2023 Best Special Education Schools
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
In 2020-2021, 36,792 people earned a degree or certificate in special education, making the major the #29 most popular in the United States.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Special Education Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 694 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Special Education Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Special Education
Our analysis found Western Washington University to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the small city of Bellingham, WWU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at WWU accumulate an average of around $26,870 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $168.
Read full report on Special Education at Western Washington University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gonzaga University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools list. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.
Special Ed majors at Gonzaga take out an average of $25,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
The excellent programs at Lebanon Valley College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the United States. Located in the small suburb of Annville, LVC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Special Ed majors at LVC take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $313.
Out of the 694 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 4 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
The excellent programs at Central Washington University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the United States. CWU is a large public school located in the town of Ellensburg.
Full Special Education at Central Washington University Report
With a ranking of #6, The College of New Jersey did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from TCNJ carry an average student debtload of $26,458.
Towson University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Towson is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Towson.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Towson accumulate an average of around $19,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $216, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Hope College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Hope is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Holland.
Teachers College at Columbia University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools list. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
Read full report on Special Education at Teachers College at Columbia University
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #10 on the list. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Bank Street College of Education came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the large city of New York, Bank Street College of Education is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Special Education at Bank Street College of Education Report
York College of Pennsylvania landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the midsize suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at YCP take out is $28,000.
Full Special Education at York College of Pennsylvania Report
Saint Mary’s College of California came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Baylor University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Brandman University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Juniata College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Juniata is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Huntingdon.
Dakota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #17 on the list. Dakota State is a small public school located in the town of Madison.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Dakota State carry an average student debtload of $31,000.
Illinois State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools ranking. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $20,500 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $201.
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from UW - Madison carry an average student debtload of $21,875.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #20, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the large city of Seattle.
Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Minnesota State Mankato carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
With a ranking of #22, Fresno Pacific University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fresno.
With a ranking of #23, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Saint Martin’s University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools list. Saint Martin's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lacey.
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Special Education Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Special Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 694 different United States special education schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
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 award.
Special Education by Region
View the Best Special Education Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Special Education Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Special Ed
Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Special Ed
| 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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