# Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten

> Teach academic, social, and life skills to kindergarten 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-kindergarten
- SOC code: 25-2055.00
- Career family: Education
- Median annual pay: $65,120 (10th percentile $49,350, 90th percentile $103,010)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, -0.4%
- Openings a year: 16,400
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school".

## Interest profile (code SIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 26 |
| Investigative (I) | 47 |
| Artistic (A) | 44 |
| Social (S) | 100 |
| Enterprising (E) | 12 |
| Conventional (C) | 45 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 92/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 92/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 81/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 79/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 79/100)
- Getting Information (importance 76/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 75/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 73/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 73/100)
- Analyzing Data or Information (importance 73/100)

## Skills

Speaking, Active Listening, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Writing

## Knowledge

English Language, Education and Training, Psychology, Mathematics, Administrative, Therapy and Counseling, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management

## Also called

Academic Interventionist, Adapted Physical Education Teacher, Blind Teacher, Braille Teacher, Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher, Deaf Teacher, Developmentally Delayed Special Education Teacher (DD Special Education Teacher), Early Interventionist, Emotional Disabilities Teacher, Emotional Support Teacher

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Special Education and Teaching](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1310) (CIP 1310, 1,003 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Manhattan College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/manhattan-college-1583) | Special Education and Teaching | not reported | $83,932 | not reported |
| [Utah State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-state-university-3102) | Special Education and Teaching | $58,712 | $74,535 | $17,379 |
| [SUNY Cortland](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-cortland-2653) | Special Education and Teaching | not reported | $74,079 | $24,250 |
| [Seton Hall University-New Jersey](https://www.collegesref.com/college/seton-hall-university-new-jersey-2399) | Special Education and Teaching | not reported | $72,067 | not reported |
| [Molloy College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/molloy-college-1749) | Special Education and Teaching | $49,948 | $71,781 | $27,000 |
| [The College of New Jersey](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-college-of-new-jersey-2736) | Special Education and Teaching | not reported | $66,767 | $26,000 |
| [CUNY Medgar Evers College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-medgar-evers-college-744) | Special Education and Teaching | $58,611 | $66,377 | not reported |
| [Saint Joseph's University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/saint-joseph-s-university-2308) | Special Education and Teaching | $54,709 | $64,827 | $26,261 |

## Related careers

- [Special Education Teachers, Elementary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-elementary-school): $65,120 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Middle School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-middle-school): $66,810 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Preschool](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-preschool): $64,830 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Secondary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-secondary-school): $74,260 median pay
- [Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/adult-basic-education-adult-secondary-education-and-english-as-a-second-language): $61,540 median pay
- [Teaching Assistants, Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/teaching-assistants-special-education): $36,780 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.