# Teaching Assistants, Special Education

> Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/teaching-assistants-special-education
- SOC code: 25-9043.00
- Career family: Education
- Median annual pay: $36,780 (10th percentile $27,150, 90th percentile $50,040)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, -0.3%
- Openings a year: 176,200
- Typical entry education: Some college
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Teaching assistants, except postsecondary".

## Interest profile (code SCA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 16 |
| Investigative (I) | 38 |
| Artistic (A) | 39 |
| Social (S) | 100 |
| Enterprising (E) | 19 |
| Conventional (C) | 43 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 84/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 77/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 72/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 70/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 68/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 66/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 65/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 65/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 64/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 61/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Learning Strategies, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, Instructing, Critical Thinking, Coordination

## Knowledge

English Language, Psychology, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Public Safety and Security, History and Archeology, Geography, Communications and Media, Sociology and Anthropology

## Also called

Assistant Instructor, Basic Skills Improvement Program Instructional Aide (BSIP Instructional Aide), Classroom Paraprofessional, Co-Teacher, Early Childhood SPED PARA (Early Childhood Special Education Paraprofessional), Education Support Professional, Educational Assistant, Paraeducator, Paraprofessional (Para), Special Needs Para (Special Needs Paraprofessional)

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

- [Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1312) (CIP 1312, 1,830 colleges)
- [Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1907) (CIP 1907, 1,004 colleges)
- [Special Education and Teaching](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1310) (CIP 1310, 1,003 colleges)
- [Education, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1301) (CIP 1301, 906 colleges)
- [Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4228) (CIP 4228, 729 colleges)
- [Teaching Assistants/Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1315) (CIP 1315, 233 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 |
| [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach](https://www.collegesref.com/college/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-daytona-beach-908) | Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | $48,898 | $82,023 | $24,529 |
| [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott](https://www.collegesref.com/college/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-prescott-909) | Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | $48,898 | $82,023 | $24,529 |
| [Boston College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-college-285) | Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | $53,507 | $76,328 | $19,000 |
| [College of Staten Island CUNY](https://www.collegesref.com/college/college-of-staten-island-cuny-621) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,195 | $75,637 | 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 |
| [CUNY Hunter College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-hunter-college-739) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,784 | $73,857 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-kindergarten): $65,120 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Secondary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-secondary-school): $74,260 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Elementary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-elementary-school): $65,120 median pay
- [Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/teaching-assistants-preschool-elementary-middle-and-secondary-school-except-special): $36,780 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Middle School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-middle-school): $66,810 median pay
- [Instructional Coordinators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/instructional-coordinators): $77,440 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.