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Best Special Education Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Special Education Schools in Iowa

10 Colleges
$51,893 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

In 2020-2021, special education students earned 180 degrees and certificates from an Iowa school, making the subject the 6th in the state.

There are so many teaching programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Teaching Degree Search has created its Best Special Education Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best programs for teaching students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Schools in Iowa

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

Top 10 Best Special Education Schools

#1

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern College the best school in Iowa for special education students. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Orange City.

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#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools in Iowa list. UNI is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Cedar Falls.

Full Special Education at University of Northern Iowa Report

#3

Morningside College

Sioux City, IA

The excellent programs at Morningside College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Iowa. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.

Full Special Education at Morningside College Report

#4

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Buena Vista University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in Iowa list. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Storm Lake.

Read full report on Special Education at Buena Vista University

#5

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in Iowa list. Iowa is a very large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Iowa

#6

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA

Dordt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #6 on the list. Dordt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Sioux Center.

Read full report on Special Education at Dordt University

#7

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, IA

Mount Mercy University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in Iowa list. Mount Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

Full Special Education at Mount Mercy University Report

Iowa State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#9

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

Upper Iowa University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in Iowa ranking. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Fayette.

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Graceland University - Lamoni came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the remote area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Graceland University - Lamoni

Best Special Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 539
Kansas 444
Minnesota 846
South Dakota 94
North Dakota 186
Nebraska 362

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 10 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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