.

Read full report on Special Education at Seton Hall University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

#17

Westminster College Pennsylvania

New Wilmington, PA

Westminster College Pennsylvania landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the town of New Wilmington, Westminster New Wilmington is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Westminster College Pennsylvania

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Kutztown.

Special Ed majors at Kutztown University take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $277, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#19

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, PA

Saint Joseph’s University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. St. Joe's is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

While working on their degree, special ed majors at St. Joe's accumulate an average of around $23,250 in student debt.

Full Special Education at Saint Joseph’s University Report

#20

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA

Lehigh University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Lehigh is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Bethlehem.

Read full report on Special Education at Lehigh University

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
21 Hood College Frederick, MD
22 SUNY Cortland Cortland, NY
23 George Washington University Washington, DC
24 Thiel College Greenville, PA
25 Lock Haven University Lock Haven, PA
26 Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ
27 University of Delaware Newark, DE

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 799
Pennsylvania 1,854
New York 4,329
Maryland 416
District of Columbia 101
Delaware 165

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

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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